The Opelousas patriot. [volume] (Opelousas, Parish of St. Landry, La.) 1855-1863, 1855-09-01
For the Opelousas Patriot.
Yellow Fever.

Messrs. Ed'tors-As there are increasing indica-
lions IN the community of an apprehension, not alto.
gether untounded, Of another visitation of Yellow
feVer, take the liberty of offering a few observations,
through the medium of your columns, which I hope
Will prove not altogether improbable. And here I
would remark at the outset, that if, instead of re-en.
actng the farce of last year in attempting to keepup
quarantine between Opelousas and Washington. the
Two places would unite in all their efforts and estab.
llsl an efficient quarantine between the two places
and NewOrleans, they might reasonably calculate
on etiecting some thing in that way. But while | an
prove of the adoption of such precautionary measures
as may be necessary to prevent the introduction of
the disease from NewOrleans or other infected local
ny, L would, at the same time, warn the citizens
against the fatal delusion that such is the only source
OF danger; for although there is not the slightest
doubt IN my mind of the original importation of the
cause.-the materies morbi,-of the yellow fever.
There Is just as little doubt of its reproduction from
the germs of the last season, if the circumstances are
favorable to its development.
believe, SO far as l can gather from the contra
dictory opinions of medical writers, that the yellow
FEVER is generally admitted to be an infectious. Init
not a contagious disease. This is, however. often n
distinction without a difference. The term c~ontae;on
Is usually applied to the property which secretions,
OF emanations from q diseased person have of i'm.
parting the same affection to another person exposed
10 contact with the body or to the respiration of the
ar surrounding it. Infection on the other hand com.
prses all those cases of disease produced by a gen
erai lhnuehce pervading the atmosphere, but not
proceeding dlrectly from a diseased subject, This
general influence, however, may have been produced
by what under ordinary circumstances would be a
source OF contagion. Thus the germ introduced nv
the medium Of o trunk or box containing articles
from an infected locality, into a confined or yitiated
atmosphere, may produce such a change in the Gle.
ments OF that atmosphere, as to give rise to an in.
lection having the power of affecting those who are
not, or have not been in contact with the diseased.
This then is the mode in which an endemic takes e.
start in a place, and receives a sudden increase in
ainusive power and becomes apparently a well
marked contagion.
Such views of the origin of this disease are impor
tant, not only as means Of reconciing the discre.
pancy OF conflicting statements, but as furnishing an
OF isolating cases of yellow fever and pre-.
venting a local from becoming a general diseaee.
With this view it is evident that the indication is |
not only to isolate, as far as possible, all cases affected
with the disease, but to remove from the air the
vltiated portion which is SO to speak, the pabulum-
the nou'1shment by which the disease is fed and
grows IN strength and extent of grasp. To divest
the air of its poison therefore is equivalent to destroy.
ing the disease, and to effect this it is necessary that
Its constituents should be acted upon by chemical
agents, SO that by Transformation into new com.
pounds, it may be rendered innoxious. The agents
for this purpose are termed disinfectant,.
out as all have not the same influence over the fer.