Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1912-07-16
POST-MORTEM
RESULTS IN NO
INFORMATION
Doctors in Dark Over Death Of
Little Josephine
Deaton.
WAS FOURTH OF THE FAMILY
Enlarged Glands Fatal, but No
Cause for Illness is
Discovered.
VAS FOURTH OF THE FAMILY

Des Moines, July 13.-The post
mortem examination over the bod!
of little Josephine Deaton, year.
old, yesterday afternoon, showed
that her death, like that of her two
brothers and sisters, was due to en-
larged glands. No intimation, how
ever. as to the cause of this or what
might be remedy, was given by the
surgeons in charge and the myster.
ious malady which has wiped out ar
entire family-a case without prece
dent in medical circles-is as much
of mystery as ever.
DR.. H. L. Sayler, city physician
and liver G. Newlen, acting coroner
were in charge of the examination.
DR.. A. S. Begg of Drake university
performed the operation and DR.. N.
G. Schilitz, DR.. j. A. Goodrich, DR..
F. B. Glew and DR.. Guy e. Cliff, the
Rev. j. w. Graves and J. w. Jenney,
chief of police, were present The
examination showed that the body
was filled with enlarged glands. DR..
Begg took the stomach and num-
Der of samples of the glands away
for. examination.
The body was in exactly the same
condition as the other three chill
dren and there was nothing more to
show the cause of the glands or the
real cause of death and the parents,
Mr. and Mrs. John F. Deaton, 2227a
East Maple street, and the entire
medical profession of the city are as
much in the dark as ever.
This mysterious malady which be-
gan it's deadly work four months
ago on Easter Sunday when Wyetta,
4 years old, dropped over and died,
is as mysterious now as the day of
the death of little Wyetta.
The body of the first child hardly
had been buried and the parents
were just recovering from the shock
when week later, on April Is, Ce-
Gil, 2 years old, died. His death was
similar to that of his sister.
Post-mortem examination Of the
bodies of both children showed en-
larged glands and nothing more.
There was no trace of the cause.
There was no trace of what might
be treated to effect cure.
And, though DR.. Goodrich called
in some of the leading authorities
OF the city and everything that was
known to medical authorities was
done, little Walter, years old, died
June Z, just two months after the
first death. His death was follow
ed yesterday by that of Josephine.
In her case, as in the others, there
was no hint that death was near.
Last week she had made COM
plant, but said she was all right
when awakened yesterday morning
by her father. He left for work and
the child was playing around the
house. She sat down on chair and
in few minutes dropped over
dead
Though she had not been i'll the
parents and the little girl had been
expecting this and she had even
asked that her body not be 'cut up. I"
Her wishes, however, had to be dis
regarded in order that one final at
tempt could be made to clear up the
great mystery.
The Investigations of the medical
authorities have failed to disclose a
single clue that would lead to the
discovery of the cause of the en-
larged glands, and, therefore, the
cause of death. Any theory of or
ganic defects is removed by the fact
that the children all have died at
different ages.
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