Transcribers note: This article is not filled with names and dates but
is regarding a serious health problem that occurred in the community. I
thought it worthwhile. Possibly a little background on the conditions in
which our ancestors lived.
The Tribune - August 18, 1885
THE PORTER EPIDEMIC
Meat-Poisoning Not The Cause Of the Sickness
Dr. Eggleston, the Chicago Doctor Finds Absolutely Nothing to SUP- the
Meat-Poisoning Theory.
The Excitement Abating, and the Sick List Rapidly Diminishing.
The Facts of the Case
The "epidemic" at Porter, as dependent on meat - poisoning is
practically a thing of the past, except in the minds of a few interested
parties, and a few deluded editors. There had been so much said on
sides, that today, the public finds the different stories told,
hopelessly entangled, and can with difficulty, extract an intelligible
opinion from the mess of contradictions. Into this mess the Tribune
proposes to go, and attempt the Herculean task of getting the straight
of the matter.
The story of meat poisoning was first circulated by D. D. Marr, a
physician of Chesterton, and first published in the Daily Vidette, of
August 4th. The day following, a startling article appeared in the
Chicago Tribune, which was published in full in last week's issue of
this paper. On August 4th a reporter of the Vidette came here and
interviewed Dr. Marr. In that interview the reporter asked,
"What is the cause of this epidemic?" Said the physician, (Dr. Marr),
"Tainted meat. While I make this assertion, emphatically, I do it after
deliberate investigation."
To the question, "Is it not so remarkable a thing for whole community to
be poisoned by tainted meat that you may be mistaken?"
"It is possible for anybody to be mistaken, replied the Dr. irritably,
but I am not. Poisoning by tainted meat is not a rare thing as you seem
to presuppose. The cases which occurred in the town of Memonec, Ills.,
only of late should be enough evidence. You see in that case the
anylitical chemist was unable to decide whether the meat was from a
diseased animal or became diseased after the animal was killed.
Alkolois Ptomanes is a form of poison which frequently appears in
decaying flesh and which has serious and often fatal effect when taken
in the human stomach.
This interview established the fact beyond a doubt, that Dr. Marr
claimed the sickness at Hageman was caused by poisoned meat. He also
stated that he was called to attend forty patients and followed Fred
Stick's meat wagon to find them. See Daily Vidette of Aug. 4, and
Michigan City Dispatch.
The Tribune after due and deliberate investigation pronounces this
statement false. Fred Stick's meat route is not so extensive as the Dr.
would make out, neither is the Dr.'s practice so large as he would have
people believe, and we emphatically deny that he attended the wants of
forty patients, (fifty he first stated) on the first morning of the
scare, and for proof, we leave it to any medical gentleman in the land
if it is possible for any physician to perform such a mammoth task in
the time he claimed to have done it, - about three hours. For further
proof we leave it to the entire village of Hageman, and if there were
forty cases on that day, we are wrong.
This disease is caused by "Alkaloid Ptomanes" a poison, so says this Dr.
Now let us see.
On Wednesday, August 5th Dr. Loring, the chairman of the County Board of
Health, came to Hageman, and in company with Drs. Green, Marr, Young and
Jones, investigated the matter. Dr. Loring went to Valparaiso and
caused the following notice to be printed in circular form, and on
Friday distributed the same.
BOARD OF HEALTH ORDER
In view of the fact that a disease resembling Epidemic Dysentery is now
prevailing in an epidemic form at Porter Station and Hageman, Porter
County, Ind., and that such disease is so grave as to cause alarm for
the public health, I, D. J. Loring, health officer of Porter County, do
hereby order the citizens of Porter Station, Hageman, and surrounding
neighborhood to proceed forthwith and without delay to place all places
in such locality in a good sanitary condition, by draining all pools of
stagnant water, to thoroughly clean and disinfect all places of a
loathsome or filthy nature, to empty all privy vaults that are filled
within 5 feet of the surface of the earth and to thoroughly disinfect
the same during that time such epidemic prevails; to remove all manure
from roads, alleys, barns, hog pens, back yards, etc.; to thoroughly
drain all stagnant water that is standing or may be standing around your
house, barn, alley, back yards, or other places where drinking water is
obtained; to carefully isolate the sick from the well so far as it is
possible to do; to freely use disinfectants in and around rooms or
houses where there are parties sick; to disinfect with copperas,
carbolic acid, or some other reliable disinfectant, the stools of all
the sick, and to exercise all the sanitary precaution to prevent the
spread of the disease; to carefully examine all articles of diet and see
that all classes of food to be used as a diet be fresh and well
preserved.
Any party who fails to comply with the above requirements will be
prosecuted according to law. Hoping that each citizen will take interest
in our efforts to stop the further spread of the disease, and thus
protect the lives and health of the people.
I am
respectfully,
D. J.
Loring, M.D.,
Health Office of
Porter Couty,
Valparaiso, Ind., August 6, 1885.
