Mexico Missouri message., 1917-07-05
A New Disease
Among The Babies
Did The Malady Have Its Origin
In The Recent Cyclone?-The
Doctors Debating.

Oran, Mo-, June 28.-Scott
and Dunklin Counties are gradually
recovering from a veritable second
Passover which has taken nearly a
half hundred of their children and
left physicians baffled as to the
source of the deadly malady.
Fatalities reported to date are
Oran, 16. Townley, 10. Kennett, 4.
Salem Township, 5. Senath, s.
1t crept up on the two counties
gradually and almost before they
had recognized it as an epidemic of
most mysterious origin it had done
its worst, and seems now to be dy-
ing out. The children have been
the heaviest sufferers and physicians
in both counties have worked al
most night and day to combat the
disease, which they have recog-
nized and labeled, but which all
have failed to trace its origin.
Enterocolitis and iliocolitis are
the names they apply to it, meaning
in general terms a severe inflama-
tion of the intestines, which begins
with gripping pains, causes dysentery,
fever, headache, and a general
breakdown, which slowly causes
death. The fatalities in most in
stances have followed illness of
from several hours to four days.
The countryside is alarmed at the
growth of the malady, but, in the
main, depends upon its own physi-
clans to cope with it. Altho some
citizens talk of calling in the State
Board of Health to cooperate in
fighting it, Mayor ]. F. Grader has
declined to take the step, depend
ing on the announcement of the
towns physicians. DR.. William Wes-
colt and DR.. H. S. Winters, that the
epidemic is now well in hand.
More than 100 cases are still un-
der observation in both counties. DR..
Wescoat has Is conValescent cases
in Oran; DR.. Winters has eight more
under his care, one of which he
fears will be fatal. 25 cases are
reported from Morley, in this coun-
ty. 10 cases in Townley, IL in
Campbell, Dunklin County, 12 cases
in Senath and Salem Township.
Since doctors have failed to agree
on the origin of the disease infection
the laity has coined theories by the
score. Some declare the infection
must have come from eating green
vegetables and new potatoes, 9TH
ers that it may have spread from
the drinking of milk, and still
and still another section of opinion
leans to the theory that it has
sprung from water or flies.
The theory being discussed is
that the malady in some mysterious
way had its origin in the recent tor
nadoes that devastated Mineral
Point, Zalama and other South
eastern Missouri points. Physicians,
however, explode all these theories
by pointing out that some of the
sufferers drank no milk, some drank
no contaminated water, and still
others ate no food that could have
been infected.
''The epidemic which has taken off
so many persons in Scott and Dunk
lin counties is a fly-born disease, and
can, believe, be stopped by adequate
precautions against flies"
This was the statement of Dr. f.
w. Saunders of St. Louis, noted child
specialist. AS nearly as can be COM
puted the death toll in Scott and
Dunklin counties now stands at 70
children and young men, with other
cases reported from Butler and Penn
iscot counties.
At a conference DR.. Saunders and
other physicians agreed TO start a
"swat-the-fiy" campaign. They also
decided to employ a visiting nurse
to keep an eye on sanitation in the
homes.