The North-Carolinian., 1855-09-08
pr. Noft's Theory OF Yellow Fever.

Dir. Noft's Theory Of Yellow Fever.
The National InteIigencer says: We have been
favored by a valued subscriber to our journal
with the subioined letter from j. c. Mott,
NJ. D., a distinguished physician OF Mobile,
comprehendng theory of Yellow Fever which
possesses much interest at the present time:
MOBILE August 49, 1855.
You enclose me scrap from a newspaper
in which. allnsiou is made to my prediction re-
specting the yellow fever which has been travel
ling along the seacoast for several years, and
also to my ideas -iss treat,nent, &c. y ow
s tsS sss ss,;ss ss
JaSil 1ss ID [1sce 81 arif,tee
for some opinions which have never uttered
!! As yon seem TO feel an interest in my Y iews on
this subject, will most cheerfuly give you an
outline of them
1st. It's Origin-Whether this epidemic
was really imported from Africa or not, is Il
point which cannot he settled from any data
yet made public and / shall not offer you any
speculations on it. One fact however. is GER
tain: that this disease has travelled steadily Oh,
since Its first appearance in Rio Jancrlo live
years ago, along the Caribbean Gulf and At
lantic coast, until it has at last reached Nor
folk. No omortal of our day is endowed with a
spirit OF prophecy; but still often from
the lights of history and observation, predict
with toerablc certainty coming events; and it
was on such data that venturcd to foretell
that yellow fever would go as far as Norfolk
which is about the boundary of the yellow fever
latitude, and also suggested the strong proba-
bity that it would visit our northern cities
where 1t does occur at long intervals Now,
the grounds upon which / made these predc-
ton were as follows: Yellow fever has, at long
Intervals, not only in the Mediterranean, along
the Spanish and French coasts, but in the Uni
ted States, (about fifty years ago) taken on
\ hOn fhn
alluded to, yellow fever extended from South
crn ports to Norfolk, and thence to Winchester
IN the interior; to Philadelphia to New York
and thence to Catskil, the North River
and to Hartford and Mddletown. The cpl
demic in question had steadily progressed for
years, from Rio to Mobile and on to Key w est :;
and with all these facts before me, l did not
hazard much in predicting that its progress was
onward i'll the direction it had been travelling.
Type If the Diseasc.--Few men in the United
States have seen more of yellow fever than
have; and | have no hesitation in sa wing that
this is substantially the same disease the
yellow fever which occurred IN Phadelp in
1893, and which has appeared from time to
time since 1t is the fact with typhoid fever,
cholera, plague, scarlet fever small pox and
aH cI'fociic diseases, that they appear in diff
fercnt grades of violence at different times aud
occasionally have greater tendency to travel
over large extent of country. This has been
the case with the yellow fever in question:; but
its mode OF attack, its course of symptoms, in
cluding yellow skin and black vomit its aver
age DURATION &C. are the same other yellow
fevers; and, though it may have been somewhat
more virulent, it is still the same disease.
Comtogiousncss.-This is knotty point and
| have not space to do more than express
my conclusions. Under the term contagion
are eSpounded two distinct questions viz: con-
tagiousness proper, or the communication di-
rectly of yellow fever from one human snhicct
to another; and, secondly, the portability of
the cause or germ by vessels from port to
another. Although my mind leans at present
towards a belief in the contag gionsness of this
disease in certain instances, | still doubt, and
my Judgment is in suspense; but with regard
to its portability by vessels from place to place.
and by railroads, ! do not see how any human
being familiar with its history can doubt, and
/ should advise our Northern friends to quaran-
tine rlgidly against it. The disease has gone
to every point within certain distance of the
Gulf, which was frequented by steamboats, and
railroad cars, and l believe would have entered
New Y York in 1858 had it not been stopped at
the quarantine
Zfeatment.-This is too complicated point
| to touch i'll letter; but must correct the er-
ror which you quote from the newspapers as
attributed to me, viz: ''He told our physicians
not to treat it with medicine. Drugs were
tried, and every patient treated with them
died He advised water alone, internally and
externally" Now, sir, such language never
used by me. 1t is nevertheless perfectly true
that yellow fever, it at the South, is
a disease of low action, which docs not bear
active medication. bleeding and active purya-
ton cnetcs than useless and
more good is effected by good nursing aud con-
stant attention to varying symptoms than by
violent remedies. Cold drinks, as ice-water
lemonade, and also cold sponying in the hot
stage, are all very refreshing and proper; but
cold water has no specific virtue i'll controlling
this herculean tlisease. 1t is remarkable fact
that after of these great epidcmics it is
hard to find doctor who has lost any patients
and yet about twenty per cent. of those attack
cd have been numbered with the dead Epi-
denies are great sconrSes sent hy the Almighty;
and not only are we without remedies against
them, but in the face Of the most opposite
plans of treatment the per centage of deaths
continues about the same at all times and in
all places. The discovery of vaccination alone
has been heralded triumph. and ! see that
Il distinguished physician in Europe has just
published book to prove that vaccination is
a great curse, which leaves i'll its train CON
sumption and scrofua
Very respectfully and truly, your friend
j. c. MOTT, NJ. D.
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