Tag Archives: Dr. J. N. Hurty

Smallpox Epidemic, Part III

WILL DISINFECT MAILS

Dr. Hurty Receives Word From
Government Official

The Postmaster at Lesterville Has
Smallpox and Is Still at Work –
the Developments

The smallpox situation in Clay county has excited the attention of the government authorities at Washington. Late yesterday afternoon Dr. Hurty, secrety of the State Board of Health, received a telegram from Gen. Walter Wyman, chief of the marine service at Washigton [sic], stating that the government would disinfect the mails at all points designated by the Indiana Board of Health. The telegram received was in reply to a message sent by Dr. Hurty to the authorities at Washington, informing them that the postmaster at Lesterville had smallpox and was continuing in the performance of his duties, with an utter disregard of the fact that he might be spreading the contagion all over the United States.

Yesterday reports were brought in from Washington county by Dr. Ferguson, who was sent to investigate rumors of smallpox. He says that the disease is prevailing to an alarming extent and he earnestly advised Dr. Hurty to establish a rigid quarantine. The authorizes at Clay City advised the State Board of Health yesterday morning that many of the citizens of the town were escaping to other towns despite the strict measures of quarantine in force. Dr. Hurty immediately telephoned Dr. Davis, the president of the board at Richmond, advising him of the situation and asking that a meeting of the board be called.

In speaking of a communication in one of the afternoon papers from the citizens of Clay City in which they express themselves as being highly indignant of Dr. Hurty for causing such excitement throught the State over the smallpox situation, when in reality the disease is very mild, resulting in no fatalies, Dr. Hurty said that is was not the policy of the State Board of Health to wait for fatalities before taking action, and the citizens of Clay City would have to abide by the action of the board.

Cases of Smallpox Reported.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.

TERRE HAUTE, Ind., Jan. 17. – Several cases of what is believed to be the same disease, thought to have been chicken-pox at Clay City, but declared by Dr. Hurty to be smallpox, have been reported north of town. The persons afflicted came from Clay City, and the symptoms of their disease are the same as in the hundred or more cases reported at Clay City.

Clay City Is Not Excited.
To the Editor of the Indianapolis Journal

An undue amount of excitement has been caused by the published reports concerning the prevalence of smallpox at this place. The News of yesterday says: “Residents of the town are almost panic-stricken, but the quarantine prevents them from escaping.” It also states that the population of the town in 700, and that the disease had attacked nearly a third of the population. There has been no excitement here. There has been no quarantine, and people have not tried to escape. There have been between 200 and 300 cases, beginning with the early part of the fall. The physicians have treated for chickenpox and cured every case. We have a population of about 2,500, instead of 700. Many of the patients never went to bed or even quit work.

The Journal’s informant was in error when he stated that “when the citizens of the town became aware that the disease had been diagnosed as smallpox, they became frantic with fear and excitement, and many rushed home and began packing their effects, with the intention of escaping from the town but they were too late. Acting under the instructions of Dr. Hurty the officials immediately began the enforcement of the quarantine laws and no citizen who had come in contact with the disease was permitted to leave.” The utmost freedom prevails as to the coming and going of our citizens – no person being denied the privilege of going where he pleases. No one has heard of any person attempting to get away on account of Dr. Hurty’s announcement. The disease, whatever it is, is not half so severe as many cases of vaccination. There have been no fatalities from the disease.

A great injustice has been done our town by these exaggerated statements, and in order that the public may know the true condition of affairs your informant offers the above correction, without denying any official statement by Dr. Hurty. Our physicians report no cases of the confluent form.
M. MARKLE
Clay City, Ind., Jan. 15

“Will Disinfect Mails,” The Indianapolis Journal (Indianapolis, Indiana), 18 January 1900, p. 4, col. 7; digital image, Chronicling America (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ : accessed 6 December 2014).

Smallpox Epidemic, Part II

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ARE HUNDREDS OF CASES

Dr. Hurty, State Health Offi-
cer, Returns From Clay City

Nine Children in One Family with
Smallpox-The Disease Has Spread
to Several Counties.

Dr. Hurty, of the State Board of Health, returned from Clay City, the hotbed of the smallpox epidemic, yesterday, and reports a most alarming state of affairs. He said that there were hundreds of cases, and many of them were of the confluent form, which is exceedingly dangerous. Said he: “It is a common sight to see little children walking along the streets of Clay City with their faces broken out with the eruptive sores of smallpox.”

Smallpox is everywhere in Clay City. It one turns to the right he is confronted with a whole row of houses in every one of which there are to be found one or more cases of fully developed smallpox. The same conditions prevail on every side and Dr. Hurty said that in one instance he found nine children in one family who were smitten with the disease at the same time.

The family referred to is that of George Burkhart, a veteran of the civil war. In speaking of these cases Dr. Hurty said that the fact that Burkhart, who was vaccinated during the war, did not have the disease was very good evidence that the epidemic was really smallpox. Two of the Burkhart children, Blanche and Mona, have the confluent form of smallpox and it is a very grave question as to their recovery.

