Medical Care at School

Richard Henry Pratt forwards special estimate for medical supplies in addition to a letter from the physician of the Carlisle Indian School, Obadiah Given, describing the necessity of the supplies.

Richard Henry Pratt reports on the death of Gertrude Spotted Tail while living in Andalusia, Pennsylvania with a Carlisle Indian School teacher during the summer. Pratt also notes the health and death differences between the Rosebud and Pine Ridge Agency students.

Pratt concludes with a request for authority to pay for the expense of…

Obadiah G. Given, the school physician of the Carlisle Indian School, reports on the health and treatment of William Butcher. Given states that Butcher has a localized scrofula infection that is best treated at the school. Richard Henry Pratt further states that Butcher is still active in both his duties in the Printing Office as well as…

Richard Henry Pratt requests to be sent two crusts vaccine viruses in order to vaccinate new students.

Richard Henry Pratt responds to a letter from Lucius Q. C. Lamar, Secretary of the Interior, with information about two Nez Perce students, Luke Phillips and Samuel Johns, who became ill during their second term of enrollment. Pratt notes that he believes in many cases it is better to retain students at Carlisle then send them home where he…

Richard Henry Pratt requests authority to purchase $150 dollars worth of postage stamps and another $150 in the open market for canned goods, fruit, crackers, etc. for the special diet of hospital patients.

Richard Henry Pratt requests that three crates of smallpox vaccine be sent to the Carlisle Indian School. Twenty-two pupils from the Laguna village are set to arrive at Carlisle shortly, and Pratt notes that his agents who were recruiting in New Mexico found that in six of the seven villages there were smallpox outbreaks, including at Acoma…

Richard Henry Pratt requests authority to purchase various furniture to replace old furniture in the teachers' quarters as well as hospital furniture and a new feed mill for the school farm.

Richard Henry Pratt requests permission to purchase a test set of lenses due to an increase in poor eyesight among students resulting from Grippe. Pratt notes that after a trial of the lens test kit over several weeks he is now satisfied that it is successful and will ultimately save students money on glasses.

Notice that the commencement exercises for the 1891 graduating class will be postponed until June due to an outbreak of measles on the campus. Richard Henry Pratt predicates that with the 16 cases among students and six cases among children of employees that it will take six months to overcome and likely afflict hundreds of students. As a…

Richard Henry Pratt replies to an Office of Indian Affairs letter regarding requests for the return home of James Wolf. Pratt notes that due to Wolf's having only one functioning eye he should remain at Carlisle for his full term in order to take full advantage of his education. Pratt includes letters sent to the Agency and Wolf while on outing…

Richard Henry Pratt cites the epidemic of measles and following pneumonia that caused the hospital to become overcrowded. Included in the correspondence is plans to add an additional wing to the present hospital for $1,000 in material and labor.

C. R. Dixon, Carlisle Indian School Physician, requests additional information from the Commissioner of Indian Affairs on a request he made for Dixon and Alice Seabrook to write up a report on the care of the sick. Dixon inquires about the parameters of the report and what format it will eventually appear.

Richard Henry Pratt forwards comments made by the school's doctor, C. R. Dixon, to an article on the treatment of the eyes of Indian pupils. Dixon comments that a number of the treatments recommended while sound should only be used by trained physicians. As a result he provides a few corrections for untrained nurses.

Richard Henry Pratt provides an update on the health of students for the first half of the year to the Office of Indian Affairs. He notes that there has only been one death during the school year and there have been very few serious illnesses. Pratt notes this is likely due to the improved sanitary conditions through less crowding and better…

Charles H. Thompson forwards an inspection report of the Carlisle Indian School on March 2, 1892. Thompson's report examines a wide range of topics related to the school including the buildings, health of students, food, student's social lives, industrial training, outings, and academic training.

Thompson also includes a number of…

Richard Henry Pratt responds to H. D. McAnaney, Acting U.S. Indian Agent for the Fort Belknap Agency, regarding students from the Agency at Carlisle. Pratt takes issue with the statistics used by McAnaney to determine the death rate of students at Carlisle and further takes issue with the idea that the students suffered from pneumonia at…

Richard H. Pratt submits an Estimate for Additional Medical Supplies for the current fiscal year of 1894. The form includes the items being requested, the quantity, the estimated cost.  Pratt, also advises the Commissioner of Indian Affairs that the medical supplies are needed at once. An explanatory cover letter is included. 

Richard Henry Pratt forwards physician Carlos Montezuma's request for a 60-day annual leave of absence to attend a post-graduate school of medicine. In an explanatory letter, Montezuma advises Pratt that attending post-graduate school will benefit the Carlisle Indian School students.

Richard Henry Pratt requests authority to purchase a Beck microscope in order to better detect tuberculosis among students.

Richard Henry Pratt forwards a request to transfer from school physician Z. T. Daniel. Pratt further notes that as he is unable to find his physician he recommends Edmund Barry.

Richard Henry Pratt informs the Office of Indian Affairs that he will ask for an attending physician from the town of Carlisle, Pennsylvania for the ensuing year.

Richard Henry Pratt responds to an Office of Indian Affairs by informing them that the Carlisle Indian School is not suffering for not having a physician on staff. Pratt further states that he will submit his plans in the future.

Richard Henry Pratt requests permission from the Office of Indian Affairs to enter into an arrangement with local Carlisle, Pennsylvania doctors to treat students.

Richard Henry Pratt requests the Office of Indian Affairs increase the expenditure for services of an attending physician to $600.