The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-05-02
QUARANTINE CONVENTION

Interesting Debate on the Contagion of YeUo,v Fever
The Convention reassembled at the College of
Physicians and Surgeons, (Twenty- third street.
corner OF FCurth-avenue,) at 10 A. NJ of FRIDAY
The President announced two delegates from Can
ada as present, Drs 0ttae and Moran.
The resolution of DR.. Alexander II. Stevens was
the first thing in order:
Resolued, That in the abs nee of any evidence es-
tablishng the conclusion that yellow fever has ever
been conveyed from person to another, it is the
opinion OF this Convention that the personal Quar-
antine of yellow fever cases may be safely abolished
DR.. Stevens briefly defended the grounds of his
proposition.
DR.. Bell (of Brooklyn) supported, by arguments
drawn from his own experience, the proposition
that yellow fever is never contagious He had been
Intimate with the disease in Vera Cruz-had him
sell suffered 1t. lie had it on the Coast of At
rlca, and he was satisfied that it was not con-
tagious disease. When speaking yesterday of the
bad conduct OF Quarantine here, he referred in no
manner to persons. 1t should be as carefully main
tanned concerning the sick as the WELL 1t was GER
tainly wrong to surround those sick with yellow
fever with the causes of yellow fever in the shape
OF injected vessels clothes and so forth. WHY did
not the yellow fever spread at the burning of Sta
ten Island hospitals, if persons communicate it
from one to another
Lieut.. viee hoped the medical members would
not compel laymen to vote upon proposition on
which doctors disagreed. He had been in yellow
fever, had had it, had slept with those sick with it,
tie hao his own opinion oft, but his vote would
weigh nothing with the medical part of the Con-
vention. He moved to commit the resolution to a
select committee, to report to the next Convention
Dr. Jetries (of Boston, said there would be no
disagreement among doctors on this point 1t was
as generally believed that there was no personal
contagiOn about it as that men shake with fever
and ague.
DR.. Francis (being announced with great ap-
plause) knew that this an audience well armed
with opinions and experience, and he felt deli
cacy IN addressing it. He had been devoted stu
dent OF the behavior of fevers, now just fifty years
He had been in every yellow-fever epidemic that
had visited this city since 1901; he had read to
speak modestly and safely, three hundred volumes
on the subject. 1t was great, prolific subject As
New York was the first to establish quarantine on
what looked to proper basis, he was sure she
would not be the first to abandon it. The Doctor
rldculed the doctrine of untarianism in fevers.
feiloY fever was a specific disease, and evety
case of it in New York could be distinct
ly traced to importation. DR.. Rush, with
all his great powers, advocated the the
ory of the production of yellow fever from
cesspools, ponds, sinks, rotten timber, and all
that. That great man was never led into a greater
deluslon. The theory of new-made ground was one
OF the errors bred in this city. But the fact that
"the Collect" into which for twenty years all the
oal OF the city was being deposited, never origina-
TED case OF yellow fever satisfactorily disposed of
this theory. No, Sir said he, yellow fever never
was engendered from decaying animal matter,-it
is specific disease and requires specific treatment
III you treat 1t as you do bilious fever you will be
Ptctty CONSTANTLY employed IN funeral exercises
lie held IN great veneration DR.. Bae, who first de-
ylsed quarantine establishment for New-York.
Dr. Ballle saw IN 1875, two of his own associates
die from the epidemic He warmed to the subject
and wished to talk it over with DR.. Miller Miller
sad "Baie, believe the pestence is broupht tn
us in the holds of ships" Bailie cogitated the sup
gestion, and concluded it was true But the ippo-
rant doctors, and the doctors educated in Edin-
burgh fought the theory, ridiculed it, carricatured
it, and strenuousy Y opposed the proposed Ouaran-
tine. But 1t carried. IL has ns s
money, but all the expense of all our Quarantines
was reimbursed by the immunity it afforded us from
the plague in 1856 alone. Our city, Sir, is one
highly blest of Heaven-no city more so. De
Vries, in 1880, described our location as a para
disc. All the early writer's assented to this
truth. Heaven blessed with a climate in
which yellow fever could not be originated.
And all our terrible excess of mortality is due
to our rascality, to our miserable politicians to
the wretched creatures that govern u.s. to the
fell Democracy and .Iacobinism to which we have
surrendered Our mission to cleanse and purify our
city, not to demolish quarantine. By patient in
guiry we may lessen the oppression of quarantine
Its management has been pretty bad, certainly; a
great deal of political fraud has been perpetrated
under its cover. He had read treatises hundred
pages long, written by gentlemen upon diseases of
whlcn whlcn they mad never seen case-salving their
consciences with the philosophical reflection that
there is good deal of analogcal reasoning in our
profession" In 1892 where did we find the sturdy
non -contagionists? Why, they stood afar off
looking at their patients, shaking enough to
rattle off their knee-pans-not daring to touch thnm
with bean pole. But when it was all over tbav
were bold as lions, reasserting that cOntarion was
all nonsense. DO not talk of abOlishng Quarantine
to crafty commerce. know the mercantile char
acter of New ork, and know it will supnort all
Quarantines. Abolish it. and Won Iav
waste our city, and the poor will have no retreat
Shall discard mathematics because cannot com
prehend the quadrature Of the circle? Shall turn
inbdei because some professed Christians are hyp-
10 III
ldence because there snakes in the grass? DR.
