The herald and news. (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, May 16, 1911, Page SIX, Image 6
TUBERCULOSIS AT TiE
STATE PENITENTIARY
ONLY 28 PRISONERS OUT OF 70
FREE FROM DISEASE.
State Board Urges That Hosiery Mill
be Abolished and Suggests SeT
eral Improvements.
Findings and Suggestions.
Only 28 prisoners out of a sample
batch of 70 examined were found posi
tively free of tuberculosis.
Female prison should be condemned
and destroyed.
Toilets should be placed outside cell
buildings.
Bedding should be kept clean.
Defective floors should be repaired.
Only one prisoner should sleep in a
cell.
Hosiery mill should be abolished
and convicts employed entirely in out
door work.
General hospital should have its
piumbing brought up-to-date, should
be cleaned and should be screened;
separate wards for white women and
for colored women and an isolation
ward should be provided.
Tuberculosis hospital should be
screened. Races and sexes should be
segregated.
Mess hall and skitchen should be
screened. Stables and pig pens should
be removed as far as practicable from
living quarters and be kept clean.
Medical system is condemned as in
adequate and inefficient. Prison phy
sician should have an assistant, with
trained nurses, white and colored,
maA and female, to attend the sick.
Plans for contemplated changes, in
accordance with these recommenda
tions, should be submitted by peniten
tiary directors to State board of health
for approval
Tuberculosis hospital measures up
to all modern requirements and is a
lasting monument to Superintendent
D. J. Griffith, who designed and built
i.a
Governor Blease has released for
publication the penitentiary report
from the State board of health, the
principal recommendation of which is
that the (hosiery mill be abolished.
The report on penitentiary condi
tions was made following a message
to the general assembly, from Gover
nor Blease, calling attention to rumors
as to tuberculosis at the penitentiary.
The legislature asked the board of
health to investigate the condition of
the (health of the inmates of the peni
tentiary. Before the report of the
board was made to him, Governor
Blease stated that he would recom
mend t.o the general assembly that the
(hosier y mill be abolished.
Governor Blease was naturally grat
ified to see that the State board of
health makes the same recommnenda
tion. The board recommends outdoor
work for the prisoners.
State Board's Report.
The report .ollows:
Nr A. K. Sas.ders, Chairman Board of
Direictors, South aCrolina State
Penitentiary.
Dear Sir: I have the honor to trans
mit herewith the recommiendations of
the executive committee of the State
board of health for the sanitary im
provement of the penitentiary, made
in accordance with the following con
current resolution adopted by the
igeneral assembly at the last session:
"Be it resol1ved by thie house of rep
resentatives, the senate concurring,
That the State board is hereby re
quired, at as early a day as possible,
to make a thorough investigation of
the sanitary condition of the State
penitentiary, and to take such steps
as they may deem necessary to pre
Tent the spread of tuberculosis among
thbe convicts at the said State peni
tentiary.
"Any expense that may be incurred
in putting the penitentiary in a sani
tary condition shall be paid out of
the funds of the penitentiary."
Tuberculosis Situation.
In compliance with this resolution
the executive committee of the State
board of health convened at Columbia
on March 15. and in company with
Capt. D. J. Griffith. superintendent, and
Dr. F. W. P. Butler, prison physician,
visited and made a thorough inspec
ton of the penitentiary. This inspec
tion was later supplemented by a phy
sical and bacteriological examination
of a number of inmates made by the
sub-committee on State penal and
charitable institutions, together with
the State health officer and the direc
tor of the laboratory, with view of
ascertaining the prevalence of tuber
culosis in the institution. Seventy
prisoners were examined, of whom 21.
or 30 per cent.. gave clinical symp
toms and physical findings indicative
of tuberculosis; 21, or 30 per cent..
gave results which justified a strong
suspicion of tuberculosis, although a
-romiie dagnos! could not be made;
and 2S. or 40 per cent., gave entirely
negative results.
Bacteriological Examinations.
The bacteriological examinations
confirmed the diagnosis by the finding
of tubercle bacilli in only one case.
The committee on penal and charita
ble institutions, however, report that
the bacteriological examinations can
not be regarded as thoroughly satis
factory inasmuch as they had to be
made under conditions which were not
very favorable for accurate work. But
in any case a careful physical exami
nation will reveal the presence of tu
berculosis before the specific bacilli
can be found in the sputum; where
fore, the result of the bacteriological
investigation does not set aside the
conclusions drawn from the physical
examination.
The following resolutions embody
ing the recommendations of the board
were unanimously adopted:
Recommendations.
"Resolved, That it is the sense of
the entire board that the femalc pris
on should be condemn!ed and destroy
ed, and that a new building should be
constructed at the earliest date possi
ble; that to meet the present needs,
the sick from this building be re
moved to a ward in the general hos
pital, and that all tuberculous patients
be removed to the tuberculosis hos
ital.
"Resolved, That it is the sense of
the board that the following changes
should be made in the male prison
building: That the present system of
toilets arranged in the interior of the
building should be placed in an exten- I
sion outside of the building, and in
addition to the four toilets to each
floor two urinals should be added, so
that the present method of vct ding
urine into buckets and pouring it into
the toilets can be done away with;
that the floors in all the cells be re
paired, where repsirs are needed; that
the bedding of prisoners be kept
clean; that only one prisoner be al
lowed to sleep in each cell, and that
some provision be made whereby pris
oners on going to their cells for the
night can procure their drinking
water from a running spigot rather
than dip it out of tubs, as is the prac
tice at present.
