The daily clarion. [volume] (Meridian, Miss.) 1863-1866, 1866-02-11

DIR. Fenner at the School of Medicine. The
following extract will be found interesting
| Yellow fever had made its appearance
among the medical profession about two
| hundred years ago. 1t was remarkable
| fact that there was no account of the dis
ease previous to the discovery of America.
| The disease eminently belonged to America.
Though medical writers had traced it to
Siam and the coast of Africa, there was OPP
| position to this theory of its origin, since it
was sdiseaSe not heard of before the first
voyages of the discoveries. Extraordinary
instances of its geographical history were
known. 1t had appeared jim Chester Pa, in
| Winchester Va, and localities never visi-
ted by malarious disease.
Norman, in his New Orleans book, had laid
down its first commencement in the year
| 1865, but no proof could be reached to eS-
tablish this statement. The lecturer had ex-
amined an old gentleman named Fernandez,
an undertaken by profession, who was one of
the oldest among the old inhabitants of New
| Orleans. Fernandez was able to tell him of
many events that had happened in the city
| since his arrival, but could tell little re-
| garding the first appearance of yellow fever.
| This was the more remarkable from the fact
| that Fernandez was an undertaken, and
hence apt to give information as to the prev
alence Ofdiseases of which his subjects died
To the best belief of Fernandez, yellow fever
first made its appearance in the city in the
year 1875, breaking out at Slaughter House
Point, (nOw in Algfers.) He knew it, as he
buried the bodies of those that died The
testimony of others, similar to Fernandez,
fixed the period of the first appearance in
1850. But all details respecting this
branch of the subject were dependent on
tradition. The second epidemic appeared in
New Orleans probably about 1896.
In the appearance in this region yellow
fever was restricted to New Orleans, where
J H.,
1877, when it seized hold of Mobile and
Natehez. The disease had many vagaries
in approach, many unaccOuntable phe-
nomenon in the locality of the attack
In 1S41 it seized Rodney and Vicksburg,
but, strange enough, omitted Grand Gulf,
situated between these places. In 1853 the
fever went up the Mississippi as far as Ma
poleOn, Ark, passed up the Alabama to
Montgomery, at the same time paying short
visits to jackson and Greenwood, in the
State of Mississippi, and Richmond, in
Texas. In 1855 it seized Memphis in mild
grasp. A few cases have appeared in st.
Louis but no epidemic. 1t is a false idea of
the public that there has been no yellow
fever here during the war. There have been
cases every single year, but there has been
no epidemic. All knowledge of the exist
ence of yellow fever was suppressed for OBJ
vious reasons, but the testimony of ply
sicians acquainted with its type establish
the fact that there were cases here during
the last four years. Since the yellow fever
first made its appearance here there has been
less of it since the war broke out than ever
before. The value and Importance of quar-
antine and local sanitcry laws thus become
manifest. He defined the theory of quar-
antine measures to be simply that of isola-
ton of sanitary police as cleanliness. The
object of quarantine was to cut off all COM
mnnieation, of sanitary police to render the
localities capable of entertaining fever,
healthy. The lecturer held to the theory
that the fever was infections but not
always contagious.