a mild case of the disease, but the rest of the family escaped it. Much credit should be given to Dr. Simmons for his early recognition of the disease and his prompt steps to prevent its spread. The doctor also vaccinated about a hundred neighboring negroes under instructions from this Board. The total expense of the epidemic to the county was less than a thousand dollars, and this includes the building of the pesthouse, the purchase of a half interest in an ambulance, and considerable expense in preventing the spread of the disease from the more general epidemic in the city of Bowling Green. The only difficulties I encountered were in the first case near town, and these were from the lies and innuendoes of some of our doctors who had had no experience with the disease. As cases afterwards occurred in their practices in town, and they failed to recognize them, I felt that their sins were visited on their own heads. Much of the credit for the fact that we had no spread of the disease from the initial focus in either of our three distinct infections is due to the prompt and ready action of our county judge. I feel confident that his assistance saved the county from the serious effects of an epidemic, and its taxpayers from the enormous drain that many other counties with ignorant or inefficient county judges had to undergo. Respectfully, A. T. McCORMACK, M. D., Bowling Green, Ky., December 1, 1899. WHITLEY COUNTY. Williamsburg, Ky., Aug. 10, 1899. State Board of Health, Bowling Green, Ky. Gentlemen: I submit the following report of small-pox in this county for years 1898 and '99: The first case occurred in February, 1898, in a negro family that had moved from Middlesboro, Ky., to Jellico, Ky. This outbreak lasted some four months, there being 110 cases, with one death. There was conflict of opinion between authorities of town of Jellico, Ky., and of Whitley county, so that either refused to act or give any aid in controlling the cases, and what at first might have been controlled with little cost and no loss from business interest soon spread and became a serious epidemic, so much so that County Board called on secretary of State Board of Health for help, and Dr. J. N. McCormack, Jr., came to our relief, and with his help we induced the county authorities to render proper financial aid. Pesthouses were built, houses of detention, forced vaccination, etc. Main reliance on vaccination and isolation. Many of the cases were very mild, so much so that it was a source of great danger in spreading the disease, as many cases never had a physician and were sources of new trouble before it would be found out. The difficulties we had to contend with were many. Many of the best people of the town of Jellico, when this occurred, cried out that it was not small-pox for first six weeks, and gave health authorities no moral support in suppressing the epidemic. I suppose this was because of fear of hurting the business interest of the town. Again, one-half the town of Jellico is in Kentucky and the other in Tennessee, and we had no control of houses in fifty feet of Kentucky line, and it was some time before we could get the Tennessee authorities to act in the matter. Again, there are several coal mines in the immediate vicinity of Jellico, many of them having a very transient population and hard to control. The lack of early financial aid, and that backed up by the force of the law, and for want for a long time of the moral support of the community, were all things that tended to give the County Board trouble in controlling it. Most all of these cases were among people who were not able to pay any part of expense of care or detention, and so the expense fell heavier on the county authorities. The County Board, at first of this epidemic, established local quarantine, which in most cases is useless, but in this case served to prevent spread of the disease until first scare was over. The first case in the epidemic of 1899 occurred about the 12th of February, in Williamsburg, Ky., and was brought here by case from railroad employe from the vicinity of Bowling Green or Lebanon Junction. He being a physician's son, it was not generally known until his father's entire family, save himself, had the disease, consequently many had been exposed. There were in all about forty cases, with no deaths, the vaccination of previous year saving many who were actually exposed. In this we acted promptly, and received prompt aid from county authorities, and cases were in families most of whom were able to bear expense of care and detention. We relied on vaccination and isolation, not using any pesthouse. The loss to business interest was not so great as in previous year. I append a table of expenses, cases, etc., below, showing as near as possible result of the trouble. In epidemic at Jellico, Ky., there were 110 cases, 1 death. Cost of suppressing... Estimated damage to business interest. .