The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1878-08-29
THE SOUTHERN SCOURGE.
How the Yellow Fever Arises and Spreads
The Product of an Invisible Poison.

The Product of an Invisible Poison.
Surgeon General Woodwork, of the
United States Marine Hospital Service,
has issued circular regarding yellow
fever. It is addressed to the medica.
officers Of the service, and says that, al
though the Quarantine law was not
passed in time for Congress to make ar
appropriation, still everything is being
done which is possible without the ex.
penditure of money. Medical officers
are required to assist the civil health
authorities when requested to do So
The Surgeon General says
"The weight of scientific evidence
seems to warrant the conclusion that vel
low fever is produced by an invisible
poison, capable of self-multiplicatior
outside of the human organism, which
it enters through the air passages. The
poison germ or miasma is production
of the tropics. In this country yellow
fever has prevailed in most Of the Gull
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 the
infected localities, but it has never
shown disposition to spread epidem-
ically at points remote from the contin-
uous water 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 endemic in the
United States, from the fact that in
some years it does not appear, though
the imported germ undoubtedly sur
wives the mild winters. 1t appears to
have as much resistance of cold as the
banana plant when the banana stalk is
killed down by frost. The yellow fever
does not recover until again imported.
The germ is transmissible. It is capa-
BILE of being transported in the clothing
or personal effects of passengers and
sailors, but it's spread from one city to
another is chiefly accomplished by YES
sells, their damp, filthy holds and bilge-
water being its favorite lurking places.
Confinement, moisture and high tenn
perature favor the multiplication or vir-
ulence of the poison. When a wharf or
spot of ground or house becomes in
fected, the poison at once commences to
spread, creeping slowly in all possible
directions, continually charging the
area around the center of Infection I'M
less checked by disinfection, as has I'M
doubleday been done by the use of car
bolic acid in New Orleans in former out
breaks. Yellow fever is not communi-
Gated from the sick to the we'll, the sick
and we'll being dangerous only as posi-
BILE carriers of the poison germ or
miasm. In support of this assertion it
may be stated that at quarantine hospi-
tails, where the effects of yellowfever
patients are burned or otherwise thor
oughly disinfected before the admission
of the patients, the attendants do not
contract the disease. This has been
demonstrated many times. All we'll per-
sons whose effects have been 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 incubation of the disease
lasts from two to six days"