Under a misapprehension of the nature of the disease the public schools were continued until nearly two-thirds of the children were inoculated, and it was a common sight to see the little ones going daily to their lessons with their faces broken out with smallpox in the pustular stage. The young, however, are not the only ones who are attacked with the dreadful scourge, for even in the churches there were seen scores of adults whose faces were solid masses of oozing poison. The only excuse to be offered for this apparent criminal neglect on the part of the local board of health is the fact that it was advised by physicians diagnosing the disease that it was nothing more than chickenpox and as a consequence its apprehensions were not aroused until informed by Dr. Hurty of the real nature of the disease. When the Town Council awoke to the fact that the epidemic was really smallpox, the members immediately arranged for a called meeting at which they passed resolutions instructing the health officer to do all he could to prevent the further spread of the disease, and authorizing him to appoint as many deputies as he saw fit, necessary to the preservation of the strictest quarantine. Many new cases of the disease are reported from the district schools in the neighborhood of Clay City and the disease is rapidly spreading throughout the county.

Just prior to Dr. Hurty’s return he was summoned to a meeting of the County Council and he urged upon the members the necessity of doing all they could to stamp out the disease, advising them to instruct the county health officer, by deputies, to inspect all the schools, give free vaccination and quarantine every person who had come in contact with the disease. One of the peculiarities of the disease is its rapid spread, and there is some fear that is may become epidemic throughout the State. Smallpox is reported in Clay, Noble, Jackson, Owen, Green and Scott counties, and unless rigid enforcement of the quarantine law is observed the disease is likely to get beyond control. While Dr. Hurty was in Clay City, Dr. C. E. Ferguson, the diagnostician of the city of Indianapolis, was summoned to Brownstown, Jackson county, where he found a well-developed case of smallpox in the eruptive state. When Dr. Ferguson returned from Brownstown he found a telegram awaiting him from Dr. Hurty bidding him hasten to Scottsburg. The local board of health of that place wired the State Board of Health that it was in urgent need of aid. Dr. Hurty said on his arrival yesterday that he was somewhat at a loss to understand the urgency of the request from Scottsburg, but supposed the disease must be raging in that neighborhood.

The first person known to have the disease in Clay City was Herbert Wiltse, who two weeks after returning home from a street fair in Washington, Daviess county, was taken very sick and afterward went through all the stages of smallpox. His neighbors, believing that he had chickenpox, did not hesitate to visit him and in their manner the disease has been spread all over the country.

“Are Hundreds of Cases,” The Indianapolis Journal (Indianapolis, Indiana), 17 January 1900, p. 8, col. 6; digitial image, Chronicling America (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ : accessed 6 December 2014).

Smallpox Epidemic, Part I

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IN AN EPIDEMIC FORM

Smallpox Has Broken Out At And
Near Clay City, Ind.

Secretary Hurty Telegraphs Governor
Mount of the Conditions – Con-
fluent Smallpox

Smallpox is raging in epidemic form in Clay City, a small mining town in Clay county. The town has a population of six or seven hundred and it is estimated that over one-third of it is stricken with the disease. Many of the cases have assumed the confluent form. Dr. J. N. Hurty, the secretary of the State Board of Health, at present in Clay City, has telegraphed the boards of health of the adjoining counties warning them of the prevalence of the disease, and everything possible is being done to prevent its spread.

A few days ago an epidemic resembling smallpox appeared in Clay City, but as the disease was very mild the local physicians believed it to be a malignant form of chicken-pox and the patients were treated accordingly. The disease, however, began to spread very rapidly and it was not long until it was estimated that there were in the neighborhood of three hundred cases. The local board of health in Clay City became alarmed and telegraphed for Dr. Hurty, who is an expert in diagnosing the disease. After an examination of the first patient with whom he came in contact, Dr. Hurty at once pronounced the disease to be smallpox. When the citizens of the town became aware that the disease had been diagnosed as smallpox, they became frantic with fear and excitement, and many rushed home and began packing their effects with the intention of escaping from the town, but they were too late. Acting under the instructions of Dr. Hurty the officials immediately began the enforcement of the quarantine laws and no citizen who had come in contact with the disease was permitted to leave. All incoming and outgoing mails are being disinfected and nothing that would be likely to transmit the disease is allowed to be shipped away from the town. It is said that there are many cases in Owen county just over the line from Clay county, which have probably been contracted by exposure to the disease in Clay City. Greene county also reports a great many cases of so-called chicken-pox, but the cases have exactly the same symptoms as those in Clay county.

The boards of health of the various adjoining counties will hold meeting to-day and take some definite action to prevent the disease from spreading.

At various time chicken-pox has been reported to the State Board of Health, but each time there has always been a diversity of opinion among the physicians as to the diagnosis of the disease, some insisting that it was a mild form of smallpox and others maintaining that it was nothing but chicken-pox. Previous to the present epidemic in Clay City there had been no fatalities in any cases reported and very few of them had even been serious, so that a reasonable doubt might have arisen as to the correct diagnosis of the case. The confluent form of the disease in the epidemic at Clay City which often results fatally, removes the least shadow of a doubt that might exist that the disease is smallpox.

Last night Dr. Hurty telegraphed Governor Mount, notifying him of the conditions at Clay City.

City Board Will Act.

Dr. Clark, of the City Board of Health, was asked last night what precautions the Indianapolis Board of Health will take to prevent any possibility of the disease becoming prevalent in this city. He answered that if the epidemic in Clay county was as serious as Dr. Hurty reported the board will hold a meeting to-day to devise plans to prevent anyone entering the city who might have come in contact with the disease there, and also to take up the question of what would be done with the patients providing smallpox should break out in the city. He added, however, that Dr. Hurty no doubt will take all necessary precautions to prevent the disease from spreading further than the locality to which it is now confined.

“In An Epidemic Form,” The Indianapolis Journal (Indianapolis, Indiana), 16 January 1900, p. 8, col. 4; digitial image, Chronicling America (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ : accessed 6 December 2014).