Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1921-02-25
BABY GUEST DIED
OF POISONED MILK
This the Doctors Charge; Dealer
Calls 1t False

CallS 1t raise
That little Marjorie Elizabeth Wood
the year and eight months old daugh-
ter of Mr.. and Mrs. Louis Wood Of
Warrensburg, N. Y, died of spinal
meningitis caused by milk from a tu-
berculous cow while with her parents
on visit to Middlebury in November,
was reported in the Warrensburg
News in its edition of February H.
With the intention of getting at the
facts of the case and to either refute the
charge against Middlebury business
and medical efficiency or locate the
blame for the further investigation of
the proper authorities, the Register has
gathered the fragments of the story to-
gether for its readers. The New York
newspaper article was the first report
of any suspicion OF impure milk hav-
ing caused the little girls illness.
The story from the Warrensburg
News is as follows.
Marjorie Elizabeth Wood
Marjorie Elizabeth, daughter of Mr..
and Mrs. Louis Wood, one year and
eight months old, died Sunday morn
ing at o'clock of spinal meningitis.
The child had been i'll since November
when she was poisoned by milk from
tuberculous COW while on visit
with her mother to relatives in Middle
bury VT. The tuberculosis germ was
then planted in the child's system
and its development began immediate
ly About three weeks ago the spine
became affected. and the fatal disease
developed DR.. A. ]. Young was the
attending physician and at different
times DR., !. E. Goodman, DR.. c. B..
Cunningham, DR.. ]. M. Griffin, of this
village, and DR., Elliott, of Glens Falls
were called in consultation. The di-
sease in its final stage caused severe
suffering
In an interview with the Register
Wednesday afternoon Elmer L. Wright
of Weybridge, proprietor of the local
milk route, denied without reservation
that tubercular milk from his cows had
Ill any ~ dN RduSCu lnG HllCSS vi luC
Woods child He had supplied the
infant with its milk while it was with
its parents in Middlebury at the home
of Mr. and Mrs. H. D. Archer, he said,
but had not learned of the New York
papers imputation except by rumor
until informed by the Register. He
to the office with his various
papers of license and test results to
establish his denial of the charge
Mr.. Wright said that he keeps six
cows especially for the production of
"baby milk. These cows are fed dif-
ferently from the rest of his stable in
order to guarantee the best possible
results. They were all tuberculin test
ed in August in compliance with both
federal and state laws and were found
wholly healthy. Of dairy OF 3S cows,
Mr.. Wright had lost but a single COW
from tuberculosis and that was an ami
NAL that had been in his possession
only three weeks, before she had even
been admitted to his herd. She was
killed Immediately after her test Doc
tors Emo of Vergennes and Goss OF
were the veterinarians who
conducted the tests, he said, on August
%, 1920 1t was not until November
that the Woods child came to Middle
bury.
Mr.. Wright's milk dealers license
was confirmed by DR.. G. F. Edmunds
of Bristol district health officer, on
January /, 1921 He said that includ-
ed among his customers in Middlebury
are all the physicians with one excep-
ton, although some have COWS of their
own, and buy from him only in excep-
tional cases. He stressed the fact that
he was the only dealer in the district,
and among the very few in the state,
who produced milk particularly for in
fants In warm weather this milk is
bottled only in the morning to main
tain freshness. He told of an instance
where for several weeks he sent some
Of this special milk to a party in Rut-
land every morning by express, to
nourish an ailing child. There are
adult invalids who also specify "baby
milk" to his delivetyman, he said.
DR.. G. F. Edmunds, district health
officer. had not been informed of the
,ase and was surprised to learn We'd
lesday OF the story. He said that the
original diagnosis OF ptomaine poison
made by the local physician, who was
allied to attend the child when taken
sick here, was not in his opinion a Sc
luence OF tubercular milk and could
not be But spinal meningitis could
ollOw from tuberculous milk, he said
H. ID. Archer grandfather of little
Marjorie, told the Register that the
physician first called to attend the child
lad diagnosed the case as ptomaine
poisoning, probably from poor milk.
The doctor himself discontinued his
patronage with Mr.. Wright who had
leen supplying the Archer family. On
Wednesday evening the physician said
hat he could not say that he agreed
with the News report of the original
of the babe being caused by
milk.
Tonight's Grange Program
The regular meeting of Middlebury
~,range No 215 will no hold This