Francis again referred to the time when one scarce
ly died of yellow fever before he was plunged into
the cotin-when he himself Law sick of velow fa
ver and his coffin stood in the corner of his room
waiting Tor him. He urged gentlemen to do moth
ing hastily. He would have them walk in the Jipbt
of the great authors and physicians who have pre-
ceded us. We were too apt to adopt mountebanI
theories-to make ourselves the laughing stock of
Europe In her wisdom. He hoped Lieut. Viele's
motion would prevail.
Or. Alex ii: Stevens was sorry that little more
oi ms eloquent friends remarks were not pertinent
10 the subject. He was old enough to be very
skeptlcal of what he had not himself seen. He
hoped prudent men would rely more on their own
observations than upon the rigmarole stories of
men VINO lived IN the past and were too much
ohnded TO look at things as they were He had
been through four five yellow fever epidem;cs
he had seen no case where personal communica-
tion had conveyed the disease. He called upon
DR.. Francis or any other man present to put his |
HSSl pH SuCu case WITHIN his ObSprV3- |
ton And if no such case could be produced WHY |
not now announce the sentiment of the Convention?
Why not give the boon to the public of relief
from one OF the grievous burdens of Quarantine?
y gentleman present stated that he had seen
over and over again people exposed to yellow fever
patients, and never knew one to take the disease
from the person alone.
DR.. Francis said everybody admitted that small |
oox was contagious. But when the old Jersey
Drison-ship lay in the Wallabout full of smalpox-
he had the fact from Philip Freneau, who was one
1t the prisoners-ninety-fou persons who had |
neither had smallpox, nor been insulated were |
thrust on board and of them all only forty took the
uSease-So caprlclous is the nature of infection!
DIR. Bell moved to amend DR.. Stevens resolution |
Dy adding, "Provided that fomites of every kind |
1e. rigidly restricted" DR.. Stevens accepted
his.
Dr. Sterling (late of the Marine HospitaD stated
nat 1t was not the persons, but the Clothes of the
yellow fever sick that carried disease from point to
'oint where the atmosphere was not charged |
With it.
Mayor Rodman, of Providence wished to know if |
IN injected vessel should come to Providence, and
ne should on the authority of this Convention |
permit the sick and the exposed to land at once |
whether he would be by this Convention held |
,lameless, fso the pestience should be let loose on
he city.
DIR. Moran believed in the resolution.
DR.. La Roche, of PHILADELPHIA had long ago
published his sentiments-had written himself drv |
IN the subject of contagon and non contagion He |
'nly wished to correct an impression conveyed by |
me OF the speakers-the case of the bark Mandarin
urnsned no argument for the personal communica-
ion of yellow fever. He was for the resolution
DR.. Storer, of Boston, said this was not Medi- |
al Convention. Was it courteous to press this |
esoutlon upon laymen who confessed and professed
hat they were not prepared to vote? Give them |
% committee, and give them ten years to arrive |
1t conclusion, if they wanted it. He was as
strong non-cOntagionist as lived, but he thought
It premature for this body to announce the doctrine
DR.. Wood (of Philadelphia) was sure that Quar-
lntine, as conducted, was doing great personal
injury to those coming from infected districts in
keeping them so long surrounded by the fomites of
yellow fever, in Quarantined vessels and in hospi-
tas 1t injured the port to which they comet in
ured commerce. He believed there was no such
hing as personal communicability of yellow fe.
YER Belieying this, the medical profession should
DO its duty and announce its belief. healthy per-
son. as readily as sick one, would convey the fo-
mites the danger of infection was not in the per-
son. but in his clothes and baggage. He never
knew case that looked like the communication of
the disease by persons to each other; he believed
yellow fever to be specific disease but no more
personally than bilious fever
DR.. Harris thought immediate action should |
be taken, and offered substitute involving some
theory; for that reason it objected to by DIR.
Stevens, and finally declared out of order by the
DR.. Gilman, of Baltimore and Gen. Mather
wanted to vote for the resolution. Mr. Bakeney
IF philadelphia, was ready to 90 it hat-footed when
such doctors as LaRoche and Wood went in for it |
ready to vote it. right or wrong. Philadelphia
lad some doctors were doctors. When they so
lnequivocally pronounced the resolution right, he
vas with them.
DR.. Snow, of Providence, said he never detained
PERSONS, however infected. He only quarantined
he fonlites