Arizona republican., 1915-03-05
N|ORE BIRTHS
 THAN DEATHS
Interesting Report of City Health Officer Shows . Good Condition in City Despite Slight Smallpox Scare in February

form reported, of which at the close of the month but two remained. One case of typhoid fever, two of measles, ten of scarlet fever, four of diptheria and four of chickenpox were re- ported This is considered an eXcep tionally satisfactory record for the month of February, when there is usually higher rate of sickness.
 The following from the report gives some interesting facts concern ing the smallpox situation:
 On the eighth of the month a case of smallpox was reported, the first patient was a member of the state legislature. and as he had been ill for a week prior to the recognition of the disease and had received many visitors. the opportunity for the dis ease to assume epidemic proportions was too good to be relished. The members of both houses were, in- formed of the case and urged to be vaccinated. The health department offered vaccination and after care without charge. Very few took ad- vantage of the warning in the first twenty four hours, and in the mean time another suspected case had been reported. In order to relieve the minds of some of the members and to bring them to a realization of the seriousness of the situation, the legislature adjourned for two days to permit the disnfection and fumi- sation of the chambers and commit mittee rooms. More important. Il further warning to be vaccnated was very largely needed and I personally vaccinated fifty four members and Der visited their physicians for this purpose. It was very gratifying to observe a large number of takes. . especially among those who had been most intimately associated with the patient. It is to this rather than to any disinfecting that I ascribe the failure of oher cases to materialize from this focus.
 The mystery of the case was the source of infection The patient had passed through Tucson, where the disease was epidemic. twenty-five lays before the probable date of onset, giving an incubation period rather too long to be probable He had no recollection of coming in contact with anyone. either i'll or with an eruption. My own~ conclu- sion was that there were probably mild cases If smallpox existing in the city which were unrecognized or at any rate unreported. This con o'usion received support in q few days ton the tweifth). a case being reported from the schools, and a second by a physician in different parts of the city. The sources could rot be traced
 On the fifteenth another case was
 reported by the schools. whose source was likewise mysterious until the nineteenth, when case was re-
 ported. In this case q suspicion was
 entertained that an employee stp-
 posed to have had chckenpox might
 have been the source. It deyeloped
 that this employee Cease @ was an
 uncle of case 1 and had prior tn
 auarantinins him out on the fif- teenth. been living in the same house.
 He still exhibited unmistakable signs of smallpox and was isolated with his family until complete recovery. The source of his infection was a relative who had been living on q
 ranch near Glendale where there was "chickenpox." He came to live with case and developed "chickenpox' while there and had gone elsewhere when able to travel after his illness.
 His attack came on about the seventh of January. The probable date of onset of case was about the twenty fifth of January. and cases ? and 1
 about February first All contacts were vaccinated either by the health department of the attending physi clans and, except in the instance of case :, was successful in preventing secondary cases. Case : was vacci- rated as soon as it was suspected that case , was smallpox( but al- though the vaccination took. it did not succeed in preventing the de- velopment of the disease on the
 twenty second. None of the other
 cases had ever been vaccinated
 The two measles cases occurred in the family remaining in isolation on February 1st. No others have been reported. Of the ten scarlet fever cases. three were secondary to other
 cases in the same household This outbreak seems to have had it's focus in the Washington school. An in- vestigation by the school physician brought two suspects to light, which
 were later verified.
 The four diptheria cases were sporadic-that is they had no dis covcrable connection with each other or any previously reported case. In one case two carriers were discover ed in the family Another case de- veloped among the boarding scholars at the Catholic school Cultures were taken from all the pupils and the sisters. Two carriers were found and isolated. Two diptheria cases were brought into the city for treatment
 at the isolation ward of the Sisters hospital
 The one typhoid case developed during January. which was reported in February. An open privy existed
 on the premises.
 Thrc cases of chckenpox were re-
 ported and verified.
 Eightytwo cultures were examined for diptheria. seventy eight outside calls made. three calls at office fourteen nuisanccs inspected five