Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-11-26
yELLOw.REyER COMMIssION

The proceedings of the National Health as
ISOLATION has attracted general attention
throughout the country. This is question
OF national Importance, and we are gratifed
to see that the northern press has taken such
deep interest in a matter which affects
the north as well as the south. The Rich
mond papers HAVE Deru rUvUiro1 eo4a+ai aing
the official proceedings of the association,
from which it will be seen that the labors of
the commission have been very great and
performed in very creditab!e manner.
They trace the disease from its starting point
In New Orleans through the towns in the
order of their attack The fever was intro
duced into New Orleans as early as May 23d
by the vessel Emily Souder. The purser of
this vessel was i'll On its arrival and died
three days after. On the twenty-fourth
another member of the crew was taken sick
and died on the thirheth. These cases were
not supposed at the stime to be Yellow-Jack,
but were put down as malarial fever. A
later and fuller investigation, however, make
it evident that the disease was the genuine
yellow-fever. In making their Investigations
the commission secured the cooperation of
the Towards and the physicians in the towns
in which the disease appeared. The commits
sion show the losses resulting to New Orleans
from the epidemic to be as follows: Cost of
ten days sickness to 1000 cases, $4,000;
cost of $500 funerals, $I12,500. Two-ffths
o. the victims represent capital of 81 $780,
900. The balance amounts to $4,000
Loss of time to 10000 workmen for ninety
days, $3.600000 commercial losses from
quarantine, $5,000,000; total, $12, 720, 500;
estimated profits of trade with West Indies,
aud ports where yellow-fever prevailed,
$l,500,000; net loss to New Orleans about
$l0,572, 800. If the epidemic cost New Or
leans this large amount, the cost to the
whole country is almost beyond computation.
In view of this startling array of figures the
New Orleans Times insists that quarantine
would destroy the city. After mature re-
Election upon the proceedings of the health
convention, the Richmond States comes to
the inevitable conclusion that a single
person may carry the disease
either in himself or his clothing,
and infect an entire community, and that the
atmospheric conditions have very little to do
with its spread. The theory, too, that places
are exempt through their distance from the
sea or altitude IS also exploded, and we are
left without single hope save In an effective
quarantine system, such as saved Natchez
and Galveston this year, and has no doubt
protected New York since 1928. Nor does
cleanliness act as 4 preventive, and as for
dlsinfectants and prophylaciics, they
are pronounced worse than useless. Had the
facts or theories OF these reports been known
in advance of the late epidemic, we
imagine that neither Holly Springs,
Grand Junction, Brownsville, Decatur, Flor
ence, Louisville or Chattanooga would have
thrown open their gates to welcome refugees
rom the stricken points. The States takes
the position that it is undoubtedly our duty
to provide for stringent quarantine against
all ports in the tropics in which this fever
may exist in malignant form. Intercourse
with the whole southern Atlantic and Gulf
coasts will have to cease during the summer
months, and all relations, whether of traffic
or travel, must be brought to standshll.
This will be unfortunate for our commerce,
but it is imperative. We cannot afford to
run the risk of importing this plague and de-
stroying the lives of thousands of our people
for any amount Of profit that might come to
us, and therefore the strlctest non-intercourse
must be enforced.