The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1878-09-26
Yellow Fever Notes.

Tom Hotchkiss, brave young fell
low, who went from Shreveport TO
Memphis to nurse the sick, IS no more.
The New Orleans Democrat says: In
every epidemic this smoke folly and a
number OF similar absurdities have
been recommended as certain meaus
of whipping Yellow Jack, and they
have been persistently tried in vain.
In 1853 there was firing of cannon,
burning of tar and coal and everything
else, but with no other effect than that
OF distressing and seriously injuring
the sick.
a private letter, written on the seven
teenth from point beyond Memphis,
says: "There will be cases after frost
and the stencil from graveyards will
surely produce cholera or some other
plague. They say the odors are fear
ful five miles out Of town. think al.
most every man you knew in Memphis
except two are dead. see no lady's
name among those of the dead except
that of Mrs. Mather. Charlotte, Judge
Morgan's daughter, of New Orleans,
had the fever last week aud is conva-
lescent."
DR.. Davidson, an old practitioner of
New Orleans, says yellow fever is an
exotic and never originates locally, ex-
cept under peculiar circumstances of
limited domestication, as when an cpl
demlc has prevailed, or in certain
years when few cases have occurred,
and periodically, after importation,
the ensuing winter has been go mild
that the mercury has not fallen re-
peatedly below 80 degrees-the special
cause, germs, If you will, survive the
winter, and when the summer heat at
tains its maximum they multiply suffi-
GENTLY to impart the disease.
Louisisnians here will doubtless be
pleased to know that Donaldsonville
and the parish of Ascension are, so
far, entirely free OF fever and the town
and parish are healthier than EVER at
this season of the year, notwithstand-
ing the fact that the good people of
the whole parish and town positively
refused to quarar tine against New Or
leans, but, on the contrary, in a unan-
imOus voice proclaimed their determi-
nation to keep open the doors OF the
town and parish to the whole world
and to devote their time to nursing and
taking care Of those who would be
str cken with the disease here.
The latest advices from Vicksburg
say there has been decided decrease
in the number of new cases. Sky
will probably cover the number. The
fine weather brought out many con-
vslesceDts, who are fearlessly impru-
dent. R.lapses are frequent. Post
master Pease relapsed. He had been
up week, and is very sick. Charles
Hosie, of the postoffice, is among the
dead. The old bed of the river in
front of the city Is a lake of mud.
Where once the largest steamers rode
the smallest skiff cannot go. and no
doubt it is the cause of malarial fever,
which has divided the honors in the
number OF cases with yellow fever,
and assisted in its terrible fatality.
The fact is that this season the fever
has wandered al its own sweet will all
over the Southwest, skipping one To-
cality and bouncing upon another,
though both have suffered equally from
the dangers of infection, and generally
demolishing the most hoary traditions
of the disease. If nothing else has
been proved, we think it safe to say
that no one will question our PROPOSE
ton that total absence of any specific
knowledge has been proved, and, such
being the case, yellow fever becomes
at once national peril and national
calamity. We know of no reason why
the events of 1873 may not be repeated
in 1879, and for the future indefinitely,
unless some clearer light be thrown
upon the subject than has been thrown
there heretofore. Furthermore, it is
not susceptible of proof that New Or
leans is any more liable to yellow fever
than Memphis, Shreveport or Calves
ton, or any other community south of
the Ohio rIYer-though it is suscepti-
inle of proof that the fever in New Or
l1Lp,Hs Is of q mllder and more manage
49, type than elsewhere and that
man chances of recovery there ere
about three$n-6Ie as against the other
places which have been visited this
year. These, however, are nero de-
tails. The country now knows that
yellow fever is a national enemy, and
the country will show its good sense
by attacking the problem at once. Cit
les and towns should devote the win
ter and spring to preparations for its
appearance everywhere along the coast
next summer.
In 1878, Sc. Louis steamboat ply |
ing between Memphis and Shreveport,
on her way from the latter place,
where the fever had just broken out,
to st. Louis, landed two men in the |
upper part of Memphis i'll with yellow
fever. The disease spread with great
intensity, and included the whole city.
Clearly the favoring circumstances
''epidemical influence" peculiar at
constitutional obtained that |
year. So with the great Norfolk cpl
demic of 1859, large number of ref
ugees to Baltimore and Wilmington,
North Carolina, sickeued and died in
those cities, but none of the inhabi-
tants contracted the disease. Now,
any contagious disease introduced elm-
larry would communicate itself to all |
coming In contact with it. Again, we /
had cases of yellow fever introduced
n NV Orleans in 1870, III, ~, rs |
md '76, but no epidemic ensued. The
;ondiuOns were not favorable to the
OF the special cause.
The epidemic in Shreveport of 1878
vas occasioned by persons coming from
New Orleans who had been exposed to
,ases brought there on board of the
brig Valparaiso. aud not less than ESQ
,ases appeared in the vicinity of where
be vessel was moored, but no epidemic
ook place. The atmosphere of New
orleans was not of the condition favor
bile to the rapid propagation of the or
,anisms; but that of Shreveport was
so.
Now in vsara IN rama-inok -han |