Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-09-25
HORRORS OF THE PLAGUE.
Every Woman Dies Who is Attacked.
How the Disease Deceiyes.
Memphis Lette

Memphis Letter
You can form no idea of the distress.
Women III childbirth, surrounded bv
little ones, quartered in tents, see one
by one pass from their sight on to the
hospital, thence 10 the grave. Soon the
babe is born, yellow as gold; the mother
fingers a few days, and then she, the
last OF the household, is put under the
ground. We save no women who are
attacked. Yesterday woman and two
pretty daughters, Of twelve and sixteen
years, walked from the train to my tent
and reported for assignment to quar-
ers. From my familiarity with the dis
ease at once remarked: "Why, wo-
man, your two girls have the fever"
The eldest one said: "No, sir; indeed
| never felt better in my life [ had a
little chill yesterday, but am well now"
Her pulse showed 125, temperature
lO4; eyes CLASSY, skin pulled and the
whole cOuntenance beautiful pink. In
order to quiet and crafty the mother
put up tent near me for the night.
Next morning | had them examined
and both were sent to the hospital. |
was down there this noon. The mother
was PROSTATE with nervous prostration
and the children lie in the Potter's field.
This disease is yellow fever, or is,
IN fact, the malarial fever Of this coast,
intensified by the introduction of the
germs of ship or Asiatic fever. 1t is
the most subtle scourge the world has
experienced, and battles all medical
experience. A person of intelligence,
when first attacked with the malarial
symptoms, if he be administered to at
once with the usual treatment, wrapped
up in blankets and nursed carefully,
may pull through. None but the rich
can in times like the present command
special attention. The masses are
treated by the wholesale, and all alike;
few recover ..--...g., a....
The first symptoms are heaviness and
slight chill, then suppression of the
urine, pulled face, CLASSY eye, beautiful
flushed skin, pink eye-ids, pulse 12O,
temperature lQ3 to LOG. Soon vomito
begins, which. is simply slight, hawk
ing sound and splitting of a coffee
ground substance from the stomach,
which sinks to the bottom of the vessel.
The patient after each emission, feels
we'll and would get up if allowed. No
pain, no evidence of concern, either by
look or action. The pulse begins to
run down to 80, so, 70, so. 40; then
comes the pinched nostril and N echan-
ical breathing. They sit up; want to
get up; are induced to lie down, and
quietly pass away. 70. 49,.
Thursday night, as | was making the
rounds, l saw a woman returning from
theinhrmary with a vial of medicine.
1t was sprinkling little She went into
her tent, lit a candle and lay down. In
a few minutes heard an alarm. Wo-
men and children were running wild
about that portion of the camp l hast
ened there, when my eyes beheld a
most heartrending sight. This wo,nans
babe, nine months old was crying on it's
mothers breast, and she was dead. I
came near having a stampede. The
child was cared for, the mother taken
away and the tent burned with it's con-
tents. 81. sHs 80. -s..e .,sl
The doctors quarrel among them
selves, each insisting that his own theory
of treatment is the right one. They re-
fuse to organize. The negroes refuse to
bulge while rations are given out, and
threatened to sack the town unless their
demands are acceded to t