Evening journal., 1911-04-03
TUBERCULOSIS
In WORKHOUSE
But Thirty Deaths From it in
Nine Years Existence of
the Institution
SERIOUS QUESTION RAISED
BY DOVER NEWSPAPER

That persons committed to the New
Castle County Workhouse for COM
paratively short terms are very like
ly to lose their lives by contracting
tuberculosis there is the charge made
in an editorial in the Dover Dela-
warean Of Saturday.
On the other hand officials of the
County Workhouse deny tho statement
made in tho Dover newspaper, and
point out that there have been but
thirty deaths among the more than
$4,000 different persons who have
been committed TO the Workhouse in
the past nine years.
Or. S c. Rumford, the workhouse
! physician. says that practically all the.
prisoners dying Of tuberculosis were'
either suspicious cases or suffering
with incipient tuberculosis when ad-
mitted to the Workhouse.
Raises the Question.
The editorial in tho Delawarean
says:
THE general rumors now ahoat
about the WorlxhOuse at Greenhank,
where all long term prisoners in tho
State are sent, are not calculated to
increase It's reputation for useful
ness.
III a man commits some minor
crime or mlsdemeanor and the law
makes him spend a term in Jail, ho
should not be sentenced TO death.
Every one will admit that a crimi-
nal ought not to be killed II the law is.
satisfied with, say a year or two inl
prison as a proper penalty.
"Net We believe Il to be true that
the criminals sent TO the Workhouse
for comparatively short terms are
very likely 10 lose their lives by con-
, tracing tuberculosis there.
"Are these rumors true2 It is timo
| TO air the rumors at least and have
the people OF tho State assured that
E. It is not almost pest house they
& are keeping in the guise Of a peniten.
+ tiary"
DR.. Rumford's Statement
30 Dr. Samuel G. Rumford who ha
a. been the Workhouso physician for tn
~ past four years, today said
n There Is not nor has ther
been much tuberculosis in tn
III Workhouse, and it Is frequentl
> the case IMNN AAt MNNinn' 10 NN
veloped before the prisoner is re-
" ceived at the Workhouse. For in
" stance a prisoner suffering with tub
" erculosis was sent up from George
q town last week The case of John
v Goodwin is the only one ! know of that
e has developed tuberculosis symptomsi
since he was admitted there. He wasl
p perfectly free of tuberculosis when hel
z was received there All tho cases
{ were either doubtful or incipient cases
d when the persons that developed tu-
e berculosis entered the Workhouse."
Thirty Deaths In Nine Years.
Leonard Crawford. chief warden Of
It the Workhouse. went over the in
II stitution's statistics. and summed up
h thirty deaths OF prisoners attributed
II to tuberculosis I'm the more than nine
It years that the Workhouse has been
established In that time there have
p been forty-cight death from all causes.
Is and Mr.. Crawford found that 1900
II commitments Of persons to the Work
NJ house had been made In that time.
d The same person may have been COM
70 mitted more than one time. but for
an entirely separate offence. These
x figures give an idea Of how the prison
W population changes The average
le population is more than $50 prisoners
ID nowadays. and often is above 800, but
IN they are coming and going all the
i time. the total being 1900 different
ID commitments in the nine years. There
m are 2S2 prisoners there today
70 The percentage Of deaths from tu-
berculosis therefore has been less
than 002 per cent. or less than two
IF for each thousand OF different prison.
II ers committed to the Workhouse IN
4 nine years. This is considered a very
it low death rate and all the more "a
e for a prison.
.e There is but one case of tubercu-
II losis here now that know Of" said
Is Mr. Crawford. He said the tubercu
losis patients are sent to the hos
pital ward.