The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-09-05
the rEsfILEScE Ar oALyEsTOS.
Terrors OF yellow FeVer---IneIdents
OF the Epidemic.

The scenes during the day are sug-
festive az well as mela ncholy. HesteT-
day i counted eighteen funerals from
INV window, and the day before fifteen.
Two have passed while | have been
writing this correspondence. Some of
the streets are almost deserted, and in
many others one can only see pale
faced women and anxious-eyed men,
hurrying to the nearest ice dealers or
drug store, for comforts for the. sick.
Many OF the sioTekeepers take advnu-
tags Of the panic and charge the most
exorbitaut prices for the cOmmOnest
necessariea Of the sick room.
The Catholic priests, OF whom there
are at present but few in the city have
all they can do to attend TO the spirit
ual wants Of the sick. Inc nuns III
charge Of the charity hospital are lew
IN nnn,b.r. and reduced by sickness.
Their Mother Superior died yesterday
at her post, like brave. woman, as she
Repfeheusible is very mild caption
for tie nasty and dangerous customs 10
which we are ubouttO allude. THERE'S
IA wagon which goes toward the Deacn
about sundown, laden with the otfal OF
the hospital and the cast of garments
of the fever patients, and the blankets
OF such III have died. These are drawn
TO the beach and cast out to poison the
gale with their Pestilential stencil. Nor
Il this the worst of it. Negroes go out
and gather these articles and bring
them to their homes, scattering the dis
case wherever they go. ..
Old Texan nurses. careful and uu-
firing, usually save their patients. II
Is difficult TO restrain The morbid
craving for Just little food, but that
little is almost certain death.
The moEtalityis by no means SO great
in proportion TO the population as Is
GENERALLY supposed. In 1858, with
population one-third OF that which we
now have, the mortality WAS eighteen
one day. This would be equal to hfty-
four at the present time.
One OF the phases of the present cpl
deInic is Il tendency to congestion. This
is particularly the case with those
whose vocations have called them much
in the sun, or whose habit has been to
,ake strong drink. Speaking OF
This. we are constrained to advise all
who can TO keep out OF the suns heat,
and to caution unHcclimated persons
ugainst Il practice which has already
proved fatal to several. There are
those who, in their fear Of fever rush
10 drink as an autidote. Those who re-
gard whisky either Al an antidOte, or
remedy Tor the yellow fever, VIII be
greatly mistaken. and probably find
out too late To save their lives.
The fever has exhibited a marked
preference LOT Atlhk pbllAOu VI 1hV ivy
whose centre is the second Ward mar
ket house. The frame houses there
standing are among the Oldest in the
city. Originally they were built fiat
upon the ground. The street has grad
uaIIy risen Till the grade is in many
places Two feet higher than the houses
originally were. Under these houses
there is "a standing pool OF stagnant
water, enriched with the drainage of
yards and filthy Teceptacles not TO be
named these pools are continually
sending that reeking cOntagion which
men breathe and die OF.
Il is feHred that on account OF the
scariIy of drivers, the operations of the
Gulf street railroad will have to be sus-
pended.
A description OF this truly awful dis
ease and its attending horrors may not
he amiss. Commencing with n feeling
Of chillincss, quick fever superVenes,
accompanied by pains in the bead,
IL frontal, and often exceedingly Sc
we're, attended with compression of
thought and violent delirium. The
stomach Is enrly affected, and vomiting
eusues almost Immediately. The mat
ter vomiled consists. of the con-
tents OF the stomach, of bile, and
of thin colored fluids. The
ton i'll tue stomach, the lace Is flushed
and swollen, the eyes red, suhused,
muddy and sensitive to light. The
breathing is sometimes hurried and ir-
regular, sometimes slow and smbar-
raised.
The skin is commonly hot, dry and
harsh. The yelluWness, from which the
disease derives its name, first tiuges the
eve, then spreads to the forehead, neck
and breast, and last TO the eXtremtties.
The color varies from an orange 10 IA
bronze, and sometimes, in the last
stage, approaches "A dark mahogany.
The tongue Is at first generally moist
and white, then red. The pulse leaps
to 100, and Is full and bounding. The
patient Is very realess, constantly
changing his position, while the express
sion of the face is gloomy and anxious,
or sometimes fierce and threatening.
These are the first stages of the dis
ease. the average duration of which are
from 80 20 45 hours. The second stage
is succeeded by an abatement of all the
unpleasant symptoms. The skin be-
comes mOister and cooler, the
pain in the head and limbs is
relieved, the stomach is less ir
ritable, the pulse calmer, the express
sion OF the countenauce more natural.
The yellowness Of the skin, however,
becomes more different and deeper in
tint. This stage OF remission generally
lasts from twelve to eighteen hours,
though 1t may be prolonged to twenty
four or thirty-siX. The third Stage is
characterized by prostration; The pulse
becOmcs more feeble and the skin dark
er; the tongue may remain large and
moist or become dry and brown, or
smooth, red, assured and bleeding.
The irritabillty OF the stomach returns
or Is Increased. The vomiting is often
iucessant. AT first il may consist OF a
80,
cases, ii begins to contain lakes of a
dark color, increasing until the matters
Vomited look like "A mixture OF SCOT,
or coffee grounds, and wafer; this is the
black vOmit. The quantity thrown up
is ofIen very great, and il comes up
with little effort.
Sometimes diarrhea now suPervenes,
tue stools resembling the matter elected
from the stomach. With the appear
ance OF these symptoms the patient be-
comes IGore and more PROSTATE; the
skin is cold and ClHmmy, the pulse very
feeble, frequent or Intermittent, the
breathing irregular and labored the
tongue is black and tremulous; there
is low, mutIering deiiTium, and death
CLOSES the scene. Pathological anatomy
has not hitherto added much 10 our
knowledge Of yellow fever. The most
constant alteration is found in the con-
ditiOu OF the blood. This is unusually
dark colored and huid, seeming some
times TO have entirely lost its coagula-
bility. The surface of the body is
usually more or less yellow after death,
even in cases which did not present
trace OF that color during life. The
liver presents full yellow or fawn
color, and is more or less fatty; and the
stomach is more or less Redeemed, and
its mucus membrane more or less
soitened.