The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1920-01-06
JERVEY ISSUES
OPEN CHALLENGE
Specialist Declares Public Health
Service Wrong.
The State.

Liz Sl1IC.
On December 23, DR.. Kibler of
Columbia and myself examined SO Of
SO cases in Newberry schools dag
aosed trachona by DR.. Goodwin Of
the United States public health ser
wee. CT these So Dr.. Nibler pro-
rounced Is trachoma, a suspicious
ard i not tracho:na. This is the
record. l gave i my o2in:o.. that not
a single Q2e Of these cases was TIA
chou2a, ard 50 reported to The state
board Of health, g.v;ng IS reasoEs,
specifically stated, why these cases
we're IL. and could aos be t-achoI?@.
No re@so.s, beyond personal opinions,
- ravs beer given fcc positive
diagnosis OF trachon:a.
Another public health service sur
.~aoa, T.. -Ic-lvllea: vas TIM called
n, ard lie examined the entire series
e 50 cases, d:&G2osing 50 t1achcma
and Sc as rot being this disease. His
own colleague IL the United States
public health service has therefore
rerud;ated Dr.. Goodwin's diagnosis
in approximately 40 per cent. Of the
cases. This IS serious discrepancy,
indeed in such a situation, but the
aftermath is even more so. 1t is re-
ported that 50 cases were operated
on for trachoma January 2 by the
doctors of the public health service,
who established a free clinic for the
purpose. Presumably these were the
SO cases which represented all that
DR.. McMullen diagnosed trachoma.
These children and their parents were
forced into consenting to an opera
ton by being given the alternative
of exclusion from the schools. At
the time of operation the parents
were required by public health SER
vice officials to sign releases absolving
the surgeons of all responsibilities
concerning The outcome Of the cases.
It was shrewd move to operate pre-
cipitately and unceremoniously on
these 80 defenseless children. Now
the public health service can say to
anyone surveying the situation, "Cf
course. no trachcma is here now; we
stamped it all out, operating on and
curing all cases." Yet anyone with
any experience in the premises knows
that 1OO per cent. operative cures
trachonna without recurrence is a
ridiculous imrossibility even at hands
of most skilled specialists.
Thus, however, the situation is as
tutely beclouded and for a time
truth must remain in doubt. But not
for very long, for it is happily with
in my power and my intentions to
prove not only that ';lere is not ard
has been 70 trachon1a in Newberry
schools, but that every school IN the
state will show precisely similar eye
conditions to those found in the New
berry schools.
Ten days ago offered officially to
allow my eye to be inoculated from
the eye of any Of the SO children ex-
an:ned by me. This would have been
an easy way Of proving facts. The
challenge was ignored. Why l do
not know. l now propose that we get
DR.. Deschweinitz Of Philadelphia or
DR.. Weeks of New York, perhaps the
most distinguished -oculists of this
country to visit Newberry. If either
finds a single case of trachoma among
the SO cases seen by me / will pay all
expenses for the services. If he fails
to find a positive case among this
number, then the state beard OF
health to pay all expenses. That IS
an open challenge. Lastly, I make
q third proposal, and this l shall IN
sist upon to convincing degree,
namely, l stand ready ct any time to
demonstrate to any reputable COM
mittee of physicians that exactly the
same conditions as to folliculosls or
follicular catarrh of conjunctlva
(erroneously designated in Newberry
as trachoma) exists in every other
private and public school in the
state of South Carolina, United
States and the world at large. That
is the third open challenge. There
are no strings tied to any OF them.
Nothing is settled until it is settled
right. My professional acumen has
been questioned by some at least who
are not we'll known in the world OF
ophthalmology. By virtue of prestige
of government service, these tex
perts'' seem to have gained tempor-
ary advantage in the argument. He