$ 3,000 50,000 Vaccination and forced isolation were factors that controlled. In epidemic in and near Williamsburg, Ky., in 1899: Number of cases, 40; no deaths. State Board of Health, Bowling Green, Ky. Gentlemen: Your letter received. We have now 20 cases in Jellico district. We have in that territory about ten mines in operation, about one-half in Tennessee and remainder in Kentucky. Our county court has treated the doctors so bad that no one of them would do the work and take the county for it. The guards were same way, and the judge and town corporation at Jellico was each waiting on the other, and most all the doctors in Jellico swearing it is not small-pox. It is hard to enforce law with no support of officers of town or county. We are now in some better shape than we were. We have a physician on the ground, guards, and so on, and no better condition, but in shape they are in about those mines I hardly think anything short of warm weather will see the end of it. Respectfully, E. S. MOSS. Williamsburg, Ky., March 14, 1898. State Board of Health, Bowling Green, Ky. Gentlemen: I have just been to Jellico to see the small-pox situation there. It is no better. Have pest-house and about 35 patients in— 15 whites and 20 colored. We have no room for detention, only use and guard the houses where have been. We will have more room; in fact, it is building now. It is hard to get people vaccinated. Tennessee has 9 or 10 cases, and Procter is now doing better. Dear Sir: I am just back from Jellico and territory. Things are in bad shape there at present. We will try and get another house built there at once. Everything full; about 60 cases there and more to follow. They have a lot of saloons and houses of prostitution there on our side; what do you think about closing them up for awhile, say two or three weeks. The condition of things is not by any means satisfactory at all, and I really see no prospect of an end to this matter in sight. If you think best to close saloons, etc., for awhile, let me hear how we had best proceed. There are a great many of those people who would rather have than not have it. Let me hear from you by return mail. Our judge is halfway in the notion of calling on the Federal authorities. The expenses are now over $50 per day, and I can't say how long they will furnish it. Let me hear from you. Yours, E. S. MOSS, M. D., WOODFORD COUNTY. Versailles, Ky., Sept. 16th, 1899. State Board of Health, Bowling Green, Ky. Gentlemen: At Cicero, in Woodford county, about six miles from Versailles, we have had eleven or twelve cases of small-pox. We have the disease under control now. The house in which the first cases developed has been made a pesthouse for all the cases we have had. The local Board went before the fiscal court of this county and ordered the erection of a pesthouse on the almshouse farm, two and a half miles from Versailles. That pesthouse will be ready for occupancy on Sept. 23d. Now to the point. When this county pesthouse is completed on Sept. 23d, the local Board of Health will transfer all of the convalescent small-pox cases from Cicero to the county pesthouse. The house at Cicero (a settlement of about 75 inhabitants) is a frame building one and a half stories high, and has been occupied by negroes for eight or ten years. It is a weather-boarded and plastered and papered house, with holes in plaster, walls, etc. It is at least 150 feet from any other building. It is my opinion that such a building can not be fumigated and disinfected so as to make it safe as a residence. What shall we do with it? Remember, it has been used as a pesthouse for seven weeks. The owner (the mayor of Versailles) says he will take $400 for it. What do you advise as to disinfecting or burning it? In the event of burning it, shall we have it appraised or not? Do you think from my description of the property we can fumigate and disinfect in a way that would render it innocuous? What precedent has been established by the State Board under the statutes for protecting the community in the face of property like this? Kindly advise me on this point and send me a copy of the rules and regulations of the State Board of Health. Yours very truly, JOHN D. NEET, M. D., County Health Officer. REPORT OF STATE VETERINARIAN. Louisville, Ky., November 8, '99. State Board of Health, Bowling Green, Ky. Gentlemen: I have the honor to submit a report of the work of the State Veterinarian for the years 1898-9.: 1898. One of the most important matters to come under my care during the year was an outbreak of anthrax among dairy cattle in the western part of Louisville. The disease appeared early in September in the dairy cattle of F. D. Schuler, who lost fifteen head before the disease was reported. P. Eisenmenger, who lives near Mr. Schuler's place, also lost a cow from anthrax at about the same time. At a meeting of the State Board of Health and Dr. M. K. Allen, city health officer, it was decided to place in quarantine and inoculate all cattle which had been exposed to the contagion, and on September 15th quarantine notices were served on the following dairymen: H. Hecht, Fred Von Allmen, F. D. Schuler, Chris Von Allmen, B. Vogelsang, Mike Exlin, C. Bodenbender, Andy Weikel, Benj. Fisher. The four last named dairymen employed Dr. S. A. Bradley to inoculate their cattle, and asked for an injunction raising the quarantine. But it being shown that the inoculations had been improperly done by Dr. Bradley, the motion was overruled by Judge Miller. It is probable that anthrax was brought from Indiana. I have been advised by Dr. Love, of New Albany, that the disease existed among dairy cattle there at about the time of the Louisville outbreak. Early in the quarantine season there was complaint from the Indiana Live Stock Commission about traffic in ticky cattle, it being claimed that these cattle were brought to the city and lotted, bought and sold on the streets adjacent to the Bourbon Stock Yards in order to save stock-yard fees. At a conference with Judge Gregory it was agreed that I should look after this and other matters at the yards in the interest of the State Board of Health. As a result of the close inspection at the stock yards only one case of Texas fever was brought to our notice during the year. On August 16th Dr. T. A. Geddis, Inspector U. S. Department of Agriculture, and myself inspected the cattle of Mr. J. A. Whitehouse, Gravel Switch, they having been reported at Washington as harboring ticks. We found this to be the case, and they were placed in quarantine for the remainder of the season. There was also received at the Bourbon Stock Yards in August a car-load of cattle from G. H. Lazarus, Horse Cave, Ky., some of which were found to harbor the fever tick. These cattle had been brought into Barren county early in the year from Tennessee. Mr. Lazarus states in a letter that Barren county was badly infected with ticks last summer, but the severe cold of the winter no doubt destroyed them. There have been received at the stock yards in Louisville from time to time shipments of ticky cattle from points in Tennessee on the N., C.& St. L. Ry. These irregular shipments, when caught, have been properly disposed of, and the Tennessee Live Stock Commission notified. In private practice I encountered in Bourbon county an outbreak of rauschbrand. All exposed cattle were inoculated and the carcasses of dead animals fired. The inoculating material consists of dried muscle tissue in some brands; in others the dried and powdered spleen is used, while others make use of black-leg bacilli modified by heat. Glanders: Three cases of glanders were brought to my attention during the year. After preliminary tests with mallein, they were condemned and destroyed. About 1,200 head of Southern cattle were brought into the state in quarantine during the year for the purpose of feeding at distilleries. Under proper restrictions this can be done with safety, and the business should be encouraged. The Interstate Association of Live Stock Sanitary Boards met in Omaha, October 11th and 12th, and considered questions relating to transportation of ticky cattle. The convention favored admitting, at all seasons, cattle which had been dipped in extra dynamo oil containing 2 per cent of sulphur. 1899. I was called upon several times during the winter and early spring to see cases of meningitis in horses. In April irregularities were discovered in handling Southern cattle shipped from Grenada, Miss., and Memphis, Tenn., to Cincinnati, via the Illinois Central and B. & O. S. W. Ry. It is stated by officials of the I. C. railroad that these cars were properly placarded at points of shipment, and also when leaving Louisville, but still the cattle were unloaded in the native yards at Cincinnati. It seems that these cattle were turned over to the B. &. O. S. W. Ry., after being fed and watered here, and went forward on a slip which did not show them to be infected cattle. It was also found that while it is claimed the cars on arriving and leaving Louisville were properly marked, no distinguishing marks were found by the Union Stock Yard employes at Cincinnati. Mr. Edw. Hart, asst. gen'l. freight agent of the B. & O. S. W., assures us |