South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-10-21
Gives His Version
of Medical Society Meet

Another Version on what happened
40 the meeting Of the ST. Joseph
County Medical society held sept.
rs when the Investigation OF the "
phoid epidemic was under way.
reached South Bend SATURDAY d.
William Sinner superintendent of
The Indiana ARCHAEOLOGICAL labOra-
tory. in a letter 20 The Times
outlines his side OF what has since
developed into q controversy.
Reporters were expelled from the
meeting by the unanimous vote of
the society on the ground that they
likely would not express the spirit
Of the meeting accurately Since
there have been numerous state
Inents from persons present as TO
what happened. most Of which have
laIied iu many respects Replying
TO recent statement Of the medical
association declaring that the ques-
ton Of vaccination fees was not dis
cussed at the meeting. DR. Sinner
writes
Editor South Bend News-Timee.
south BEND. Ind
Dear Sir
Because of a statement from the
ST. Joseph County Medical society
concerning what took place az its
meeting Of Sept. 18th, which seem
81 90 offer with statements reported
20 he made 10y us about this meet
ing IL seems that "a statement from
Ls might help 10 enlighten the pub
JIG as 20 just what did actually
take place
Discusses Typhoid.
Tuesday morning. Sept. 18th. one
Of the members of the St Joseph's
Medical society invited me 20 attend
their meeting and To- make a state
ment of what / had found. This
invitation ] accepted. At this meet
ing I discussed the typhoid cases and
deaths as reported in the previous
10 months. This seemed 20 indicate
90 mo that a typhoid epidemic had
been prevalent in South Bend for
more than a year. a careful study
OF the Information which / had OBJ
tanned about many persons then sick
with typhoid in south Bend con
v.nced me that not one thing alone
but several were the cause of the
epidemic. The spot map which 1
bad made and showed TO the society
indicated that there was a very
close relationship between the cases
which had occurred in the previous
months and those that were existing
at that time. At the close of my
explanation 1 advocated vaccination
OF all of the school children and all
other adults that cared TO avail
themselves of this protection.
Some 0f the mem bers Of the So
ciety immediately brought mp the
question of the price 20 be charged
for vaccination, making the state
ment that in a previous smallpox
epidemic the prices had gone 20 the
ridiculous sum Of % cents IL seem
ed 20 be generally agreed that no
charge should be above 50 but was
20 be left 10 the discretion Of the
individual doctor in each case as 10
whether the fee was to be any less
than that 1 told them that if they
followed my advice and instituted
compulsory vaccination there would
be many persons who would not be
able TO pay this reasonable fee and
that some provision must be made
by the medical society for doing
charity work.
No VOLUNTEERS.
There was not single man who
volunteered TO assist the health Of
fcer i'm this work. IL was then that
I told the medical society that they
as citizens of South Bend and as
physicians We're to some degree at
least. responsible for the present
epidemic. Ny personal inyesuga-
ton of many cases revealed the fact
that none of the people taking care
OF the sick had been instructed how
TO take care Of the body's dis
charges so as to prevent other cases.
and in only one instance had the
doctor suggested typhoid vacCina-
ton for the we'll members of the
family. The health officer then got
up and excused the physicians by