Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-09-08
CITY PHYSICIAN
DENIES CHARGES
Dr.. Perry Vessel Sums Up Ty-
phoid Conditions in the
PIow City.
ARE BUT FEW CASES HERE
stzteurert Published in Local Weekly
Paper Anglers Wessei-Refutss
All the Charges.

Or. Perry Vessel. city physician Of
Moline. in a scathing interview yes
terday denied the report circulated
in Moline that the city is in the grip
OF an epidemic Of typhoid fever.
The interview was the result OF
statement printed in a local weekly
paper to the effect that the city was
overrun with the disease. Printed
with the article was a letter signed
taxpayer in which city water was
named as the cause Of the epidemic
and in which the city physician was
severely taken 10 task for not testing
the city water and issuing a report TO
the public.
The article was characterized by
DR.. Perry Vessel as containing state
ments founded on inaccurate informa-
ton. II is the duty of the city chem
ist to test the water. to make a report
TO the city commission and if the wa
ter is bad for the city commission 10
issue a statement to the ISblic, DR..
Perry Vessel stated. The city phys1-
clan has absolutely nothing TO do
with the city water. he asserted
Il see" said DR.. Vessel. that .
the grip Of an epidemic of typhoid.
1T said" continued the doctor,
that ore physician alone has IS cases
Of typhoid fever under his care. /
have consulted the doctors and find
that the largest number OF typhoid
cases any one doctor has is nine.
There are two physicians who have
this number.
The article further indicates that
the Moline city hospital IS overrun
with typhoid. that it Is so full ii can
= accommodate no more. As q matter
OF fact there were Sunday just y
cases in the city hospital, and the
hospital can accommodate 90 patients.
Moreover. OF those Is cases, four were
contracted by the patients while out
side OF the city limits Of Moline. and
four OF the cases are already account
ed for in that they are included in the
nine cases being treated by one physi-
clan already mentioned
The article further stated that
there are a dozen cases in the SAM
tarium. As a matter of fact there
were just six there Sunday. Two OF
these We're contracted outside OF the
civ and five are already accounted
Tor. being among the u,1e cases il
charge OF one physician already men
toned
Only 10 Cases Here.
In all. then. there ale just j. cases
80 in the city hospital and sanitarium
combined. and of this number six were
contracted b. the patients while out
= side OF the city. leaving - cases IN
the two Institutions that were con
tracred by the patients while in the
city Of Moline.
The article also stated that there
are dozens of cases being treated in
private homes. This statement is
without foundation unless the physi
,iaus Of Moline have not been doing
their duty and reporting AL cases tc
the city physician. And ] think the
doctors of Moline have been doing
their duty. that they think too much
Of their profession not 70 report al
cases.
IN regard 10 the letter. y hich closed
the article which reused the city Phy.
sseisu's ire. Dr. Vessel stated,
In regard 70 the letter which was
signed Taxpayer ! wish 10 say that
the person who wrote IL did not know
what ne was talking about or he
would not have written H. To begin