The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-02-09
No Way at Present 10 Prevent
Smallpox Victims From
Scattering Disease
Mr.. WILSON'S STATEMENT
Raleigh Man Gives Facts In
Case OF the Man Seen on the
Public Road Near the Coun-
try Club Sunday Night SUI
fering From Smallpox Would
Change Law

To the Editor:-I read in Tuesdays
Times a statement from Dr. McCullers
about the ease of smallpox near as
%siter's Mill which was reported 10 him
Sunday night.
Let me state in the beginning that
I have no quarrel with Or. McCullers
or with the State Board of Health. So
. far as ( know DIR. McCullers is a
thoroughly efficient health officer. In
my talk with him over the phone
Sunday night about the matter he
certainly expressed a willingness to
do anything he could to relieve the
situation. but stated frankly that he
had no authority to quarantine small
q patients. or to interfere with them
in the slightest so long as they were
we'll enough to travel.
Facts In The Case.
Now let's have the facts about the
whole matter and see what is true and
what is not true.
Late Sunday afternoon as / was re-
turning from the Country Club on
the car, a member of the club told
me that he and his wife had been
walking in the woods nea the 0
house beyond the club and that while
there n man had told him not to so
toNh llt iodu do lilNIS was
q nan lying beside a fire a little fur
ther down who had warned him not
10 come nearer to him as he had
smallpox. Very naturally he did no
proceed further in that direction. My
informant also said that there We're
a number of people-men, women and
children, walking in this neighborhood
during the afternoon.
DIR. Rankin and Vaccination.
When l got to town l phoned DR.
Rankin and told him what lac beer
reported to me and asked what coulC
be done about it and he replied thai
there was no danger if the people
were ~vaccinated, and when L sugges
ted to him hat there might be some
who would be exposed who had no
been vaccinated, he replied that they
ought to be v~accinated. Then l asked
him if there was anyway by which
the man might be cared for if tn
facts related to me were true, and h
advised that DR.. McCullers was tn,
only man who had authority to act.
No Quarantine Law.
l phoned DR.. McCullerS and toll,
him what DIR. Rankin had said, an
he replied hat DIR. Rankin knew a
we'll as he did that there was 40 quar-
antine law. but that if the man need
ed attention and could not care TO
ilIiSCl Dc WOuiu SOlIle " ISdltlS
next day and get the county attorne
n see what could be done. He Sal
he would come in to see me next da
and would be glad to do whatever h
could.
He did not come in. or at least / di
not see him, the next day. On Tues
day he came into the office and sal
tie had been looking into the matter
and did not think that there had bee
a Sma1InnX notipnt in vhof
nifty. ] told him hat I had no in
formation on the subject further tina
what / la given him. He left tn
office and in the afternoon paper
later read his statement.
Mr.. Wilson's Statement.
In the statement which l gave /
The N.oss and Observer on Monda
J. stated three facts: first, hat the
was a victim of smallpox in tn;
community; second. that he was III
provided for; and third, that thel
was no law either to protect him {
to protect other people from him.
In his statement DR.. McCullers d,
MES that there was a case of small
poX and attempts by a blanket deni
to brand the whole thing as a myt
Yet he admits in his own stateme,
that the man was there and that |
knew he was there before | phoned
him. The fact that he was near a di
ferent b~oathouse from the one ind
Gated by me does not alter the fac
m the case except as to a distan
Of some half a mile or so.
Besides l have statements from tv
men who saw this man on Sunday q
ternoon. One of these men had q
the man who gave me the inform
ton.
Looked After by Outsider.
AS to n statement hat the m:
was unprovided for, 1 found up
further investigation that he was /
ing looked after in some kind of fas
ion; not. however, by virtue OF t
law, nor by Or. McCulies as heal