Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1915-11-29
SMALLPOX IS
FEARED BY
HEALTH MEN
Thirty-four Suspects in City
and Vicinity Under Sur
veiIlance.
HAD VISITED DOVER HOTEL
WHERE CASE WAS FOUND
Worry Caused Here Because
of Falling off in Vac
cinations.

Danger of a smallpox epidemic in
Newark is just now worrying the
local health authorities, as thirty
four Essex county residents, most
of them Newarkers, are under sur
veilance as smallpox suspects. The
authorities are taking every precau-
tion against an outbreak of the dis
ease here. and the suspects are either
quarantined in their homes, where
the district physicians visit them, or
are under the supervision of the
Board of Health, after having been
vsccinated. The most alarming as
pect of the situation is that New
ark, according to DR.. Charles ".
Craster, acting health officer. is well
primed for a smallpox epidemic, due
to the steadily increasing antipathy to
vaccination.
Were an epidemic to break out
now it would sweep through the city,"
said DR.. Craster today. "The medi-
cal profession would be unable to
cope with the vaccination problem. so
small is the percentage of vaccinated
persons"
The suspects are all in that position
as a result of having visited the Man
sion House, Dover, during a four-day
period, from November Is to Novem
Der 2o when maid in the grillroom
there was taken ill with smallpox. On
the twentieth maid, Miss Mamie
Kerwick, aged twenty-five years, was
taken to a two-room isolation hos
f,1 al ~ IN d.
house, Dover. Her case is regarded
as mild, which does not, however,
tighten the danger of those about her
catching or spreading the disease
The health authorities would not
give out the names of the suspects
today, but said most of them are
travelling statesmen
What Investigation showed.
1t was after Miss Kerwick was
taken to the isolation hospital that
the health department of this city be-
gan an investigation to see whether
any Newark residents had been in the
danger zone. Over the telephone it
was learned four had been exposed.
An inspector was sent to Dover on
November % and learned the names
of thirty more. Their addresses We're
hunted up In the city directory, and
inspectors OF the contagious disease
department. were sent to see them 1t
was found some had their business
address in Newark and their homes
in suburban towns. In these cases
the health authorities of the various
towns were notified.
When the suspect had Neyark
residence he was given the option OF
being vaccinated and placed under
health department for seven days
afterward or of being quarantined in
his home for two weeks. the full in
cubation period of smallpox. The ma
jority chose vaccination. For them
the seven-day period of surveillance
will end tomorrow.
East Orange has particular inter-
est in the situation. as Miss kerwicK
was in that city shortly before she
was taken ILL., The authorities there
declare they are unable to connect the
case up with East Orange, as the city
has no smallpox.
Vaccinations Few.
Newarks preparedness against
smallpox is dangerously inadequate,
according to DR.. Craster. In anticipa-
ton of this disease the preparedness
should he Of the individual as much
as of the community. A strong bull
wark to insure individual safety dur
ing an epidemic is the vaccination of
the Individual And only 5SS people
were vaccinated in Newark last year.
In 1902, when a prevalence OF small
pox impressed the danger upon the
public, there were more than 26,oO0
vaccinations, but since tnen there
has been a steady decrease, more
marked as tbs years wore on. In 1915
there we're only $500 vaccinations and
only one-tenth of this number were
vaccinated in the year following.
Some of the thirtyfour people who
now constitute possible epidemic
menaces are very much disgruntled
Among them are travelling men who
say this is their big season, but they
are shut up. These men had only
one meal in the hotel.