mated cost to the county in loss of trade and interference of business has been $2,000. Our chief difficulty in stamping out the disease was: Ignorance of the common people, first as to whether it was really smallpox; second, as to the immunity resulting from vaccination. Last, but not least, carelessness on the part of physicians in not recognizing the disease when it first made its appearance, and allowing it to spread by not following it up with strict sanitary efforts, in properly cleansing premises, etc. Very respectfully, S. D. TAYLOR, M. D., Secretary. Owen County Board of Health: Dr. W. E. Foster, Wm. Lindsay, Esq., Dr. J. W. Botts. To the State Board of Health: Owenton, Ky., July 16, 1901. Gentlemen: Within the last four years we have had 1 outbreak of smallpox in this county, in the Sackett's Mill precinct, with a total of 8 cases and 1 death. No hospital or pest house was provided anywhere, and the following was our method of management: The disease was not reported to this board until the last case had developed and died; the attending physician having pronounced the trouble "Cuban itch." A quarantine was established around the entire district on the Owen side and the Franklin county board was notified; general vaccination was ordered, but could not be rigidly enforced, but the cases being all in one family they were kept isolated. The disease was brought to this county from Henry county, Ky.; it was recognized after the family had been exposed. I estimate that 1,000 vaccinations have been done in the county since the first cases occurred; that 3,000 had been previously vaccinated, out of a total population of 18,000, leaving 14,000, or 78 per cent. now unprotected. The total cost of management to the county, including hospital, physicians, vaccinations, guards, nurses, food, etc., for all the cases which have occurred in the time named has been $100. The estimated cost to the county in loss of trade and interference of business has been $500, to the town of Monterey. Our chief difficulties in stamping out the disease were: The disbelief on the part of the people in the infected district, backed up by the ignorance of the physician in attendance in calling it "Cuban itch," "imeptigo," etc., and not smallpox. Also the prejudice of the people to vaccination. Had the cases not been geographically isoflated the whole district within the quarantine would, in all probability have been inoculated. us cordial support. The county judge and fiscal court gave J. W. BOTTS, M. D., Secretary. Owsley County Board of Health: Dr. A. M. Glass, Dr. S. G. Sanders, Dr. C. M. Anderson. To the State Board of Health: Booneville, Ky., July 16, 1901. Gentlemen: As the blank furnished me deals with actual outbreaks of smallpox, and as I can say, and proudly, too, that we have had no cases of smallpox in this county, I will say in a general way that during the past four years the disease has prevailed in every adjoining county to ours, but the careful management of the county board of health, with the hearty co-operation of our county judge, who in every instance has promptly come to our assistance, has kept the disease beyond our county borders. At the time Jackson county was quarantined our judge acted promptly at the request of the proper health officers, placed guards along the Jackson county line, had several arrests made, a number of suspects vaccinated, and we effectually stopped travel and communication between our county and the stricken district in Jackson county. All this cost the county, I think, some $200, the fiscal court strenuously opposing guards' claims, and if I remember rightly, voted them down, the county judge having to allow the claims himself. Besides this opposition from the court some of the people in Owsley county and a good many in Jackson county gave the Owsley county board of health and the judge their hearty condemnation, and I am told that a great many people in Jackson county yet hold ill will against Owsley county for trying to keep a contagious disease from among her citizens. During the smallpox epidemic at Beattyville, Lee county, last winter, it was reported that a man living in Owsley county, about five miles from Booneville, was broken out at his home with smallpox. Dr. C. M. Anderson, of the county board of health, at once went out to make an investigation, and while he rather inclined to the idea that it was not smallpox, he thought best to place a guard around the house of this man until further developments. Again our county judge acted promptly, and the house was guarded until the case showed up to be some skin disease, no other cases developing from it. The guards were only placed there as a precautionary measure. Wẹ were taking the benefit of the doubt. During the time that smallpox prevailed at Beattyville certain citizens of Booneville volunteered their services for a time to keep a lookout for tramps, etc., coming in from Beattyville, and in a few instances suspicious looking parties were turned back and prevented from entering the town. I enter somewhat at length into the history of our method of keeping the disease out of our county, and my only excuse for so doing is to give you some idea of the trouble we have had, to say nothing of the abuse, and for which you know how well we have been paid. Yes, smallpox, during the present epidemic, has prevailed in every county that adjoins Owsley-Clay, Jackson, Lee, Breathitt and Perry-there being some cases reported from Perry at this time, and again I say, with, I hope, pardonable pride, that we have had no cases in Owsley county. I will add that during all this time not over 300 vaccinations have been made, out of a population of over 6,000 in the county. Very respectfully, A. M. GLASS, M. D., Secretary. Pendleton County Board of Health: To the State Board of Health: J. H. Barbour, M. D., W. H. Yolton, Gentlemen: Within the last four years we have had slight outbreaks of smallpox in this county, in the Fifth and Seventh districts, with a total of 9 cases and no deaths. No hospital or pest house was provided, and the following was our method of management: The cases were so mild that perfect isolation, ventilation and disinfection, with all hygienic requirements, with little medicine and careful attention to diet, constituted the treatment. The disease was brought to this county from Covington and Newport Ky.; it was recognized after a few had been exposed. I estimate that 20 per cent. of vaccinations have been done in the county since the first cases occurred; that 70 per cent. had been previously vaccinated, out of a total population of 16,000, leaving 1,600, or 10 per cent. now unprotected. The total cost of management to the county, including hospital, physicians, vaccinations, guards, nurses, food, etc., for all the cases which have occurred in the time named has been nothing. The estimated cost to the county in loss of trade and interference of business has been very slight. The few cases of smallpox in this county were treated in their homes. Occurring in the country they were quarantined against. We had no pest house in Pendleton county. Very respectfully, J. H. BARBOUR, M. D., Secretary. Perry County Board of Health: Dr. S. Kelley, Dr. R. R. Baker, Dr. J. C. Summer. To the State Board of Health: Hazard, Ky., July 31, 1901. Gentlemen: Within the last four years we have had three outbreaks of smallpox in this county, in the following districts or precincts: Lost Creek, Forked Mouth, and in town, with a total of 40 cases and no deaths. N hospital or pest house was provided, and the following was our method of management: Patients were confined to their own houses by guards, and the disease did not spread beyond the family connection immediately around the original family taking it. We were not expecting the disease in such light form until we found it to be contagious, and then our suspicion was actively aroused, with the above arrangement, and there is not now a single case in the county. The disease was brought to this county from Breathitt county; it was not promptly recognized. I estimate that no vaccinations have been done in the county since the first cases occurred; that 200 had been previously vaccinated, out of a total population of 8,276, leaving $8,000 or more now unprotected. The total cost of management to the county, including hospital, physicians, vaccinations, guards, nurses, food, etc., for all the cases which have occurred in the time named has been $100. The estimated cost to the county in loss of trade and interference of business has been $400. Our chief difficulty in stamping out the disease was: Refusal of vaccination, as the disease was in such light form that few of the people could be made to understand that they had smallpox to contend with. Very respectfully, E. KELLEY, M. D., Secretary. Pike County Board of Health: Dr. W. A. Campbell, Dr. M. Pinson, Dr. H. H. Stallard. To the State Board of Health: Pikeville, Ky., August 26, 1901. Gentlemen: Within the last four years we have had 4 outbreaks of smallpox in this county, in the following districts or precincts: Blackberry, Coon, Coal Run, and Pikeville, with a total of 300 cases and 3 deaths. A hospital or pest house was provided near Pikeville, and the following was our method of management: Isolation and vaccination were our reliance. Vaccination especially was difficult of enforcement. The disease was brought to this county from West Virginia and Boyd county, Ky.; it was not promptly recognized. I estimate that 500 vaccinations have been done in the county since the first cases occurred; that 200 had been previously vaccinated, out of a total population of 22,686, leaving 22,000 now unprotected. The total cost of management to the county, including hospital, physicians, vaccinations, guards, nurses, food, etc., for all the cases which have occurred in the time named has been $3,500 (estimate.) The estimated cost to the county in loss of trade and interference of business has been $10,000 to $20,000. Our chief difficulty in stamping out the disease was: That a majority of citizens claimed that it was not smallpox, and we were powerless to do anything until all were convinced that it was smallpox. Very respectfully, H. H. STALLARD, M. D., Secretary. Powell County Board of Health: J. D. Atkinson, Esq., David Jackson, Esq., Dr. C. M. Driver. To the State Board of Health: Stanton, Ky., July 29, 1901. Gentlemen: Within the last four years we have had 1 outbreak of smallpox in this county, in the town of Stanton, with a total of 3 cases and no deaths. One hospital or pest house was provided near Stanton, and the following was our method of management: Patients were taken to pest house, and had two nurses who had had smallpox several years ago to wait on patients. No one except physicians was allowed to go near pest house. Those exposed were compelled to stay in their rooms for fifteen days and be vaccinated. The disease was brought to this county from the southern part of the State; it was recognized after several had been exposed. I estimate that 300 vaccinations have been done in the county since the first cases occurred; that several had been previously vaccinated, out of a total population of 6,000 or 7,000. The total cost of management to the county, including hospital physicians, vaccinations, guards, nurses, food, etc., for all the cases which have occurred in the time named has been $900. The estimated cost to the county in loss of trade and interference of business has been $2,000. The outbreak caused great excitement at the time, and there was some dissatisfaction about the rigid precautions adopted, but the disease was so promptly stamped out that few were left who criticized our management. Very respectfully, C. M. DRIVER, M. D., Secretary. |