1854 — Late March through early April (esp.) Smallpox epidemic, Jacksonville, FL — <15

–<15  esp. late March-early April. Merritt. A Century of Medicine in Jacksonville…. 1949, p.32.[1]

 

Narrative Information

 

Merritt: “About the time that scarlet fever began to spread [late March] an epidemic of smallpox developed. While these two epidemics were in progress, a huge fire broke out of April 5, which destroyed much of the town, including both newspaper buildings.[2] The Florida Republican got out a special edition the following day and then did not publish again until June 15, while the Florida News did not appear until July 8.[3] Consequently, there was little local news coverage during that important period.

 

“On April 23 a sensational letter, written in Jacksonville and later published in a Tallahassee newspaper, stated that scarlet fever was ‘still rife and doing its work of death’; that 49 cases of smallpox and varioloid had been reported to the mayor by physicians on that day; that the disease was scattered in every direction; and that sanitary measures which were being advised were too late.[4]

 

“Several weeks later, in mid-May, Mr. Columbus Drew and Dr. Baldwin made statements which were published in the same Tallahassee newspaper which carried the sensational story. Mr. Drew, after admitting that ‘several papers of the country’ had mentioned [end of p. 31] the remarkable fatality in one family due to scarlet fever, asserted that the disease had ‘visited’ only a few families and had not spread to an alarming extent. Dr. Baldwin asserted at that time, May 15, that there was no severe case of smallpox in town; that there were perhaps ten or twelve cases of varioloid; and that the sensational letter, in citing a specific number of persons involved, probably was less than 10 pr cent accurate.[5]

 

“On June 15 the editor of the Florida Republican, in the first paper issued following the fire, quoted ‘reports of physicians,’ to show that there had not been…more than fifteen deaths from smallpox. It was stated that the diseases had assumed a prevailing form prior to April 10, than on June 15 there was no scarlet fever and only one case of smallpox, and that the patient with smallpox was confined to a hospital in the outskirts of the town.”[6]

[pp. 31-32]

 

Source

 

Merritt, Webster. A Century of Medicine in Jacksonville and Duval County. “Scarlet Fever and Smallpox.” Gainesville, FL: University of Florida Press, 1949. Accessed 4-25-2018 at: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00103093/00001/51x

[1] “‘Reports of physicians’…show that there had not been more than twelve deaths from scarlet fever…” Cites The Florida Republican, 6-15-1854.

[2] Cites in footnote 11: Jacksonville Florida Republican, extra edition, 4-6-1854.

[3] Cites in footnote 12: Newspaper files in the Library of Congress.

[4] Cites in footnote 13: Tallahassee Floridian and Journal, 5-6-1854.

[5] Cites in footnote 14: Tallahassee Floridian and Journal, 5-27-1854.

[6] Cites in footnote 15: Jacksonville Florida Republican, 6-15-1854.