New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-09-11
TILE AFFLICTED SOUTH.

The record of sickness, restitution and death
in the South makes every day larger demand
upon our columns, and no topic occupies so
large a share of the public thought and in
terest. Not only is there a lamentable in
crease of yellow fever in those places which
were earliest afflicted, but the disease is rap
idly spreading, and every day makes it's APP
pearance in some new spot. All expectation
of staying the plague by sanitary measures
has been abandoned in the infected cities,
whose inhabitants are now hoping almost IN
despair for an early frost. The most dlscOur-
aging reflection is that cold weather is still
several weeks distant.
It is now commonly believed that the in
visible, self-multplying germs OF yellow fever
merely lose their vitality and are not killed
by moderate cold This belief is strongly
supported by the experience of the present
season. On July 81, before which there
were no regular reports, there had been four
teen cases in New-Orleans, of which seven
had proved fatal. On the following day the
President of the Board of Health, after n
careful investigation, declared that the
disease had no connection with any foreign
source, so far as he was able to discover The
germs must have been latent in the city. The
first case in Grenada proved fatal on July 20,
and it could not be ascertained that the sick
person had been previously exposed except
to poison in the atmosphere.
From this date the disease spread with
great rapidity aud at first the ratio of NOR
tality was appalling. On July 2G thirty-six
cases had been reported in w-Orleans, of
which eighteen resulted fatally. On the same
day Vicksburg was alarmed by the death Of
one of two men who had been landed from
n passing tOw-bOat. Almost simultaneously
Vicksburg, Shreveport, Mobile, Pensacola,
Galveston and Memphis were strictly quaran
tined against New Orleans but on the 28th
three or four persons who had fled from the
last named city died at places further up the
river. Thus, in spite of vigorous and judicious
measures of prccaution. infection spread
through the Mississippi Valley, though
for a time it appeared only in what
seemed to be sporadic cases at all
places except Grenada. A bitter fate had
overtaken this little city of 1,S00 inhabitants.
The first victim was an estimable lady, well
known and loved. Most unfortunately it was
not suspected that her disease was yellow
fever, and her funeral was attended bya thrOng
of persons. Several days later when the char
acter Of her complaint was announced there
was almost panic, and doubtless the terror of
the inhabitants made them an easier prey to
the infection to which they had been uncon-
sci0usly exposed. For nearly three weeks the
reports Of sickness and death III Grenada were
very meagre, and no one at the North was pre-
pared for the announcements which have since
awakened the horror and the sympathy
of the whole country. On August 10
there had been forty.f five deaths, and two
days later of 125 cases fOrty-sevcn had
proved fatal. The first case in Vicksburg
appeared OH August II, the first case in
Memphis one day later. In the latter city the
entire block in which the patient lived was
fumigated, but within twenty-four hours
there were nine new cases and three deaths.
Six days after the outbreak in Yicksburg
forty eight persons had been attacked.
Meanwhile the disease was spreading with
awful rapidity in New-0rleans. During the
first half of August the sick multiplied from
eighty TO 100. the number of deRd from
thirty-three to 200. And during this time
the fever had appeared at Port Eads,
Port Gibson, WinOna and Canton, and,
in isolated cases. at various other places
whittier refugees had fled. In New-0rleans
it was estimated at this time that sixty per
cent of the sick were foreigners or unaccll-
mated persons, and that of the rest seventy
five per cent were children. 1t is essentially
the children's year." On August IL, of ACC
persons who had been attacked, 121 were
children under ten years of age. Indeed, ply
sicians state that it is n rare thing for an
adult born in New-0rleans to catch the dis
ease.
With the more recent details Of the scourge
our readers are generally familiar. There has
been no day since the first outbreak when
even the most sanguine could delude them
selves with The hope that the pestllence was
under control in any place where it
had gained foothold, unless Grenada,
where little is left for it to feed on, be q
melancholy exception. Yesterdays reports
from New Orleans, Memphis and Vicksburg
present long roll of new cases and a dis
cOuraging list of deaths. Not fewer than 1920