Outdoor Work Suggested.
"Resolved, That after a thorough
consideration of all the phases of hy
giene and sanitation in connection
with the work in tihe hosiery mill, it
is the sense of the entire boar<d that
this form of employanent should be
discontinued, and that work of an out
door nature sho'uld be provided.
"Resolved, That we condemn the
present toilet a.rrangements '1n the
general hospita-1 building, and recom
mend that toilets and baths in accord
ance with modern sanita;ry ideas be
installed; that the building be gen7er
ally cleaned; that a ward be set aside
for white women and one for colored;
that proper isolation wards be pro
vided and that the entire,~ building be
thoroughly screened.
Tuberculosis Hospital.
"Resolved, That in the tuberculosis
hospital we find nothing, with the ex
ception that it is not screened, to con
demn, but much to commend. We
find that this building measures up to
all the requirements of modern ideas
for the care and trieatment of tuber
culous patients, and we feel that it is
a lasting monument to Col. D. J. Grif
fith, who designed and built it We
recomnend that this building be thor-1
oughly screened; that wards be s.et
aside for white and colored women;*
and that the races and sexes be seg
regated.
"Resolved, That we recommend the
screening of the mess hail and kitch
en, to keep out insects; that the sta
bles and pig pens be removed as far
from the living quarters as prac.tica
ble, and that they be kept thoroughly
clean to prevent the breeding of flies.
"Resolved, That we condemn the
present medical system as inadequate
and inefficient. We recommend the
employment of a chief physician and
an assistant. We recommend the em
ployment of a sufficient number of
white and colored, male and female,
trained nurses for the sick.
"Resolved. That the board of direc
tors of the State penitentiary be re
quested to submit the plaans of all con
templated changes, as recommended
by the board, to it for its approval."
Respectfully.
Robert Wilson, Jr.,
Chairman Executivie Committee State
Board of Health.
HOSIERY MILL MUST GO.
If Board Doesn't Act. "I Will." Says
Governor Blease-Letter to Peni
tentiary Directors.
Columbia, May 12.--Governor B3lease
has called upon the board of directors
of the State penitentiary, to meet and
decar'e null and void the hosiery mill
contract. "If you do not give relief,
I wl" writes the governor in a comn
munication directed today to the
ba nan to i Co D.T3 Griffith, the su
"Watch i
"HIGH PRICED QU
The Ford quality ha
be made attractively low.
quality has sold all Fords s
The Ford Featuri
The Ford Motor, the
and all the important elem
We can prove this by show
The Ford Car
If roads are poor, if hills are stec
then the FORDIMODEL T shows
car, abundance of power, splendid <
tire trouble, because of high clearal
Runabout, $600. 1
F. 0. B. Factory, Equip
The Newberry
Nevvberry, S. C.
JOHN DEERE DIVERSE CULTI'
Adapted for almost any kind of cult
Two levers, one on each side, allow
adjustments. All Steel. No wood. C
you can buy for durability and service.
LB. A. GR IF F IN &
C HA RLOT TE OBS EI
From Now Until the End of th~
Baseball Season fo;r
$2.50
Cash Must Accompany All Ord
T he OBSE RV ER COMI
Observer Building ChTarloti
the Ford Gc
W.MG FRiME QUAUWT
IN A LOW PICM CA&
AlITY IN A LOW P1
s never been sacrificed th
Quality sold the first Ford
ince that time.
,s Are Original, Not
Ford Ignition System, the I
ents of the Ford car are disti
ing you in detail the consti
is Built for Ho
p, if land is sandy, if rocks abound, i
ITS REAL SUPERIORITY. Becau
lesign, simplicity of mechanism, low
ace, this car has become immensel3
'orpedo, $645. Tout
ment $80 Extra. We hav<
|Iachine Shop a
SPECL
NEWBERRY SCH(
AND T
As a special inducer
Newberry School of 5
enrolling in May a cor
The regular price of
Our graduates hay4
sitions and not one ha
ATOR.inefficiency. They,ar
vatng- ness men, railroads, et
eapnst have been favored wi
Sol.by ...
CO. NEWBFERRY SCH(
____ ANDOT
S* Telepi
~VER '
Now is the time to subscribe to
Heral dand News, $1.50 per year.
ers NOTICE OF FINAL SETTLEME3
ANY sJ~otice is hereby given that I
make a final settlement of the es1
e, N. C. 'of Newton R. Lester, deceased, on
9th ay of May. 1911, at 11 o'cl
)By
ICED CAR"
at the price might
Cars in 1893 and
Imitations
ord Transmission
rictive Ford ideas.
-uction of the car.
trd Work
f wet weather,is plenty,
se of light weight of the
fuel consumption, little
popular.
ifg Car, $700
Cars in Stock.
~d Grg.
lephone 60.
AL OFFER
OL OF STENOGRAPHY
iPEWVRITING
nent Mrs. H. 0. Ray, of The
tenography, offers to those
iplete term for $20.00.
the term offered is $25.00.
no trouble in securing po
; ever lost a position through
e located with lawyers, busi
., and in each instance they
th steady increase of salary.
IOL OF STENOGRAPHY
iPEWVRITING
ione No. 244
[e a. 'n., in the office of the proba
judge for Newberry county, and i
meindiately thereafter apply for a di
T. charge as administ:-atrix of38
estate.
vill IDA B. LESTER,
:ate Administratix of the personal estat
the of Newton R. Lester, deceased.
ock 4-25-4t-1taw.