Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-25
Over Three Score Cases at
Johns Hopkins Hospital.
MEDICAL SCHOOL CLOSED
Doctors, Nurses and Students, Be-
sides Hospital Patients, Victims
Of the Malady.

BALTIMORE. Md. February 25-Owing
to the outbreak of diphtheria at the Johns
Hopkins Hospital. DR.. j. Whinidge Will
Jams, dean of Johns Hopkins Medical
School. today ordered the medical school
to be closed until further notice. One
new case of diphtheria was reported in
the hospital this morning, making a total
Of thirty-three cases.
Many of the students at the medical
school from out Of town have returned or
will return to their homes until notified
that the ban is lifted
Il think classes will have to be sus-
pended for about six or seven days." said
DR.. Williams. This is done as a precau-
tionary measure. We deemed it unwise
to have the students gather in the lee
ture rooms for classes and also to have
them mingling With the patients in the
public wards or in the dispensary. The
situation is under control, but steps have
to be taken to prevent a spread of the
disease
Two doctors. nine nurses. eleven stu
dents and number Of patients are now
suffering from it.
To prevent a spread of the disease with
IN the hospital, all unaffected patients
who are In condition to be moved are
being sent to their homes, while those
who have contracted it are being isolated
In ward / and in ward G, where the dis
ease was first discovered. The students
who have contracted it have been re-
moved from their boarding houses to
the hospital, thereby relieving the city of
the burden Of maintaining a quarantine
at these houses or caring for them in the
already overcrowded contagious disease
hospital. Sydenham
Says Outbreak Is General.
Until yesterday morning all the cases
which had developed were confined 10
nurses and patients in ward G and stu
dents who lived outside of the hospital.
but yesterday one new case developed in
ward F. DIR. Rupert Norton, who. in the
absence of DR.. Henry M. Hurd, is acting
superintendent, and his assistants think
they now have the situation SO well in
hand that there will be no further spread.
In discussing the situation DR.. Norton
said
lat present there seems to be a general
outbreak Of diphtheria in the northeast
section Of the city. A number of the stu
dents at the Johns Hopkins Medical
School have been found to be suffering
with the disease. as well as two doctors,
several nurses and a number of the pa
tents in the hospital.
Every precaution has been taken to
prevent the spread Of the disease both in
SIDE and outside the hospital. Ihere is no
reason for the public being in any way
disturbed"
do you think there is any likelihood Of
the board Of health declaring a quaran.
tine at the hospital?' he was asked.
Trouble Well in Hand.
''Such thing is preposterous. We have
the trouble now well in hand and are CIV
ing the patients the closest attention. We
have used every means to prevent the
disease spreading. Had Baltimore an ade-
quate contagious disease hospital we
would have preferred to have removed
all OF our patients to that institution"
When asked If it were true that there
was a serious outbreak Of diphtheria in
the northeastern section of the city DR..
James Bosley. health commissioner, said
there was not.
II have not received any report Of cases
there" he said. except those reported
from the Johns Hopkins Hospital. When
these cases were reported we were told
that 1t was thought that one of the stu
dents who Is now suffering with the dis
ease had contracted 1t from a child in
the house in which he boarded. 1t was
said that this child had had a very severe
case of tonsilitis. We had culture made
in her throat, but there was nothing at
that time to show that she was or had
been suffering from diphtheria."