Arizona republican., 1911-02-14
SMALLPOX QUESTION
IN THE SOUTHWEST
vieILANT COMMUNITIES AND
COMPETENT OFFICIALS
DO NOT FEAR 1T.
The Successful Way In Which the
Disease Is Handled In
FL Paso.

FL Paso's nearBess to Arizona
makes the subject of the handling
of epidemic diseases in that city one
of natural interest in Arizona DIR.
Z. S. Godfrey, secretary of the Ari-
iona board of health. recently re-
| ceived a letter from the city health
officer of Ell Paso concerning the
handling of smallpox. which is made
/ public for several reasons. one being
the general information il contains
respecting smallpox and vaccination.
Another is that ii is pleasing to know
| that while FL Paso has been reported
for long time as harboring an cpl
| demic of that plague, il is not cpl
demic, will not become so and the
few cases that have developed are
very carefully looked after. In this
connection it is timely to state that
| Phoenix might have had an outbreak
had it not been for the vigilance OF
the local authorities. Several week.
ago a man became i'll of smallpox in
local lodging house. He was accom-
panied by his wife and both were re-
moved to the poor farm where quar-
ttiS MtIt llcHl. DUH
had the disease and both recovered.
All others in the building were vac
cinated and there was no spread.
Sufficient time has elapsed to assure
that there will be no further infection
from that source.
II is proper as an introduction to
the letter from FL Paso. to recitc the
facts which called IL out. Some time
ago DR.. Godfrey received a letter
from a physician in one of the cities
of southern Arizona, saying that
smallpox was reported prevalent in
FL Paso and owing To the great travel
between that town and FL Paso. es-
pecially among the poorer classes of
Mexicans. the local board of health
advised a quarantine against FL Paso.
but could not well undertake il unless
all southern Arizona towns did So
DR.. Godfrey replied that he did not
favor a quarantine for various rea-
sons. The first was that lei Paso's
affliction was only reported and not
established Another was that he did
not believe wholesale quarantining of
towns is a proper method OF preven-
ton from the standpOints of either
efficacy or economy. Vaccination, he
contends, is the proper preventive
for both the present and the future.
Germany having practically eliminated
the disease from that nation by that
method. no longer quarantining even
the persons who have the disease. HE
advised as more likely to bring good
results. the spending of an amount
of money equal to that proposed To be
spent in quarantining. in providing
free vaccination to all who wish it
and compulsory vaccination of in
mates of jails and hospitals. employees
of the county. etc, and in general
crusade for better sanitation and look
ing after health conditions i'm con-
gested residence districts.
Then he advised publicity wherever
case was found and a true state
ment in every case as to whether the
patient had ever been vaccinated. and
when. In explanation DR.. Godfrey
stated that in no case of smallpox re-
ported in Arizona during 1910 had
the patient ever been vaccinated. He
also urged that the public. and es-
pecially the Mexicans of the territory
should be instructed as to the relia-
bility of vaccination as a preventive
measure and that vaccination when
done should not be done by the
promiscuous use of points by mex
perienced and uncleanly persons but
that it should be properly done by
aseptic methods. He concluded by
saying that the local board had au-
thority to quarantine if it so elected
but he would not advise it.
The doctor then wrote TO the health |
department of Ell Paso asking for a |
statement of conditions which was
freely and quite exhaustively made !
as follows:
FL Paso, Tex. Feb. 8, 1911
Edward S. Godfrey Jr.. Secretary Ari-
IONA Territorial Board of Health
Phoenix. Arizona.
Dear Ductor:-
We have yol- valued 10. r OF 9Th
lust asking us respecting = report To
you of the prevalence at FL Paso of
an epidemic of smallpox, and as to
what we are doing to control same.
We have no epidemic here and can
not have one because of the fully
vaccinated state of our population.
We report to YOU the periods and
number of cases that have occurred
smallpox. The report is by weeks.
and is taken from the regular weekly
reports of this department to the
mayor and board of aldermen. and
this is a public record at our city
hall:
Week ended November "a. 1910. -.