The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1878-08-22

nave ABOUT as mucn TeSlStance OI the
cold as the banana plant. When the
banana stalk is killed down by the frost,
the yellow fever does not recur until
again imported. The germ is trans
missible. 1t is capable of being trans
ported in the clothing or personal eff
fects of passengers and sailors, but its
spread from one city to another is chief
" accomplished by yessels-their damp,
filthy holds and bilge-water being its
favorite lurking-places. Confinement,
moisture and high temperature favor
the multiplication or virulence of the
poison. When a wharf, or spot of
ground or house becomes infected, the
poison at once commences to spread,
creeping slowly in all possible direc-
tons, continually charging the area
around the center of infection unless
checked by disinfection, as has undoubt-
edly been done by the use of carbolie
acid in New Orleans in former out
Breaks
HOW IT SPREADS.
One curious fact regarding the dis
ease is the manner in which it creeps
from spot to spot. While the germ or
miasm has hitherto eluded microscope
cal demonstration it has been demon
strated that it moves on the ground and
at the rate of about 40 feet every "a
hours. For instance, the disease hav-
| ing had a center of infection for seven
DAYS, the use of disinfectants for a
space of $50 feet will stamp it out, or
at least prevent its further movement.
| All well persons whose effects have been
disinfected may be considered harmless
after six or seven days have elapsed
from the time of leaving an infected dis
trict or vessel, as the period of incuba
ton of the disease lasts from two to six
| days.
As to the extent of the epidemic in
this country Greensville Dowell, NJ. D.,
Of Galveston, states in his forthcoming
work on the History of Yellow Fever
Epidemics, ETC., in the State of Texas,
that "yellow fever has spread to 228
cities and towns and in % States in the
United States, appearing 741 times, and
causing 61,311 Deaths" The report of
the Marine Hospital service for 1873
gives table of localities in the United
States where the fever has spread since
1868, with the duration of each siege
and the number of deaths. BY this ia
bic it is seen that the fever has appear
ed in well defined epidemics in New Or
leans 81 times from 1863 to 1873, and
the deaths in all reach the awful figures
32,S72. In 1919 there were 2, 100 deaths;
in 1847, 2,257; in 1858 it reached
1870; in the following year 2, 423; in
the following year, again, $40; in 1858,
$3.50; in 1867, 3,O93. These were years
of the heaviest death rates, while of the
other years in which the epidemic ap-
peared the rate is all the way from one
to five hundred.
In 1873, at the time of the epidemic
in Shreveport, there were 759 deaths,
while The same year Memphis lost 1924
lives. Galveston has had more yellow
fever than Memphis in the long run.
Memphis is credited with having the ep-
idemic in '53, '55 and so only, besides
the year 1873, and in the first three years
named no mortality figures are given.
Galveston, on the other hand, had sieges
of it in the following years $50, "A, AZ,
'53, '54, $50, so, ga, '66 and 1867. There
were in these epidemical years never
less than 182 deaths, and in 1867, 1,150
persons died. In all Galveston has lost
3,725 lives by yellow fever since 1889.
Mobile has had full share of the dread
disease, losing 2, ia lives, most of which
since 1889, when there were $50 deaths.
Florida has suffered only to the extent
of about 700 deaths since 1865, when
there were 1875 deaths at Pensacola
The same place has mortality list of 81
in 1878. In 1854 there were $50 deaths
in Savannah, Ca, which is about the
only year the yellow fever ever amount
ell to any thing in that State. In 1873
there were II deaths at Cairo, which is
the only item down opposite the State
of Illinois
Besides the epidemics at New Orleans
and the one year of 1873 at Shreveport,
Louisiana has Jared easily Baltimore,
Md, is credited with the epidemic a
dozen or fifteen times since 1894, the
last time being in 1868, but no mortality
list is given. In 1853 there were 259
deaths at Nantucket, and in 1898 there |
were 200 deaths in Boston, Mass. |
Miss, has suffered severely, !
notably in 1928, 1887 and 1S39-the |
years in which most of the Southern |
cities suffered. Her death-rate amounts |
to over 1000 between the years 1917 and |
1910. Since 1910 she has escaped al |
most altogether. Missouri-St. Louis is
credited with the fever in 1854 and 1855, |
but no eeath-rate is stated. There are |
81 deaths recorded at New Design, 20 |
miles below st. Louis, in 1857, and that |
is all down opposite Missouri. In 1898
Portsmouth, n. II =, lost 100 lives. This
is the same year the fever was epidemic
on the New England coast.
New Jersey has got off very lightly.
In that fatal year OF 1898 New York City
has death-rate of 1850 persons. In
1902 there were $40 deaths. In 1903,
700; in 1905, $40; and all along up to
1873 the city has had death-rate, but
never reaching any thing like the figures
above.
In 1864 there were 700 deaths at New
Berne, North Carolina, and two years
before there were 446 deaths at VIII
mingtOn, the same State. In 1899 Phil
had over 200 deaths, as it did
in 174l; in 1893 the rate reached 4,041;
in 1897, 1900; in 1898, $500; in 1899,
! 900, and more or less of it till 1870.
Rhode Island had several good-sized
doses for so small a State in 1896, 1897
and 1898. Charleston absorbed South
Cardinals share of the epidemic and
lost several thousand persons, princi-
pally between the years 1920 and 1889;
again between 1850 and 1860. Norfolk
and Portsmouth, Va, in the same coun-
ty, in 1855 had together death rate of
!, 800.
This year the epidemic is worse than
it has been since 1867. The years which
are given as being very violent in New
Orleans indicate the years when the dis
ease was more or less general.
The Force Of Habit.
La hn I lnn,, IL, Ill nln;t e 81 |