Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1916-09-22
SAYS QUARANTINE
IN PLAGUE CASES
isn't EFFECTIVE
Health Board Admits Board
ers Have Been Permitted
toLeave Injected Houses
STATE BOARD Says
GUARDS ARE ON WATCH

Members Of the local Board OF Healtl
today received letter from Charles q
Rupert, of the Delaware Hard Fibr
Company. in which Mr. Rupert asks
the quarantine placed on homes IN whle
infantile paralysis. exists is effective, II
view OF the alleged TACT that boarder
IN the houses where the disease eXistel
have been allowed to 20 to other board
ing houses. According to the Board o
Health members, such cases had come L
their attention. hut the boarders had al
left the homes of the patients before th
bestth officers arrived on the scene
When tho officers did find boarders Il
affected houses. they were subjected u
rigid fumigation after when the'
wore allowed to 90.
This precnution has been taken ac
oording TO Secretary Bowers, of tn
Board uf Health. although physician
claim that the disease is not contagious
bu' only infectious. The letter receives
nv Ehe health department from Mr. bu
rert follows:
The Board Of Health, Wilmington
Del.
Gentlemen Some question has
been raised as to the effectiveness
~ the system of quarantine which
IS in force in Wilmington with re-
spect to cases OF infantile paraly
sis and 7 want To ask you If my
understanding OF the matter is
correct and. II il is. what beneft
is to be expected from a quaran-
tine Of this kind
am told that on Wednesday a
child died of infantile paralysis at
No. 507 Lincoln street and during
the day the quarantine officers
cdled al the house, which was a
boarding house for Italians and
instructed all Of the inmates that
the house was TO be quarantlned'
and that they rad better get out
as otherwise they would be con-
hned TO the house for month. In
consequence OF this. the boarders
left and the house was then quar-
antined. These bOsrders then
went elsewhere to find lodgings.
II there was any reason what
ever for Quarantining the house
what was TO he gained by so doing
when the inmates we're permitted
To 20 elsewhere and carry the
germs of the disease TO other sec
tions Of the city? " there is no
danger Of such a carriage then II
would seem to me there would
he no particular object I'm quaran-
timing the house.
Yours very truly,
Charles g. Rupert.
Residents in the vicinity of the
Hmds home. No. 23l7 West Second
street. where a case OF the disease
was found yesterday are up in arm'
over boarders who have lived there
heipg allowed to leave the house, g
elsewhere. and taking dog viii
them. The health officers on hear
ing Of this. however. ordered the dos
returned TO the Kinds house. it be
ing feared that the animal might b'
p germ carrier.
Although no new cases Of lnfan
tile paralysis have been reported
here since yesterday afternoon on
death has been reported within M
past forty-eight hours. The Victln
was Polito Deledono. aged 3 years
NJ No. 5O7 Lincoln street. who die
m Wednesday afternoon. following al
illness of several hours. It was re
ported Yesterday that there were
number of suspects in this city ant
one case in the vicinity OF the dea'
child's home. When the ATTENDING
nhvsician in the Deledono case wa
asked bv the EOard of Health mem
hers. nc replied that while he ha'
nracticed medicine for years. he wa
unable to state what allied the child.
While the Deledono case cannot b
definitely traced. it is supposed tina
the child came in contact with othe
nlaces in that neighborhOOd infecte
with the disease. Two other cases Il
that vicinity had been reported to tn
Board of Health. These are recover
ing. Persons in a position to observ
saw that several recent deaths ther
repprted as due to other diseases hav
aroused their suspicious, and that a
investigation might reveal some I'm
sanitary conditions.
It is said many Of the italian fam
lilies intermingle so much that ther
Is great danger of spread of infection
unless stringent measures arc car
ried into effect to prevent the con
stant moving about. Some doubt eS
lists as to whether two guards at eac
quarantined house are sufficient be
cause of the numerous children.
Another case has been reporte
from Harrington. being that Of 15
months old child OF Thomas Gran
and another at New Castle, that c
Mary Wells. 3 months old.
Say Guards Arc Scarce.
Alarmed at the spread Of paralysis
Continued on Page Eleven.)