The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1878-09-26
How Yellow.Fever is Produced.

The weight of scientific evidence
seems to warrant the conclusion that
yellow-fever is produced by an invisible
poison, capable of self-multiplication
outside of the human organism, which
1t enters through the air passages. The
poison germ or miasm is a product of
the Tropics. In this country yellow
fever has prevailed in most of the Gulf
and Atlantic cities, and in many of the
towns along the Mississippi River. In
some instances it has been carried in
land with the people fleeing from in
fected localities, but it has never shown
a disposition to spread epidemically at
points remote from the continuous wa
ter-roads of commerce or to lodge in
high, salubrious places. The cities of
the Great Lakes have always been free
from the disease. Yellow-fever cannot
be said to be epidemic in the United
States, from the fact that in some years
it does not appear, though the imported
germ undoubtedly survives the mild
winters.
1t appears to have about as much re-
| sistance to cold as the banana plant.
When the banana plant is killed down
by the frost, the yellow-fever does not
recur again until imported. The germ
is transmissible. It is capable of being
transported to the clothing or personal
effects of passengers and sailors, but
its spread from one city to another is
chiefly accomplished by vessels, their
damp, filthy holds and bilgewater be-
ing its favorite lurking places. Con-
fnement, moisture aud high tempera-
ture favor the multiplication or viru-
lence of the place.
When a wharf, or spot of ground, or
house becomes infected, the poison at
once commences to spread, creeping
slowly in all possible directions, CON
tinually enlarging the area around the
center of infection unless checked by
disinfection, as has undoubtedly been
done by the use of carbolic acid in
New Orleans in former outbursts.
Yellow-fever is not communicated
from the sick to the we'll, the sick and
well being dangerous only as possible
carriers OF the poison germ Or miasm.
In support of this assertion, it may be
stated that at quarantine hospitals
where the effects of yellow-fever pa.
tients are burned or otherwise thor.
oughly disinfected before the admission
Of the patients, the attendants do moi
contract the disease. This has beer
demonstrated many times. All the
well persons whose effects have beer
disinfected may be considered harmless
after six or seven days have elapsed
from the time of leaving an infected
!. district or vessel, as the period of in
cubation of the disease lasts from two
to six days. This simplifed the ques
ton of quarantine, absolute land quar-
antines being deemed impracticable
J and indicates the direction of preventive
) measures to the vessel, cargo, or tn,
locality, if the poison has found lodg
ment on Shore
Mr. HARRISON only engaged in farm
. ing last spring. and having no expert
! ence himself was obliged to hire mai
:. to superintend the work. The other da,
:. he read in his paper that dresse'
9 chickens" brought the highest prices il
the city markets, and he showed tn
E paragraph to his wife with the remarl
that blame if he was going to the ex
: pense of buying dresses Tor his chicken
E if he never sold them" Mrs. Harbesol
s was city-bred girl, and knew no NOR
e about farming than the late Horac
Greeley, but she suggested that perhap
she had some old dresses which sh
! could cut up and convert into polon
: aises and overskirts for their chickens
;. there was much advantage in havin
e them dressed before sending them
e market.-Nor7istosc Herald.