Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-11-22
FOES OF DISEASE.
The Meeting Of the American Health As
sociation-Report of the Committee on
the Yellow Fever Commissions Conclu-
sions-How the Poison May be Detected

LIE meeting CT the American Health AS.
sociation-Report of the Committee on
the Yellow Fever Commissions Conclu-
sions-How the Poison May be Detected
In the System.
RICHMOND, Va, Nov. 2l.-At the session of
the National Health association, Surgeon J. s.
Billings, U. s. A., submitted a report from the
committee to which was referred the general
report of the yellow fever commission, and
setting forth that they had examined said re.
port and return it to the executive committee
with the following remarks:
First-That it evident the yellow fever
commission exercised great diligence in col
Letting data with regard to the late epidemic,
and that its labors in this direction deserve the
full appreciation of the American Public
Health association.
Second-That the preliminary conclusions
presented are in accordance with the prevailing
opinions Of the medical profession of this and
other countries, with the exception of that re-
lating to disinfection.
Third-The method of investigation pursued
by the commission is considered satisfactory
and in fact the only which could have been
employed SO far as obtaining the history Of this
epidemic is concerned.
Fourth-It is believed to be of great import
ance that the Investigation thus commenced
should be made as thorough and complete as
possible in accordance with the methods of the
commission.
The commission think it proper to observe
that the investigation should take much
wider range. since what is desired is to obtain,
if possible, knowledge Of the cause of yellow
fever-a knowledge which the most complete
history of the epidemic than can be made will
not be able to furnish. Ii yellow fever is sup
posed to be due to a specific, material
thing, some means are desired of recognizing
the presence Of that thing other than the fact
nj Ho nN0JJ n<,F + l,0 r. Il
human subjects, and hence one of the first
things to be sought is some animal or organism
IN which 1T may be possible to produce either
yellow fever or some specific OR recognizable
effect of the yellow fever poison. In accounts
OF yellow ievers are various illusions to accom-
NAL life. Certain analogies between
yellow fever and Texas OF Spanish cattle fever
have been pointed out, but as yet the test men
toned has not only not been found, but it has
not been methodically sought. It appears,
however, that this is the first and most inn
portant step in the investigation. If current
theories about yellow fever, are correct yellow
fever poison may be developed by adding some
one or more of the execretlons or fluids Of poi
son affected with yellow fever decomposing Or
ganic matter under we'll known conditions of
temperature and moisture. We have then to
carry out the process Of elimination to find out
what constituents Of drying filth are essential
the poison, and at the same time to seek
chemical or microscopical means of recognize
ing the presence of either the cause of the poi
son or the poison itself in order to get rid OF
the possible necessity Of resortng to the phys
biological test OF innoculation to prove its pres
ence. In this brief sketch of what would be
considered a satisfactory demonstration of the
cause of yellow fever, but one provisional by
pothesis-the prevailing and popular one-bas
been considered. Several others must be
considered and tried, but in each and all the
greatest and first desideratum is the easily ap-
piled test Of the presence of poison. It needs
but q moments reflection to see that the period
when an epidemic is raging is not the time to
carry out such researches Probably the best
place to carry out such an investigation would
be, first, the city of Havana. 1t must be clear
that such investigation will require much time
and labor. and that its results should be pre-
scented, accompanied by clear and convincing
evidence.
DR.. Ezra NJ. Hunt, president of the State
board Of health Of New Jersey, read an excel
Cent paper on how to study an epidemic, and
then the association adjourned.