Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-11
CALLS EARLY LEPER
New York Medical Committee
Reports Against Him.
DECISION Is NOT FINAL
Case to Be Further Considered On
DR.. Bulkley's Request.
DEBATE WAS A WARM ONE
Washington Ex-Soldier Vigorously
Defended by Physician Who
Has Befriended Him.

! MEM YORK. January 11.-John x. Ear
Is was pronounced sue cssively "a prob
able lcper' and outright "a lcpcr in the
report which was offered TO the Society
of Medical Jurisprudence by committee
Of three PHYSICIANS and two lawyers at
it's meeting last night. The debate, warm
and bordering the personal lasted for
an hour and a half. The society finally
decided, by a divided vote. 10 refer the
| report back to the committee, with the
request to hear such further evidence and
make such further Investigations as Or.
/ l.. Duncan Buckley. who has championed
Earlv'S cause, may re- omnend
/ The turn was unexpected one for
Early's friends. who have been fighting
for moro than year to free him from
| the stigma which was attached to him
by tho Washington report that he had the
disease For ten months he was kept
| in quarantine in Washington, and has
! since been free in New York. His pres
| ent Nherea bouts are not known. although
| he is supposed to bc in this city. having
| arrived from Washington about A month
! ago.
| The members of the committee are:
Theodore Sutro. A. De,os kneeand. DR..
| Eherhard Y. Dietrich, DR. Eherhard y.
| Fisher and Dr. Renold Webb Wilcox.
Their report was accompanied by mass
| of documents labeled from exhibit ~
to exhibit L. including correspondence
! al, the case the reports of specialists and
other data. They SUMMARIZE as follows:
The Committee Findings.
THE medical members Of this commit
tec found John r. Early TO he q probable
| leper on clinical examination because of
areas Of fermentation and anaesthesia
and thickening of both ulnar nerves
which he presented.
They find him leper because of the
demonstration by DR.. kreuder OF the
| bacilli Of leprosy in preparation made
from his skin and which have been iden-
tilted and confirmed by Drs Dittrich,
| Fordyce. Whitehonse and Morrow.
| The legal members of the committee,
| in view OF the foregoing findings of the
medical MEMBERS and of the record and
| exhibits herewith presented, find that the
action taken with reference TO John X
Early by the authorities at Washington
was within the provisions of the inter-
state quarantine regulations of the United
States making leprosy a quarantinable
| disease"
| The discussion began with rush. AS
soon as Mr.. Sutro had finished reading.
Dr. Henry Russell sprang to his feet and
| said:
II should like to ask if all the experts
who were consulted saw Mr.. Early. DID
| DIR. Morrow see him personality?
| DR.. Dittrich replied that DR.. Morrow
| had examined specimen of, Ear!y's skin.
but had not seen him personally
Calls It "Absent Treatment"
| That's a queer way to make a dag
nosis,'' said DR. Russell "A sort OF alb
sent treatment There seems to have
been little Christian Science applied
here Dr. DR.. Fordyce see him?"
| Here Judge Ommen. chairman of the
meeting. called Dr.. Russell to order ana an.
| suggested that his comments were SUI
| perfuous. The question was answered
| in the negative. DR.. Bulkley was then
called upon to open the discussion.
| 1T is with the greatest reluctance, he
said. that l must dissent from the find
| ings of the committee. After a study of
the patient for nine months. ! must still
declare that there is no evidence OF
| leprosy In the Hawaiian Islands
suspected leper is allowed to have bis
private physician with him during his
examination which must take place be-
. fore a board of five physicians. If the
| physician objects to a finding or leprosy
he many demand second investigations
| At this rehearing two reputable bacter-
| biologists must pass Independently upon
different specimens OF skin. and each
must find evidence of leprosy-
J, II must bes of You that you accord to
| a white citizen, who has served his coun-
try for nine years in the army. as full a
| hearing as is given to any native or our
island territory.
AT the first examination. when Early
Na- stripped. Dr. Fisher found no traces
Of anaesthcsia, and there were 10 tNter-
/ nal symptoms Of !cprosy
Called to Order.
Here member arose III the rear Of the
aall with the interruption. Il would
question that statement. DR.. Fisher has
lust entered the room VIII he state the
| factso
!! The president brought the meeting to
order with a rap of the gavel. and DIR.
Bulkley went on I'VE have heard that
! of the three so-called experts who We're
called in the case, only two have seen
! Early Furthermore. | was present at
only two OF the five meetings Of the COM
j, mittee. They gave me to understand that
the report would not be submitted till the
/ February meeting. We have important
| medical evidence which we should like to
submit to the committee before this So
ciety acts finally upon the report There
fore I would ask that the report be re-
ferred back to the committee for further
| action.
Corrected by DR.. Fisher.
DR.. Fisher corrected DR.. Bulkley's
statement as to his findings. saying that
he had found evidence of slight anaes-
thesia, but that as member of the COM
mittee he was ready TO reconsider the re-
port A. Delos kneeland. one of the
legal members. dissented emphatically.
1T seems to me-, he said, that we
have heard more or less criticism of the
committee. Referring back to a commit
tee seems to mean that the body has not
confidence in the committee. We came to
this conclusion unanimously, with great
regret and sympathy for Mr. Early
After more debate, during which DR..
H. T. Piffard made tiisparaging remarks
about the microscope with which the sup
posed ieprosy bacili were being shown at
the meeting. the question was put to
vote With one or two dissenting voices.
il was decided to refer the matter back to
the committee. requesting il to undertake
whatever further investigation DIR. Bulk
lev suggested, and To report, IL possible
at the next meeting. the second Monday
of February.
DR.. Woodward's Comment
There is d distinct air of Il told you
So in and about the health department
at the District building today. 1t Is all
about the nearly decided decision of the
New York Medical Association that John