SMALL-POX IN SEARSPORT.

June 4, a telegram came from Dr. E. Hopkins, Secretary of the local board of health of Searsport reading as follows: "Have case small-pox in town. Send one package vaccine points by mail." Ten points on hand were forwarded at once and a telegram was sent to Boston for additional points to be forwarded direct to the doctor. Further information came to this office in the following letter written by the local secretary on the 5th and received here on the 6th of June.

"Our small-pox case came from Boston per steamer Penobscot last Saturday, May 31. Left the vessel which arrived the Wednesday before from the island of Porto Rico, with cargo of molasses, 14 days passage, Friday afternoon, and went directly on board steamer, arriving here Saturday forenoon. A letter from the captain's wife informs me that a physician, who I suppose was a quarantine doctor, visited him on the vessel and examined him, and said he had a very bad humor, but saw no signs of small-pox. He was sick more or less the whole passage to Boston with fever, backache, etc., especially about the twelfth day from the time he left the island. He did not go ashore while in port, but mingled more or less with the natives that were loading the vessel, and they say they always have small-pox there on the island. We have isolated him in a small house just out of the village, and have a male nurse who has had the disease, to care for him, and are using disinfectants freely. About six or eight persons have been exposed to it more or less, but think they are very well protected, and we have again thoroughly vaccinated them. I have received a good supply of vaccine points from Dr. Martin & Son, Roxbury, Mass., and am using them freely. I will communicate with you again if anything of importance occurs."

Immediately on the receipt of this letter a telegram was sent to Dr. Hopkins as follows:

"Please telegraph immediately, paid here, answers to the following: Name of patient, name of vessel from Porto Rico, date when eruption first appeared, stage of eruption when arrived in Searsport."

At the same time the Boston Board of Health received this information by telegraph:

"Case of small-pox in Searsport, this State; patient came from Boston, Friday, May 30th, on steamer Penobscot; arrived in Boston May 28th from Porto Rico; cargo molasses. Hope to telegraph further facts later to-day. Steamer leaves Boston this afternoon." Later in the day the following came from Dr. Hopkins:

"Patient's name, Linwood A. Fowler; name vessel, schooner Lizzie Lane, Searsport; first eruption about May 28th. On arrival here out on face, upper part body, arms, and beginning to show on legs; vessel chartered to load ice at Bath, Me., and may be there now."

These facts were telegraphed to Boston and the same afternoon the following telegram was sent to the secretary of the local board of health of Bangor :

"Case of small-pox in Searsport. Arrived from Boston last Saturday on steamer Penobscot. Take precautions."

Bath

A letter of warning was also sent to the local board of each port at which the steamer Penobscot touches, requesting the board to learn whether any passengers had landed on that day when the small-pox patient was aboard, and, if so, to take precautions. was also notified to be on the lookout for the Lizzie Lane. As we had not learned from Boston whether the "Penobscot" had been disinfected, the following telegraphic message was sent to Bangor on the seventh.

"If steamer Penobscot was not disinfected in Boston, the infected stateroom or birth and bedding should be seen to before Monday. Small-pox patient's name, Linwood A. Fowler, Boston to Searsport." On the evening of the same day information came from Boston that "the schooner Lizzie Lane has cleared from this port for Randolph, Me We are making active search for her, and if found. will be detained. She was not seen by the quarantine officer upon arrival to this port, quarantine not being on until June 1st, except with vessels having sickness aboard."

Under date of June 8th, the Secretary of the local board of health of Bangor wrote:

"As soon as the Penobscot arrived here Saturday I went down and saw the captain and the first he heard about it was that morning, he said that a man came aboard at Boston and said he did not feel well and wanted a stateroom. He got one and did not come out until he got to Searsport. The room has not been used since, and now it has been fumigated and the bedding burned and every

precaution taken that could be. I was there to day and know that this was done, and they said that they would clean the room thoroughly and would not have it used for some time "

Two days later, June 10th, Dr Durgin, Chairman of the Board of Health of Boston wrote: "The Lizzie Lane was overtaken and held in quarantine until she was thoroughly attended to."

Meanwhile the authorities at Bath and other ports had been on the watch, for various rumors from various sources had been received as to the destination or actual whereabouts of the infected schooner. These places were at once notified of the disinfection of the vessel.

Turning again to Searsport, the unwelcome news caine that Mr. Fowler, the small-pox patient died June 7. On account of ill health, Dr. Hopkins resigned his position and a new Board was formed with Dr. E. W. Gould, Secretary.

Six persons were exposed to the infection before the diagnosis of the first case was made, viz:

A D. F., aged 54, mother of the deceased.

She was vaccinated

when a girl and not since that time until June 3d, 1890, which did not take. She was revaccinated on the 8th. She came down the 13th and was confined to her bed until the 20th, the eruption aborting. It was a well marked case of varioloid.

E F., aged 30, sister of the deceased. She was vaccinated when a young child, was again vaccinated June 3d, and again on the opposite arm June 7th Both vaccinations in June took well. She was exposed to the infection with the other five persons June 1st, developed the initiatory symptoms on the 15th, the eruption appeared on the 17th, and she was removed to the pest house. The eruption

became umbilicated June 23d. This case ran a modified course.

N. S., aged 70, uncle. He was vaccinated when thirty years old, but declined vaccination in June. He complained of general malaise June 14th, took his bed two days later, with a sense of great muscular weakness A few papules appeared on his forehead and back. June 23d the temperature and pulse were normal, the tongue was clearing, and the eruption was aborting He made a rapid recovery. The temperature did not exceed 100 and the pulse was not above 80 per minute.

J. C, aged 78, grandfather. He was vaccinated with success June 3d, but had never been before He did not take the disease. J. P., aged 67, a neighbor. was successfully vaccinated June 3d. He also had a good scar as the result of vaccination when a boy. He escaped.

G. N., aged 48, a neighbor. He had been vaccinated when a young man; the vaccination in June did not take well. He did I did not contract the disease. It will be seen, therefore, that of the six persons who were exposed to the infection of the disease before its character was recognized, three had small-pox, and three escaped it.

Mr. Fowler, the subject of the first case, had never been vaccinated. I am indebted to Dr. Gould for the following facts:

DIPHTHERIA IN EASTPORT.

By far the most serious and protracted epidemic of diphtheria of the year has held on in Eastport The history of it is instructive, and strongly emphasizes the need of constantly keeping up the organization of a local board of health ready to deal with the primary cases of infectious diseases.

About the middle of March (17th,) I received a letter from one of the physicians of Eastport which read as follows:

"We are having quite an epidemic of diphtheria here in town, and but very little done to prevent its spreading. We have no board of health, excepting the selectmen, and they do not seem to take much interest in the matter Families that have diphtheria are allowed to go out and in just the same as though the disease was not there, and are allowed to come on to the streets and mingle with people the same as ever. I heard of a case of a little boy that was taken yesterday The father asked the doctor that is attending the child if he could go out the same as usual, and he answered him. yes, they were all going out, and he might as well as the rest.

"Within the last three days we have had six new cases reported and within the last week four deaths. Now I think something ought to be done and that right away, to prevent its spread. Calais says they will quarantine us if something is not done. I wish you would attend to this at once."

In answer to this the following letter was sent :

"DEAR DOCTOR :-I thank you very much for letting me know about the prevalence of diphtheria in your town. You need a local board of health at once, and ought to have one permanently. Please consult with the selectmen about appointing one If your

physicians do not wish to be troubled about such duties, advise the selectmen to appoint three good, trustworthy men who are not physicians, with or without a health officer, preferably, with, to advise them. It would be better probably, for the secretary to be chosen with reference to his being the executive officer of the board, doing most of the work and, of course, having most of the pay for work necessary to be done. Unless you have a board and begin work at once you will probably be quarantined against by more than one town. Calais looks after its cases of infectious diseases sharply, and will, undoubtedly, carry out its threats, and they ought to. I send you circulars, blanks, and other papers which please give to the local board of health when appointed.

If there is any hitch on the part of the municipal officers about making appointments, the State Board of Health will appoint at its next meeting, March 31, if citizens of your town will nominate suitable persons. I think, however, the trouble with the selectmen is that they have found difficulty in finding persons to accept, or so I have been informed."

With this letter was sent a full set of the blanks and circulars needed by a local board to begin and carry on its work. A letter was also sent to the selectmen urgently requesting them to appoint a local board of health. A local board of health was appointed March 27th, and organized and began work at once One of the first things the board did was to request information of all the physicians in the town as to the number and location of the cases of diphtheria under their treatment. A, had two cases, both convalescent; B, two cases in one family, nearly well; C, no cases, just discharged last one, have had sixteen cases; D, one mild case.

From these reports, and from the length of time the disease had prevailed with no authority to restrict it, we may well infer that the number of infected places in the village was considerable, and that consequently the local board would work under many disadvantages. The board worked under other disadvantages also: some of the citizens showed a disposition to defy the authority of the board instead of supporting it in its work for the common good. For instance, about the middle of April, a case of diphtheria was reported to the local board of health in the house of a Mr. K. The Secretary went at once to the house and adopted measures to prevent the spread of the infection. The house was placarded. Three days afterwards complaint was made that the brother of Mr.