The Osceola times., 1878-12-07
THE yELLOW.FEvER.
Report Of the Goveraps ant .Cosa nstssion
Eead BefSr. the Ame iean Publts
n~altb h Association.

1
sead Bef0r, the Ame iesn Pubii
ne~i'h Association.
The American public health associa
tisp was called TO order by Presiden
Harris. Previous to proceeding will
the regular order of business. the presi
| dent laid before the association a lette
from Governor Porter, of Tennessee
regretting being unable to attend OF
account of official business, assuring tn,
association Of his active sympathy with
the noble work In which they ars
engaged ana extending an invitation to
hold the next meeting at Nashville
The invitation was referred to the execu
tive committee for consideration. After
some routine business, DR.. Bemiss read
the regular report of the yellow-fevel
commission, which says that the yellow.
fever was imported into New Orleans BY
the steamship Emily b. Soudef in the
month Of May,
The commission visited various in.
fected points In the Mississippi valley,
an found, az q result Of their investigs-
tions, cad neglect and violation of the
laws of health 10 regard to drainage, in.
attention To deposits of fetid matter and
refuse animal and vegetable matter, and
ipattention tn purity OF drinking water.
The conclusions reached are as follows
First-We have not in q solitary in
stance found a case Of yellow.feyer which
we could justifisbly consider a. Of de
moro origin or indigenous OF its locality
Second-In respect to most of the
various towns which we visited, and
which were points Of epidemic pre-
valence, testimony showing importation
vas direct and convincing in its charac.
ter.
Third The transmission Il yellow.
fever between points separated by any
considerable distance appeared to be
wholly due 20 human intercourse. In
some instances the poison was carried in
the clothing or about the persons OF
people going from the infected districts.
In other Instances it was conveyed In
such forms as cotton bsgginE or Other
goods of the same description.
Foarth-The weight Of testimony il
very pronounced against the further use
of disintectants. Physicians ir Infected
towns, almost without exception, state
that they are useless agents to arrest the
spread of yellow-fever, while some Oi
them assent that their vapors are
seriously prejudicial to the sick.
Fifth-Personal prophylixis, by mean.
of drugs or other therapeutic means, ha:
proved constant failure. A respectable
numbsr of physicians think the mse oi
small doses Of quinine of some use in
preyention.
Sixth Quarantine established with
such a degree OF surveillance and rigo1
that absolute non-intercourse is th'
result, has effectually and without OK
ceptisn protected its subjects from
yellow fever. f.4
nr. Cochran, Of the commission, then
read pabct giving detailed account o
the fever at Grcnada, ut which place
investigation showed the Intensely ia
fectious character OF the disease.
DIR. Lloyd Howard, Of the commission
read a report OF his investigations.
aurpeon J. A. Billings, of the United
States army, stbwittsd the report from
the commissioners to Which wss referred
the general report of the yellow-fe fever
com mission, and setting TO- tn that they
had staminad said report and returned
1t to the executive committee with the
following remarks:
Firs.-Thst it is evident that th,
fever commission exercised great dill
gence in collecting data with regard tc
the late epide and that its labors In
this direStioti deserve the full approbs'
tion OF the Americaii fttbliA health ssso'
cation.
Second-That the preliminary con
clusions presented are in accordance with
the prevailing opinions of the medica
profession in this and other countries
with the exception OF that relating u
disinfs ion. ,...........
Third-The method of investigation
putsued by the commission Is considered
satisfactory, and, IN fact, the only on'
which could have been employed 80 la
as this epidemic is concerned.
Fourth--It is believed TO be Of grea
importance that the investigation thu
commenced shcu'd d be made as thorough
and com plete a. possible in accordanc,
with the methods of the commission.
The committee think it proper u
observe that the investigation shOult
take much wider range. since what i
desired is 10 be obtain II possible know
edge of the causes of yellow'fever
knowledge which rot even the most com
plete history of the epidemic that can b
made will be able TO furnish. II yellow
fever, as it is supposed, is due to specifi
material thing, some means are desires
for recognizing the presence OF tha
material thing other than the fact Q
the occurrence OF specific diseases il
human subjects, and hence one of tn
Arst things 10 be sought is some amin,
or organism in which IL may be possbl
10 produce either yellow-fever or som
specific or recognizable effect Of yellow
fever poison. In accounts Of yellow
fever are various illusions 10 accompany
ing phenomena observed 10 animal lii
Certain analogies between yellow-fevt
and Texas or Spanish cattle- fever hay
been pointed out, but as yes the te'
mentioned has not only not been fOunt
but IL has not been methodically sjueh
1t appears. however, that this is the fir
and most important step in the invest
CATION If the cu.renJ theories abou
the yellow-'ever are correct, the yellow
fever poison may be developed by addip
some one or more or the excretions &
fluids of persons affected with yellow
fever in decomposing organic matter
under the we'll known conditions
temperature and measure We hsv'
then, to carry out the process OF elimini
ton to find oyt what constituents I
decsying filth are essential and what al
non essential to the production OF psisol
and at the same time TO seek chemici
or microscopic means OF recognizing u