Year: 1872

MOUNTAIN HOME Pa


December 2Sth, 1871.


Mr.. EDITOR Dear Sir: Much has been
said and some things written for publication
(but which the good sense of the Editors to
whom they were addressed prevented them
from publishing) concerning certain disease
called small pox which it was said prevailed
to an alarming extent in this immediate
locality, that there had been three or four
deaths here, but that the disease which
caused those deaths was kept profound
secret, known only to the members of the
fmilies in which those deaths occurred, and
to the attending physician. 1t has also been
alleged that while some were left to starve
and would have starved had they not gone
out themselves and obtained the necessaries
of life, others, who it was presumed were
similarly afflicted, were provided with every
thing necessary to make them comfortable
and happy so far as any human agency could
make them so. Now sir do hereby open
ly and publicly pronounce the above charges
and insinuations an unmitigated falsehood
and defy the originator of them to prove the
truth of his assertions The plain statement
of the case is this some time during the
past summer or autaum, family consisting
of man and wife and one child arrived in
this place from Germany, Immediately after
their arrival here it was rumored that the
child had had the small pox short time
before but was then well again. Not long
afterward however, the mother was taken
sick and the physician in attendance after
satisfying himself fully in regard to the case,
openly and publicly pronounced it case of
genuine small pox and warned the people to
keep away from the infected house, such on
announcement as this very naturally created
a great deal of excitement among the people
of the place, and they Immediately commen-
ced taking measures to prevent, if possible,
a spread of the disease throughout the COM
munity, not only by having themselves and
children vaccinated and by closing the schools,
but some even went so far as to close their
doors against any members Of that particular
family who might seek admission to their
houses or places of business, and not only
against them but also against the physician
who attended them, and who is there or
where is the person who can say aught
against these people for taking these prevcn-
tive measures? Are not measures like these.
and even more stringent, taken in every COM
munity where that or any other contagious
disease is introduced? and yet for taking
these precautions to prevent the introduction
of this disease into the families of this com
munity generally, are these accusations
thrown out and sought to be made public.
\ short time after it became pretty generally
known that We had case of small pox in the
place, one of my children was taken sick.
A physician was calledin, who, after eXamin-
ing the case pronounced it case of scarlet
fevOr in malignant form, or what was
known among physicians at an earlier day
as putrid sore throat The child lived one
week after it was taken sick, when it died.
On the evening previous to the death of the
irst one, the second was taken sick with the
same disease and at the end of six days it
llso died. To the truth of this statement | |
.hink the physician who attended them and
who is a resident of your own town, will be |
willing to testify These are then two of
;he three or four deaths which it is alleged
nave occurred in this place and in relation to
which there appears to be some doubts in the |
minds of some as to what caused them
The third was the child to which l have re-
erred in the commencement of this article
whose mother then had the small pox.
u hat disease it had / am not prepared to
ay but do not believe it had the small pox
It the time of its death. These are all the
!caths that have occurred in this village to
he best of my knowledge within a year, and


thus publicly make this statement in regard
0 my own family, because on me seems to
ave fallen the heaviest part of the burden
nd because | feel it to be duty | owe to
myself and to the remaining members of my
amily. People generally seem to shun us
nd to try to avoid as much as possible be-
ng in our society and without wishing to be
onsidered as casting any reflections upon any
ne | have been panied more than once even
n your own borough, at having the cold
houlder turned to me by those who were
ormer friends of mine and at hearing the re-
ozark. There goes man who has been
exposed to the small pox and has lost two
hlldren by that disease - Such things are
ot very pleasant especially when they are
ot true, as is the case in this instance and
egret exceedingly that any one should have
cen found mean enough to put such re-
ort in circulation. There have been but
wo cases of small pox in this place to my
the first of which was the woman
} whom | have already referred, and the
econd was the wife of near neiehbor off
heirs, who as soon as he found out his wife
al Al, ,,x,on l.