dealt with furs and hides as well as woven rugs, " Jack said with academic satisfaction. The mystery was rapidly being resolved.
"That's correct, " Helen said.
Jack's eyes dropped to the open textbook in front of him. Right in the middle of the anthrax section it described how the animal form of anthrax was a problem in a number of countries, including Turkey, and that animal products, particularly goat's hair, could be contaminated with the spores.
"Did he deal with goatskins? " Jack asked.
"Yes, of course, " Helen said. "Sheepskins and goatskins were a large part of his business."
"Well, I think we've solved the mystery, " Jack said. He explained the association to Helen.
"That's ironic, " Helen said without a hint of rancor. "Those rugs have provided us with a comfortable life, including sending our only daughter to an Ivy League college."
"Did Mr. Papparis get any recent shipments? " Jack asked.
"About a month ago."
"Are any of those rugs in your home? "
"No, " Helen said. "Jason felt it was enough to deal with them during the day. He refused to have any of them around the house."
"Under the circumstances that was a smart decision, " Jack said.
"Where are these rugs? Have many been sold? " Helen explained that the rugs had gone into a warehouse in Queens, and she doubted many had been sold. She explained to Jack that Jason's business was wholesale and that shipments came in months before they were needed. She also said there no employees at the warehouse or at the office.
"Sounds like a one-man operation, " Jack said.
"Very much so, " Helen said.
Jack thanked her profusely and reiterated his sympathies. Then he suggested that she contact her doctor about possible prophylactic antibiotics even though he explained that she was probably not at risk since person-to-person spread did not occur and she hadn't been exposed to the hides. Finally he told her she'd probably be hearing from other Department of Health professionals. She thanked him for the call, and they disconnected.
Jack swung around to face Chet, who couldn't have helped but overhear the conversation.
"Sounds like you solved that one pretty quickly, " Chet said. "At least now you don't have to put your life at risk by going out there in the field."
"I'm disappointed, " Jack said with a sigh.
"What can you possibly be disappointed about? " Chet asked with exasperated disbelief. "You've made a brilliant and rapid diagnosis and you've even solved what could have been a difficult epidemiological enigma."
"That's the problem, " Jack said dispiritedly. "It was too easy, too pat. With my last exotic disease it was a real mystery. I like challenges."
"I don't know what you're complaining about, " Chet said. "I wish some of my cases would have such nice tidy endings." Jack grabbed his open textbook of medicine and stuck it under Chet's nose. He pointed to a specific paragraph and told his officemate to read it. Chet did as he was told. When he was finished, he looked up.
"Now that was an epidemiological challenge, " Jack said. "Can you imagine? A slew of inhalation anthrax cases from spores leaking out of a bio-weapons factory! What a disaster! "
"Where's Sverdlovsk? " Chet asked.
"How should I know? " Jack commented. "Obviously someplace in the former Soviet Union."
"I'd never heard about that 1979 incident, " Chet said. He reread the paragraph. "What a joke! The Russians tried to pass it off as exposure to contaminated meat."
"From a forensic point of view, it would have been a fascinating case, " Jack said.
"Certainly a lot more provocative than picking up a case in a rug salesman." ..
Jack got to his feet. After appearing so animated earlier, he now looked depressed.
"Where are you going? " Chet asked.
"Down to see Calvin, " Jack said. "He told me that if my case turned out to be anthrax he wanted to know right away."
"Cheer up! " Chet urged. "You look like death warmed over." Jack tried to smile. He walked down to the elevator and pushed
"That's correct, " Helen said.
Jack's eyes dropped to the open textbook in front of him. Right in the middle of the anthrax section it described how the animal form of anthrax was a problem in a number of countries, including Turkey, and that animal products, particularly goat's hair, could be contaminated with the spores.
"Did he deal with goatskins? " Jack asked.
"Yes, of course, " Helen said. "Sheepskins and goatskins were a large part of his business."
"Well, I think we've solved the mystery, " Jack said. He explained the association to Helen.
"That's ironic, " Helen said without a hint of rancor. "Those rugs have provided us with a comfortable life, including sending our only daughter to an Ivy League college."
"Did Mr. Papparis get any recent shipments? " Jack asked.
"About a month ago."
"Are any of those rugs in your home? "
"No, " Helen said. "Jason felt it was enough to deal with them during the day. He refused to have any of them around the house."
"Under the circumstances that was a smart decision, " Jack said.
"Where are these rugs? Have many been sold? " Helen explained that the rugs had gone into a warehouse in Queens, and she doubted many had been sold. She explained to Jack that Jason's business was wholesale and that shipments came in months before they were needed. She also said there no employees at the warehouse or at the office.
"Sounds like a one-man operation, " Jack said.
"Very much so, " Helen said.
Jack thanked her profusely and reiterated his sympathies. Then he suggested that she contact her doctor about possible prophylactic antibiotics even though he explained that she was probably not at risk since person-to-person spread did not occur and she hadn't been exposed to the hides. Finally he told her she'd probably be hearing from other Department of Health professionals. She thanked him for the call, and they disconnected.
Jack swung around to face Chet, who couldn't have helped but overhear the conversation.
"Sounds like you solved that one pretty quickly, " Chet said. "At least now you don't have to put your life at risk by going out there in the field."
"I'm disappointed, " Jack said with a sigh.
"What can you possibly be disappointed about? " Chet asked with exasperated disbelief. "You've made a brilliant and rapid diagnosis and you've even solved what could have been a difficult epidemiological enigma."
"That's the problem, " Jack said dispiritedly. "It was too easy, too pat. With my last exotic disease it was a real mystery. I like challenges."
"I don't know what you're complaining about, " Chet said. "I wish some of my cases would have such nice tidy endings." Jack grabbed his open textbook of medicine and stuck it under Chet's nose. He pointed to a specific paragraph and told his officemate to read it. Chet did as he was told. When he was finished, he looked up.
"Now that was an epidemiological challenge, " Jack said. "Can you imagine? A slew of inhalation anthrax cases from spores leaking out of a bio-weapons factory! What a disaster! "
"Where's Sverdlovsk? " Chet asked.
"How should I know? " Jack commented. "Obviously someplace in the former Soviet Union."
"I'd never heard about that 1979 incident, " Chet said. He reread the paragraph. "What a joke! The Russians tried to pass it off as exposure to contaminated meat."
"From a forensic point of view, it would have been a fascinating case, " Jack said.
"Certainly a lot more provocative than picking up a case in a rug salesman." ..
Jack got to his feet. After appearing so animated earlier, he now looked depressed.
"Where are you going? " Chet asked.
"Down to see Calvin, " Jack said. "He told me that if my case turned out to be anthrax he wanted to know right away."
"Cheer up! " Chet urged. "You look like death warmed over." Jack tried to smile. He walked down to the elevator and pushed
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