Milford chronicle., 1911-04-07
TUBERCULOSIS IN THE
NEW CASTLE WORKH0ySE

NEW GA5 lit WURkHUvSE
That persons committed to the
New Castle County Workhouse for
comparatively short terms are very
likely to lose their lives by contract
ing tuberculosis there is the charge
made in an editorial in the Dover
Delawarean of Saturday.
On the other hand officials of the
County Workhouse deny the state
ment made in the 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 work
house in the past nine years.
DR.. S. G. Rumford, the Work
house physician, says that practically
ali the prisoners dying of tuberculosis
were either suspicious cases or suf-
fering with incipient tuberculosis
when admitted to the workhouse.
RAISES THE QUESTION
The editorial in the Delawarean
says:
THE general rumors now ahoat
about the Workhouss at Greenbank, |
where all long term prisoners in the
State are sent, are not calculated to
increase its reputation for usefuln IS
"If man commits some minor
crime or misdemeanor and the law
makes him spend term in Jail, he
should not be sentenced to death
Every one will admit that crimi-
nal ought not to be killed if the law
is satisfied with, say year or two in
prison as proper penalty
''Yet we believe it to he true that
the criminals sent to the WOrkhOuse
for comparatively short terms are
very likely to lose their lives by con- /
tracting tuberculosis there
"Are these rumors true? 1t is
time to air the rumors at least, and :
have the people Of the State assured /
that it is not almost a pest house
they are keeping in the guise peni
tentiary." {
DR.. RUMFoRD's STATEMENT. T
DR.. Samuel C. Rumford, who has !
heen the workhOuse physician for :
the past four " ars, aid;
"Ihere Is not nor has there been t
much tuberculosis in the Workhouse |
and it is frequently the case that the i
disease is developed before the pris- a
soner is received at the Workhouse a
For instance, a prisoner suffering o
with tuberculosis was sent up from =
Georgetown last week. The case of o
John Goodwin is the only one know "
of that has developed tuberculosis q
symptoms since he was admitted II
there. He was perfectly free of t
tuberculosis when he was received h
there. All the cases were either W
doubtful or incipient cases when the b,
persons that developed tuberculosis p.
entered the Workhouse. "
THIRTY DEATHS IN NINE YEARS .
Leonard Crawford, chief warden {
If the Work house, went over the in
statistics and summed up ]
.hirty deaths of prisoners attributed
% tuberculosis in the more than
line years that the Workhouse has
,een established. In that time there
lave been fortv-eight deaths from all
,auses, and Mr.. Crawford found
hat Is, 700 commitments of persons
o the Workhouse had been made q
n that time. The same person may
lave been committed more than
ne time, but for an entirely separate q,
fence These figures gives an idea
+ how the prison population n
hanges. The average population .
, more than $50 prisoners nova a
ays, and often is above 300, but 81
ley are coming and going all the
me, the total being -, 700 different a
in the nine years.
here are 2S2 prisoners there today. %
The percentage of deaths from tu-
erculosis therefore has been less =,
ian .l02 per cent, or less than two
n each thousand Of different pris- tlC
,ners committed to the Workhouse "
nine years. This is considered a
arv low death rate and all the more he
for a prison.
There is but one case of tubercu-
sis here now that l know Of. "
id Mr. Crawford. He said the tu .Is g
srculosis patients are sent to the Fac
)spital ward. SCI