Document 93kp0gZXYg7b4rYX5aVredpL7

Au gu s t 1 5 , 1933 Mr . R. L . Jo r d a n * Dear Bob: As p er your r e ce n t r e q u e s t I have tod ay been In Nor th Ju d s o n . m aking seme in v e s t ig a t io n in t o t h e i l l n e s s o f _ _ _ _ _ f m B P ; a ge n t fo r Joh n son O il Re fin in g Company a t t h a t p o in t , r e p u t e d to be i l l fr om le a d p o is o n in g* My f i r s t c a l l was a t K e lle r , s s e r v ic e s t a t io n , Joh n son d e a le r s in Nor th Ju d s o n . Ha vin g p r e v io u s ly met Lip. K e lle r , a co n ve r s a t io n was s t r u ck u p , and g r a d u a lly q u it e a lo t o f in for m a t io n was v o lu n t e e r e d on t h e m a t t e r in q u e s t io n . The fo llo w in g in fo r m a t io n was give n b y Mr , Ke lle r * m m a m * about Six t y ye a r s o f a g e . He has been s e r io u s ly i l l fo r s i r or se ven weeks* At f i r s t t h e i lln e s s was diagnosed as lead p o iso n in g, b u t la t e r i t was diagnosed as anem ia. Ke lle r s t a t e s t h a t t h e anemic co n d it io n is supposed to have been b r ou gh t on b y an im pr oper d i e t , s a y in g t h a t ^ ^ ^ Q u who is ger m an, liv e d m ain ly on m eat, shunning a l l v e g e t a b le s . Ke lle r r id ic u le s the id e a t h a t ^ H ^ could have le a d p o is o n in g , s a y in ^ t h a t even i f i t was p o s s ib le t o a cq u ir e i t fr om ga s o lin e t h a t 4 Q0 H ^ w o u ld n *i have i t , fo r h is son (Hankey's ) has h an d led most o f th e ga s o lin e t r u ck in g and h a n d lin g fo r a lo n g tim e. Ke lle r says th a t hadn* t done much work fo r a lo n g t im e , s t a t in g t h a t when he d id do a cou p le o f d ays har d work he would th en have to la y o f f , cla im in g t o be s i c k . ( I don ' t know w hether or n ot i t was Ke lle r *s in t e n t io n t o in s in u a t e t h a t Hankey was l a z y .} K e lle r s t a t e s t h a t a cco r d in g to b lo o d t e s t s , e t c ., made a t the La Po r t e h o s p it a l, no le a d p o is o n in g was in d ic a t e d . Ke lle r p r o b a b ly go t m ost o f h is in fo r m a t io n fr o m 4 Bfl[ H P ^ scan who d e liv e r s ga so lin e and o il to Ke lle r *s s t a t io n a lm o s l^ w r y d a y (In cid e n t a l l y , K e lle r was a t one tim e employed in a w h ite le a d m a n u fa ct u r in g p la n t , and co n s e q u e n t ly fe e ls t h a t he knows q u it e a lo t abou t le a d p o is o n in g .) < A l l o f th e above in for m a tion was vo lu n te e r e d by Ke lle r w ithout h is havin g any in tim a tio n th at I had any s p e cia l in t e r e s t in t h e c a s e . As fa r a s he knew, I ju s t stop p ed in t o buy fi v e ga llon s of ga so lin e and t a lk a w h ile . My n e xt c a l l was on Dr . A. F is h e r o f Nor th Ju d s o n , a t t e n d in g p h ysician in the ca se . The in fo r m a t io n r e ce iv e d fr o m Dr . F is h e r i s a s fo llo w s : -2 ____________ s u d d e n ly t o o k ver y i l l , w it h much v o m it in g . Dr . F is h e r Hffliedia Ce ly d ia gn o se d th e e a s e as le a d p o is o n in g, and is a p p a r e n t ly s t i l l o f th e o p in io n t h a t t h a t is t h e t r o u b le . He s t a t e s t h a t th e b lood t e s t s , e t c . made a t t h e La p o r t e h o s p it a l in d ica t e d "some" le a d p o is o n in g. Acco r d in g t o Dr . F is h e r , he d oes n ot b e lie ve t h a t s u ffic ie n t lead could be absorbed through the skin fr om g a s o lin e to ca u se i l l n e s s , co n s e q u e n t ly , he b e liv e s t h a t the i l ln e s s was p r o b a b ly b r ou gh t a b ou t b y in h a lin g the fumes o f E t h y l g a s o lin e . He s t a t e s t h a t he b e lie v e s t h a t Hankey i s more s u s c e p t ib le to lead p oison in g than th e aver age p er son . can noye h is hands and fe e t b u t has h a r d ly any s t r e n g t h 'In them, b e in g unable to h old any kin d o f an a r t ic le in h is h a n d s. Dr . Fis h e r e xp e ct s t h a t he may d ie a t most any moment. Dr . F is h e r says t h a t w h ile he was on h is va ca t io n a s h o r t tim e ago a n oth er p y s icia n was t e m p o r a r ily c a lle d in on the c a s e . Th is other p h ysician attem pted to t r e a t th e case by ad m in ister in g Fow ler s So lu t io n . ( Ar s e n ic, I p r esu m e.) The o t h e r p h y s icia n s t a r t e d o ff by a d m in is t e r in g 8 drops which Dr . Fis h e r co n sid e r s an a b n o r m a lly la r g e d ose t o s t a r t o f f w it h . (He s a id t h a t t h r e e would have been more n e a r ly p r o p e r .) He s a y s t h a t Fow ler s So lu t io n seemed to have an ad ver se a ffe c t on the p a t ie n t , and he ca n *t u n d er stan d why the other d o ct o r wanted to a d m in is t e r i t , anyway. I n a t u r a lly en ter ed in t o no con tr over sy whatsoever w ith Dr . F is h e r , m aking my c a l l a s c a s u a l as p o s s ib le , t a lk in g ve r y l i t t l e , and le t t in g him vo lu n t e e r whatever in for m a tion he w ould. Due t o t h e s e r io u s co n d it io n o f Hankey I made no a t t e m p t to co n t a ct him or members o f h is fa m ily . T ^ u m i t a l l u p , our one in fo r m a n t , Mr . K e lle r , fe e ls s u r e t h a t ^ H | V does n ot have le a d p o is o n in g . Our o t h e r in for m an t, Dr . F is h e r , is o f the op in ion th at i t i s le a d p o is o n in g. Ju d gin g fr om the in fo r m a t io n r e ce iv e d fr om both o f th em , t h e o t h e r d o cto r (or d octor s) t h a t have been on the case p r obably d is a gr e e w ith Dr . Fis h e r 's d ia gn o s is . I have co n sid e r e d go in g t o th e La Po r t e h o s p it a l t o se e k more in fo r m a t io n on t h e ca s e b u t have d e cid e d t h a t I m igh t be goin g too fa r in so d o in g. Hoping t h a t a t le a s t sane of the fo r e go in g in fo r m a tio n my be cf some u s e , I am ~ You r s v e r y t r u l y , B. R. Jo n e s .