Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-04-22
SMALLPOX CASES
ARE INCREASING
One Of the Worst Epidemics Of Dise.s.
in History of Moline Is Threat.
ening, Says Bennett
PEOPLES CARELEssNEss CArsy
Stringent City Wide Quarantine ts D.
Established ii Necessary Pre-.
cautions are Not Taken.

One Of the worst epidemics ~
smallpox in the history Of Molin.
threatens this city.
II proper precautions are not tale,
and unless the earnest cooperation :,
all citizens Is given, another month
may find the city in the grip o,
smallpox epidemic surprising that =,
two years ago, and worse than the ~
phoid outbreak Of recent months
Warning to this effect was giv,u
this morning by DR.. Henry S. Bennett
city physician.
Two days ago there were three
known cases Of smallpox in the civ.
this morning there were seven, and in
addition there are several other cases
of illness which show signs of deyeI.
oping into smallpox
Because of the failure OF certai,
families to call in a doctor, and be-
cause Of their unwillingness to SUBJ
NIT to quarantine after cases of ILL.,
ness in the families had been pro-
nouced smallpox, the city authorities
are experiencing a great deal of diff
Guilty. The result may be that the
most stringent quarantine in the his
tory of the city may be necessary.
Officers Have Power.
Several people have been disposed
to dispute the authority of the city
health officers, but in event OF a Show
down" these people are in for an IN
pleasant surprise. When the lives
and health Of the people of a city are
endangered, the discomfort and incon-
Venience caused to individuals or
groups of individuals by quarantine
cannot be allowed to stand in the
way of safeguarding the community,
and the health department has the
power to enforce its edicts.
If necessary, state authorities can
be called in by the city physician, and
instances where this has been done
in other cities show that the advent OF
the state health authorities has always
been followed by the most rigid quar-
antine, in which theatres, movies,
schools, churches and other places
where crowds may gather have been
closed down. The city physician has
the power to do this himself without
the aid OF state authorities, however
and unless the earnest cooperation OF
all citizens is forthcoming, and the
epidemic should reach such proper
tions as it now threatens, some such
step may be taken.
1t is important that in case Of any
sort of a rash or eruption on the
skin appearing on any member OF the
family, a physician should be called
in Immediately. Existing cases OF
smallpox are very mild and It is their
miIdness which is responsible for the
epidemic, since many people did not
call physicians.
That there is reason to fear an out
break in the public schools is evident
from that fact that in several cases
now under quarantine, it is children
who have the disease. Cases now IN
der quarantine are as follows:
Mrs. Henry Wahe, 53S Sixteenth
avenue.
Carl Hallquist, age u, 214o Third
street.
Elmer Peterson, age Il, SAT Nine
teenth avenue.
Mrs. William Grip, age ~, DAY SIX
teenth avenue.
| Earl Nuesse, age IA, 4l9 Sixteentn
! avenue.
/ Huette, 1882 Eleventh street.
Bates, $50 Sixteenth avenue,
| Some of the foregoing have coop
Grated with the health authorizes ps
adhering strictly to quarantine resu,
lations. Others have not done So anu
further violations will certainly resun
in prosecution, according to the nedi'H
department.