The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1920-01-02
ERAcHoMA sST6ATloN
IN NEWBERRY COUNTY
By DR.. James A. Hayne, State Health
Officer.
(By Jno. K. Aull.(

to the trachoma SltuaClon IN New
berry county, DR.. James A. Hayne,
state health officer, secretary of the
state board of health, today issued
the following statement:
s.The first intimation that there eN-
listed a condition in Newberry county
that demanded an investigation was
through the fact that several chill
,dren had been operated on in Colum-
bia by eye specialists for condition
of the eyes which they called ira
.choma. This disease being COM
nunicable, and when under treat
nent resulted in grave condition of
the eye, and frequently Of complete
blindness, the state health officer re-
auested DIR. B. D. Caughman Of this
city, an eye specialist, to go to GER
tain schools namely, Monticello,
Saluda and O'Neall. These schools
were near Prosperity, This was
further emphasized by a letter from
the trustees of these schools, namely,
Mr.. B. A. Connolly and B. S. Counts;
also from R. C. Hunter, teacher of
,Saluda school; also letter from 0.
B. Simpson, NJ. D., of Prosperity: also
a letter from C. T. Wyche, NJ. D. DR..
3. D. Caughman reported that he
found that number of these cases
were in his opinion trachoma. l
then sent DR.. T.. A. Quattlebaum, an
eye specialist of this city, who re-
ported that there were a number of
cases in the schools he examined.
These schools were Fairview, Whee
land, Big Creek and ST. Luke's. Upon
\ receiving these reports communicat-
sed with Hon. Fred H. Dominick, con-
gressman from the third district, and
s asked that he assist me in obtaining
the detail of specialist in trachoma
from the United States public health
service.
stThe public health service through
DR.. Rupert Blue, surgeon general,
sent DIR. j. L. Goodwin to investigate
these cases. DR.. Goodwin submitted
the following report: "0n Novem-
Der IL, he examined 297 pupils in
) Z rural schools; found % cases ira
choma and 6 suspicious cases. On
November 12 he examined $50 pupils
In. FIVE schools and found Is cases of
trachoma and II suspicious cases"
Upon this report it was decided to
open a clinic at Prosperity, upon re-
quest of the following doctors: Geo.
". Hunter, Jacob S. Wheeler, J. l.
Bedenbaugh, C. T. Wyche, Jno. j..
Dominick and, O. B. Simpson. A
clinic was held at Prosperity Decem-
Der 6 and there were 26 children
operated upon The total number of
operations performed, 26, total num-
Der of people examined, so, and
number of physicians present, 4.
CDR. Goodwin had been requested
by Prof. o. B. Cannon, and DR.: Jno.
B. Settler and DIR. P, G. Ellesor to
examine the Newberry schools. This
was done on December 5. The fol-
lowing report was submitted; four
schools were examined, viz, Bound
ary, Speers Street, West End and
Mollohon. Number Of pupils examin-
ed 1872; trachona cases Al
.'Dr. Goodwin was directed to en-
deavor to secure from the city of
Newberry place to operate, and
such gauze, cotton, ether, and other
material as might be necessary for
the operation, and the services of a
trained nurse and some local physi-
elan to give the anaesthetic, so that
the children diagnosed as trachoma
might be operated on and the disease
cured. While waiting for these ar
rangements to be perfected, some
children were taken to Greenville to
DR.. j. w. Jervey, a promi. 'ent eye
snecialist of that city. DR.. Jervey
stated that these children did not nave
traehoma but had follicular eonjucti-
Wits and that an operation was un-
necessary. A child was sent to Dr..
Calhoun of Atlanta, an accepted
authority on diseases of the eye in
that city, who pronounced the case
traehoma. There being so much diff
ference of opinion by eminent
specialists, DR.. Hayne decided to ap-
point committee of three well
known eye specialists of South Caro-
lima. He appointed on this committee
DR.. j. WlJervey, Greenville, DR.. c. L.
Kibler, Columbia, and Ed. F. Parker.
Charleston. The two first named ac-
cepted but Ed. F. Parker although