New-York daily tribune., 1858-09-08
Remaining Sept. ..
YELLOW FEVER-IS IT CONTAGIOUS1


SIR: In The TRIBUNE of Wednesday last A Citi-
zen holds before your readers the bold declaration
Of Dr. Rockwell that "yellow fever is not contagious
Not feeling himself competent to discuss this grave
question with the doctor he hopes that IT will receive
its due attention from professional men, And certainly
grave question is, especially in the face of the late
events on Staten Island and of the sad ravages of the
pestilence in New-Orleans. Far from considering my
self the qualified pen called for by your "Ctzen
merely beg leave to bring few facts from my own
experience, which may be of some value "a material
for further discussion During the Summer of 1850,
there were in the Quarantine Hospital about fifty
of yellow fever, of which twenty-three ended
fataly-a proof that the disease Of the most ma
lignant character. These yellow-fever patients Of
whom there generally ten to twelve at once in
the Hospital who were all brought there from infected
vessels, had separate ward for themselves, but
were placed ndiscrimnatey among the other patients,
their beds being only from two 80 three feet apart
vet mol single occurred among these other
patients, although fear and anxiety might have in
creased their predsposton. The nurses, who, with
self-sacrcing zeal, attended the sick aud dying
mained likewise free from any attack Ny friend, DR..
Walser and myself visited the yelOw-fever patients
at all hours of the day night stood by their bedside
watching the symptoms and the progress of the mai
ady, examined their cvacuations; made beside this,
twenty-threc pOs-nOftCm examinations. shut up some
times for hours in the small dissecng-room with two
three of the dead and nhalng constantly the efu-
via from their bodies yet both of us, although We
had had the disease, enjoyed perfect health to
the last
Toward the end of July in 1856 the Health Officer,
DIR. Thompson, ordered two vessels infected with
yellow fever to be anchored Immediately below Fort
Hamilton, not quarter of mile from the shore. A
fresh breeze from the south and southwest con
stantly blowing from the ships to the shore. The
atmosphere was filed with moisture, close and hot;
and hardly week elapsed before the fever broke ont
simultaneously in several places along the Shore from
the Fort 70 Bay Ridge. II is unnecessary 10 give
here the history of that epidemic; those who want
information will find il the excellent report published
in 1857 by DR.. Harris and DIR. Walser of the Marine
Hospital. Suffice il to say, that the disease was from
the first moment Epidemic and that II did not cease 10
carry off It's victims until the first frost eradicated 1t
more suddenly even than it had appeared. As ply
-ican of the Yellow-Fever Hospital erected by the
r. II. Relief Society, had ample opportunity OF
watching the nature OF the disease and consider
especially the following two facts rs nOtewOrty with
regard to the pending question, viz. The pestlence
did not spread more than about oue-elghth OF mile
from the shore into the interior; and secondly, all
those which occurred outside the affected Dis
ric traced their origin in each case distinctly To
longer shorter visit Ia the infected shore, and re-
NAMED isolated cases without carrying the disease To
their neghbors. OF the comparatively small number
of of this latter kind will mention only those
of Drs. Dubois and Crane OF New-ltrecht a. the
most illustrative. New-Utrecht not within the
infected district; but both doctors attended families
living the shore of Bay Ridge, suffering with
yellow fever Both were infected there al the same
time came home sick and died. both during the same
week. Their sick rooms were constantly visited by
their friends, and numberess physicians from the
neighborhood and from Brooklyn; nurses watched
with them day and night. l slept myself with DIR.
Crane in the ROOM 10 be near at hand, but none
Of the visitors, attendants took the disease.
In short have not seen single ease during the two
months Of my attendance there in which the disease
had been communicated by contact with patients ont
side the infected district. Those cases in Brooklyn,
which broke ont spontaneously occurred in the neigh
hood 0 that part Of the shore where cargoes Of sugar
and hides from infected vessels had been landed.
sons, but materials capable OF absorbing the atmos-
phere by which they had been surrounded for weeks
months They formed, in fact, portion of the smos
phere Of the infected vessel from which they came and
planted the epidemic. SUCH the shores of Brook
lyn, in similar manner done by the south
wind at Fort Hamilton Wherever, in the interior Of
Brooklyn and New-lork, eases of yellow fever
CURED, whether they derived their origin from the
Brooklyn shore or from Fort Hamilton, they remained
sporadic, died or recovered without injecting their
neighboIhood.
To be brief, viii eondense the information drawn
from the above facts into the following points. viz:
|. Yellow fever is Il missma,ic disease of tropical
origin. It's communication is effected by the inhaliug
Of or coming in contact with peculiar poison floating
in the atmosphere Of the Infected place
=. This poison, whatever il may be, il invariably
DESTROYED by temperature below the freezing point.
1t seems therefore to be an organic substance either
animal or vegetable.
g. The necessary condition for its generation and
production are heat moisture, and the vicinity Of salt
water.
L. Away from these conditions the yellow fever poi
son is not reproduced by single patients that of small
poX Of scarlet fever at least not in sufficient guam
tity quality to infect those coming in personal con-
tact with such patients to poison the atmosphere
around them. 1t is, therefore, strictly speaking, not
contagious.
The infected atmosphere Of tropical region pene
trates all vessels within its reach; it mparts itself
there to any material capable through its structure to
absorb it, such as cotton, sugar, hides bedding &C..
and can thus be carried shipboard TO any region
al e.
its reception.
g. Sanitary measures for the protection Of sesports