MYFBS, MAY(R - the Digital Library of Georgia

MAYOR'S ANNUAL REPORT. 173this cotton mill would, at least, be considered highlysuspicious.Further, your Health Officer, during the past twoyears, was sent for to visit 11 cities and towns to determinethe true nature of a disease, which invariablyproved to be small-pox.Again, the health authorities of a large city in thisState gave out for publication that there were no goodreasons for alarm over the small-pox situation; as therewas less small-pox in that city than there had beenin three years, only 52 cases being under treatment.Following this statement a campaign of vaccinationensued—this compulsory vaccination after threeyears of epidemic small-pox.Still again, this city, on several occasions, has beenthe dumping-ground for small-pox in persons livingin the^small towns around Savannah. Once senthere the only course to pursue was to hold and isolatethe patient. •For months the disease prevailed in the negrosettlements five to ten miles from Savannah,along the Savannah river, and at least onone island. The existence of these cases wereknown to the county authorities, and measureswere suggested to the authorities without any results,until finally your Health Officer visited a negro settlementon the Savannah river and found that dozensof cases of the disease had occurred in a populationof less than a hundred, and on the occasion of thevisit small-pox patients were picking peas for theSavannah market; following this up, he visited anisland and found 14 cases unattended. After findingthat nothing could be done to prevent the spread of