This did not look as though Dr. Loring put much faith in the meat
poisoning theory. On Friday these physicians continued their
investigations, visiting sick patients, examining wells, back yards and
alleys. On this day Dr. Eggleston, a physician of Chicago, accompanied
the investigating committee. On the return of the physicians to
Chesterton, Dr. Eggleston accompanied Dr. Marr to his drug store. While
there, Dr. Marr remarked, "Well, Dr., you will put notices in the daily
papers about this, of course?" To which Dr. Eggleston replied, "No,
there isn't anything to say. I am associate editor on the Philadelphia
Medical Journal, and will publish an article in that Journal on the
subject."
"how much is that paper a year," asked Dr. Marr, pulling out his pocket
book.
"Five dollars," replied Dr. Eggleston. Dr. Marr immediately became a
subscriber. [This incident is published to show which way the wind
blow.]
But to return to the subject.
When Dr. Loring returned to Valparaiso on Wednesday he was convinced
meat poisoning had nothing to do with the matter else he would not have
worded his order in the language he did. Then he attributed it to be
the filthy condition of the town. If he had any reason to suspect the
butchers it would seem natural that he would include them in his order.
But no, the shops were not even inspected, thought the investigation
committee were invited, and urgently requested to do. If this
committee, or Dr. Loring had a reasonable suspicion then, or at any time
later that these butchers were selling unhealthy meat, it was his duty
to stop it at once, and any way you fix it, it must be admitted that the
investigating committee were criminally negligent, or did not believe in
the meat story.
The Chicago Times, of Aug. 6, published the following after having
detailed a reporter to Hageman to investigate the matter.
Porter, Ind., Aug. 5 -- [Special]
This immediate locality is all torn up regarding a very peculiar disease
which a fortnight ago made its appearance in this little town. The
victims of the malady complained of general lassitude and billousness,
and in the course of a day or two were stricken with fever, accompanied
by diarrhea. In all about eighty have been confined to their homes from
this illness, and at present possibly forty are quite ill. Four deaths
have occurred in Porter within the last week. Two of this number were
adults and the others children. Many declared that the disease, which
seemed to be somewhat in the nature of an epidemic was the result of
eating impure meat, and as a natural consequence, the local butchers
have been at loggerheads with each other and the general public as well.
The most casual investigation into the sanitary condition of the towns
at once reveals the cause of the disease. The village is situated on a
perfectly level strip of prairie. Its houses are dumped upon the
ground, most of them without cellars of brick basements. The sidewalk
on the main street of the town is laid directly over an uncovered sewer,
filled with nauseating filth. The alleys are knee deep in garbage,
manure and offal of every description, while the yards surrounding the
houses and stores, and the streets as well, contain little pools of
stagnant water. It is no wonder that the residents of Porter are
spending the greater part of their time in bed. The only mystery in the
situation is to think any of them are alive at all. A few days ago some
of the more energetic citizens began the work of sanitation by shoveling
the filth from their respective dooryards into those of their neighbors,
and this has not accomplished much in the way of stopping the progress
of the miniature pestilence. The atmosphere in the town is surcharged
with all manner of noisome odors, which are repulsive enough to turn the
stomach of a scavenger, while the filth from the surface sinks through
the clayey soil into the wells and adds to the spread of the disease.
Possibly half a dozen of the invalids are in a dangerous condition, yet
the attending physicians hope to pull them through. The attention of
the authorities of Porter county was called to the matter, and today
Health Officer Loring of Valparaiso, Drs. Green, and Man of Chesterton,
and Drs. Young and Jones, of Porter, made a thorough investigation into
the matter. The physicians declare the disease to be the direct result
of the filthy condition of the town, and pronounce the ailment to be in
the nature of
BILIOUS FLUX.
Officer Loring issued peremptory orders to the citizens to begin the
labor of sanitation with all speed and not to permit the work to stop
until the streets and alleys have been cleaned and large quantities of
disinfectants used in the stables and outhouses. Some of the citizens
are not disposed to comply with Dr. Loring's request, saying they have
already spent money in the direction referred to and do not see the
importance of continuing the work. Dr. Loring, however, declares that
unless his orders meat with
prompt obedience he will invoke the authorities and see that the town is
thoroughly drained and the filth removed there from, and charged the
expense to the property owners.
It is probably Dr. Loring's requests will be followed so soon as half a
dozen or so additional deaths occur. The story to the effect that the
pestilence was caused by the use of diseased meat is the veriest bosh,
and lacks confirmation. None of the invalids gave evidence of
trichinosis, and the inhabitants of Porter are supplied with meat by
three or four butchers residing in Chesterton, a little town a mile or
two distant. It is entirely improbably that all of the butchers would
on the same day sell poisonous meat.
A prominent physician and microsopist of Chicago telegraphed today that
he would be here tomorrow to investigate the matter, and requested the
authorities to save for him about twenty pounds of the diseased beef.
Unless some radical steps in the way of sanitation are taken very
quickly, Porter will soon be as forlorn as a deserted mining camp, but
it affords a fruitful field for the doctors at the present time.
To be continued: