Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-09-14
THE SITUATION AT ERIN.
Card.


the editorial are and make the fol-
lowing statement, which has become
necessary, as my name has been
mixed up with very conflicting
statements, both in Nashville and
On Sunday last, Sept. 8, alarming
reports arrived in GAINESVILLE that
Mrs. Bradley, a former citizen of
this place, had died of yellow fever
at Erin, and that her brother, Mr..
Henry Baird, was sick with the
same disease. As Erin is only q
miles below GAINESVILLE by railroad
and less by the air line, this report
naturally produced much agitation
here, and 1 considered it my duty
to go to Erin on Monday morning
for the purpose of reporting the
facts to the Board of Health, of
which / am Chairman and which
had been appointed to meet at my
Office on Monday night.
On my arrival at Erin / found
the whole place in an extreme state
of alarm. A large portion of the
residents had left it and those who
remained were extremely anxious
for further light to be thrown upon
the matter. proceeded to the no.
tel, at which Mrs. Bradley had died
and of which her husband is pro-
prietOr. / found there her brother,
Mr.. Henry Baird, very ill and at
tended by Drs. Nichols and Grigsby,
who gave the decided opinion that
Mrs. B. had died of yellow fever
and that their present patient was
i'll of the same disease. Before
studying Mr.. Baird's case I made it
my business to enquire closely into
the case of the deceased lady. From
the statements of the attendant ply
sicianS and those of the family /
obtained the following facts: Mrs.
Bradley has had i'll health through
out the summer and about three
weeks ago was attacked with inter
mittent neuralgia, evidently of
malarious origin, the intermissions
and paroxysms being well marked.
On Wednesday, Sept. 4th, she was
seized with a severe chill, which
lasted about four hours. At night
it was followed with fever Of a high
grade, which lasted through the
night and Thursday morning. On
Thursday evening quinine was adj
ministered, of which, unfortunately
her stomach has always been intOle-
rant, and it was not persevered in.
On Friday night great nausea was
complained of and fever afterwards,
but she was better on Saturday and
on Saturday evening ate a piece OF
watermelon. That night nausea
returned with vomiting and sore
throat, with great difficulty of swal-
! lowing. Fever again rose during
/ the night. At 4 a. NJ. on Sunday
she vOmited what her husband, who
was present, describes as a light
/ brown fluid, which was repeated
about ) A. NJ. She had become
cOmatose and deliriOus during the
/ night and the skin was suffused
with a deep yellow tint during some
hours of the night. This and the
cOmatOse condition lasted till 1:2C
P. NJ. on Sunday, when she died.
l have given the above symptoms
infinitely enough for medical men
to appreciate them at the same time
that l have avoided technical ex-
pcessiOns as much as possible.
think that all physicians will recOg-
nize the symptoms down to Satur-
day evening as those of intermittert
fever of malariOus origin, while
those which supervened on Saturday
night are unquestiOnably such as
occur in yellow fever, but are not
peculiar to that disease ; on the con-
trary, few men who have practised
! in malariOus districts can have failed
! to witness their occasional occur
renee in malignant intermittents
where yellow fever is not in ques.
ton. l gave a guarded opinion tC
that effect, as a man must who has
not seen the case, and whose views
diverge from those who attended
during the life of the patient.
Before making further comments
| will now proceed with the case o
Mr.. Henry Baird, brother of tht
deceased lady, residing in the same
house. Mr.. B. was attacked with
the ordinary symptoms of tertiar
intermittent about two weeks before
/ saw him, which seems to have
been imperfectly cured. No specia
symptoms accompanied it till Fri
day night, the 9th Of September
On the afternoon of Friday Cat 2 P
NJ he had what is described to me
as a congestive chill, which LASTED
an hour and a half. The fever
which followed had subsidized suffi
GENTLY for him to feel much better
and eat a hearty supper. The chill
returned on Sunday evening, fol
lowed by higher grade of fever
He became deliriOus at about 10 P
NJ. and remained so till / saw him
on Monday, and it may be men
toned that the kidneys acted freely
on Sunday night and again OF
Monday morning. When l saw
him about 81 a. NJ. l found hin
cOmatose, skin yellow, with per
ceptible moisture upon it, not unus
ually hot except just over the pit o.
the stomach. This condition re-
manned throughout the time stayed
in Erin (till about 6 P. NJ, with the
addition late in the evening oil
retching as if to vOmit. | was in.
formed afterwards by telegraph that
he died on Tuesday morning. with
nearly the same symptoms as those
of Mrs. b.