The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-10-27
HEALER HAD URGED
DOCTOR Be CALLED
But Mother of Little Victim Of Diph-
liberia Had Urged Her Entire
Faith In Christian Science.
Not Considered Probable That Action
VIII Be Taken In Case Of Little
Claudia Norton, But Law May Be
Made More Stringent.

In the light Of facts brought out
in the case of Claudia Norton, the
seven-year- daughter of Mrs. Fem
ton Norton. OF IL Ia South Second
Street. who died Tuesday morning at
10 O'Clock from pharyngeal diphteria.
it is not considered probable that any
charge Will be brought against the
Christian Science healer as being re-
sponsible for the death of the child.
DR.. Stern. acting chief health ofnoer.
stated last night. however. that he had
collected all the facts In the case. and
would lay them before DR.. =. c. Levy
on his return to the city from Ctn-
cinnati, where he is attending q meet
ing of the American Health Assocta-
ton. The case Is a serious one. DIR.
Stern declared. but he said he did not
know that any action could or would
be taken In the matter. --
Doctors Called Too Late.
DR.. Lazarus Karp. who with DR.. st.
George Grinnan. was called TO the
case stated last night that he was
asked to visit the child late last 6atur-
day night. He found a very neglected
case OF diphtheria, and the child was in
a serious condition. With Dr. Grinnan
he consulted regarding the case, and
I5r Summers. formerly connected with
the City Health Department. was also
was Immediately reported to the
Health Department.
Mrs. Norton, mother OF the child.
was asked by DIR. karp why she had
not sent for physician earlier and
she stated that she did not consider
the condition her daughter sufficiently
serious to make the attendance OF a
doctor necessary He discovered that
the child had been Ill for ten days
nx. NIL x-I
1t was not until Tuesday morning.
Dr. Karp stated, that he learned that
a Christian Science healer had been
asked In by Mrs. Norton. From this
healer he discovered that she had
urged the mother OF the child to call
In a doctor as early az last Tuesday
week. but she had refused fatty on
the ground that her belief In Chris
tan Science was strong enough to
bring the little girl back to health.
Acting on her own initiative. the
healer called up DIR. Karp on the
telephone Saturday night. asking that
he come to see the child. The mother
told him that one OF her other chill
dren had been sick. and Il had been
cured through Christian Science and
she believed this one would similarly
recover. DR. karp gave the child in
jections of antitoxin. and at the death
OF the little girl, which occurred on
Tuesday. the mother stated to him
that it had been killed, not by dis
ease, but by the injections,
While the child was IN a serious
condition when he was called TO the
case. DIR karp stated he believed she
had a chance to recover. and had
held hopes OF a recovery until the
child moved her position In her bed
in such a manner as TO pa-alyZe her
heart. this being brought about funda-
mentally ny the infection OF the dis
ease which had spread throughout
the body He said it was the first
case of dtphtheria that he had lost In
3oo, aud for the reason that he had
never lost a case. he believed that the
child would recover.
1t IS known that Christian Science
heaters do not make any diagnosis,
and for this reason no reports are
made to the Health Department Of
cases handled by them. Under the city
regulations there is no provision call
ing for report OF i'll persons, receiv
ing the treatment OF Christian
Scientists
II is believed. however. that some
action will be taken making II I'M
possible hereafter for AN infectious
disease to go untreated and not quar-
sntined according to law.