The Penn's Grove record., 1911-01-27
ENDEhlCAL BENIGN SMALLPOX.
It Has Not Proved To Be Serious
Nor Dangerous.

week made too much light OF the OIL
demic in Penn's Grove, called small
pox. Ifany person knows OF any mistate
ment of fact in the article we would
like TO learn differently. Because OF
the article, we understand, the Board OF
Health had Dr.. W. M. Welsh, head OF
tue Municipal Hospital, in Philadel-
phia, to examine the patients last Sun
day and made an affidavit:
"After an exam. inatiOn of the men,
beers of four different families in the
borough and the patients at present IN
the Temporary hospital, l have no hesl-
tation in ~pronouncing the prevailing
disease to be smallpox, which IS OF the
extremely mild type, so mild, indeed,
a. to be quite atypical. In many cases
it is not impossible for this mild form
of the disease to spread and give rise to
severe and fatal cases."
We do not question that it is a type
of smallpox. In fact, several diseases
have such similar symptoms that the
most skilled physicians a not dis
tinguish them until fully developed,
and such can scarcely be expected oil
physicians who have had limited ex-
o~erience in such diseases. We question
no ones honesty mol good intentions to
do the best for the public ami humanity,
vet when something new comes along
people are eager to learn all about IL.
When it is called by a name which
does not accord with their knowledge
learned by reading, by observation and
by experience the question arises, what
ia it ard what is the true name for nf
It is ~self-evident that the smallpox
now in Penn's Grove is not the type OIL
disease which usually goes under that
name. We repeat. No one a Deen
"stricken." None are seriously SICK,
nor have any heen as ill as several nave
been frcm the effects of vaccination.
DR.. Welsh says that it is 'of an ex
tremely mild type, SO mild, inaeeo' DIS
to be quite atypical." Atyplcal MEANS
according to Webster's dictionary,
s.that has no type, devoid OF typical
character, irregular; unlike the type"
He is reported having said, it was the
mildest smallpox he has witnessed Ill
forty years.
It surely is unlike the genuine SMALL
pox as described in medical books ana
encyclopedias, and the experience Oh
those who have it is not the same as
those persons in Penn's Grove who haa
the smallpox years ago.
After research in two medical books
written by noted physicians and in SIX
encyclopedias we found in Johnson's
Universal Encyclopedia a description OF
BENIGN SMALLPOX.
A copy CT the description is in another
column. From personal observation OF
the affected before going to the hospital;
conversation with some since they have
come out, and the description given ny
persons who have had the genuine
smallpox and have seen the disease
develop on these people, we are leo to
believe that the disease is Benign Small
box. horned or wart-pox.
Benign means Of a mild type or char
acter. Surely it is kind and gracious
in not being worse. 1t is a mystery
that some did not have some other
ailment and suffer from a complication
of diseases. Instead, after the breaking
out they felt better, and few have miss
ed a meal. 1t is also a mystery that
not a person has contracted the disease
in The families of those who were taken
to the hospital. 4
We repeat. It is so mild that if it
were not called smallpox with which
word all the maliginity Of the disease
is conveyed in the mind, it would loose
its terror, business and public affairs
would resume their natural course, the
same rs it continued under an epidemic
Of scarletina eleven years ago.
This Benign Smallpox bears about
the same relation to the genuine small
pox as rubella, commonly called scar
letina, does to scarlet fever. Fifteen
or tM enty children had scarletina eleven
years ago. 1t is not considered dam
gerous, yet two children died of it.
A daily paper published in Camden
on Tuesday announced that there was
endemic smallpox there two years ago.
Little ado was made and we heard of
no deaths. The funigator from there
said there were a hundred cases. There
were fifty cases of the Penn's Grove
type in Millville last summer and about
twenty cases two months ago in Will
mington, making about two hundred
cases of benign smallpox.
If any one knows of any case OF the
the genuine smallpox having been de-
yeloped from any of those cases OF n
death having been caused from it we
would like to learn the fact.
Endemical means peculiar to a dis
trict or particular locality or particular
locality, or class of persons. There
fore we class the disease in Penn's
Grove as Endemical Benign Smallpox.
1t has not proved to be serious nor dan
gerous. If bereft of the name small
pox; if it were called hOlned-pox, wart-
pox, or roseola the terror would be
taken away and people would think
little more of it than if it were chicken
pox or measles. because there has not
dovolouad vet in fonr weeks a sickness