| Notes |
- LKH note:
Porter is in the 1900 census in Crawford, Breathitt County, Kentucky. He is listed as Porter Moore, age 8, step-son of Robert Moore. His tombstone shows his name as Porter Chambers.
[3]
- The first death at the hospital in some months occurred Monday, when Porter Chambers, of Athol, Breathitt County, died there from cerebro-spinal meningitis, or spotted fever. Brain troubles have been common in his family. His brother died of the same disease back home, and his father has had trouble. Besides, he got a bad blow on the head a few years ago, and that may have helped bring on the disease. His mother was down, and took the body home with her.
The Citizen, Berea, Kentucky. Thursday, 30 January 1908, page 3.
[4, 5]
- Spotted Fever at Berea.
Three Deaths Have Occurred From Terrible Disease And Serum Is Sent From New York.
Patients Isolated By The Physician In Charge, Who Announces That Disease Is Not Contagious.
About 100 Students Have Left Institution, But the Hundreds Remaining Assert Intention of Staying Unless New Cases Break Out 0 Dr. Flexner Rushes His New Discovery From Rockefeller Institute, But It Arrives Too Lake To Save Young Victim. All Dead Were Students – College Will Not be Closed.
Spotted fever, or spinal meningitis, has broken out at Berea College, and so far three deaths among the students have occurred there during the past two weeks.
The dead are Porter Chambers, 16; Effie Hendricks, 18; and Floyd Robertson, 15, the latter a son of Postmaster Elisha Robertson, of Berea, who died Thursday and was buried Friday.
From the fact that Attorney H.C. Hazelwood, of Lexington, has a nephew attending school there and there are other Lexingtonians and friends there, the epidemic has assumed a local interest. Attorney Hazelwood returned from Berea early Friday morning and confirmed the report that there has been three deaths among the students of the college, but that he heard of no new cases being reported. He stated that there was talk Friday of quarantining the town and college when he was there, but did not know whether any action had been taken to that effect or not, it being thought unwise by many of the citizens for feat it would injure the college which has over 1,000 students enrolled.
Since the above was written, a telephone message was received by the LEADER from Stanley Frost, son of President W.G. Front of Berea College, who stated that the recently discovered serum sent by Dr. Simon Flexner, of Rockefeller Institute, New York, to check the ravages of the disease arrived Saturday morning by express and the college physician, Dr. Crowley, and the local health authorities now felt able to cope with the situation, should any new cases develop. The serum was recently discovered by Dr. Flexner, president of the Rockefeller Institute and is believed to be a specific for this form of disease.
The suddenness and fatality with which the disease attacked its vistims greatly alarmed the citizens of Berea. The three cases that developed were at once isolated, but the patients died within about twenty-four hours. Notwithstanding the suddenness and fatality of the malady, no new cases have developed so far.
The health authorities say that it is not contagious like small lox, or whooping cough, and are at a loss to explain its origin in the town.
[the article continues as length about students staying at the college, and about how Dr. Crowley remembered reading a monograph describing the serum, contacted the Rockefeller Institute and got some sent to Berea.]
Lexington Herald-Leader, Lexington, Kentucky. Saturday, 15 Febrary 1908, page 1.
[4]
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1891 - 1908 (16 years)
[1, 2] 
: Address
: Location
: City/Town
: County/Shire
: State/Province
: Country
: Not Set