The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-08-11
The Fever.

Inc foV0rs
From our reports IL will be seen that tb'
Yellow Fever 10 making very slow pro
gress. The average of new cases has moi
increased within the last eight or ten days
and is az yet very small, cay about IS pei
| day. Deaths average between one third
| and one-fourth of those attacked. The
contest between an epidemic tendency and
medical skill for it's repression 10 mos,
interesting as we'll as most momentous
The disinfecting system has apparently
given very effective results mp to this time
though not so conclusive as in past years.
Let US not be too critical, but it would
really seem that under Radical control the
system was worked more efficaciously. We
do not mean to imply that Dr.. White ex-
hbited more energy or skill than DR..
Chopin in applying the agencies Of disin-
fection, but merely that DR.. White was
more heartily facilitated by the city an
thorities of his time. As this is the only
good thing we have ever been able to say
of Radical supremacy here, let us say it as
distinctly as we can. Whether it was due
to Radical virtue or Radical alarm we
have NO means of guessing.
Besides the ineficiency of our city
council in CO. operating with the Board Of
Health by furnishing an ample supply of
disinfectants and by enforcing rigid sys-
tenn of cleanliness in the streets, there has
been a want of prudence on the part of
individuals. That is to say, while house
in which q case of the Fever exists is rem
dered iuuocuous to neighboring residences
by thorough local disinfection, the people
of the house carry abroad the germs of
disease in their garments. Some persons
are so prudent as to change their clothing
after Settling up" with patient, but how
many do itf They are utterly Indifferent
to the danger of others, or else they are
headstrong advocates of some theory that
the disease cannot be communicated. The
recklessness of the former class and the
stupidity of the latter are equally danger
Gus and, we may cay, equally criminal. It
ia criminal in man of sense to play the
fool in times of danger, through the blind
self sufficiency of mere pride.
Then again the street cars are sources of
danger. DR.. Austin certifes that he has
all the sleeping cars of the Jackson route
carefully fumigated; are our street cars
ever fumigatedf Annunciation street has
been the chief line of infection, have even
the cars which traverse that street been
once disinfecte1f And yet nothing would
be easier than to keep up a permanent
purifcaton by forcing each car to carry a
small supply of corbolic acid in an open
vessel eaiely secured in it's interior.
AS regards contact with persons who
have germs of the disease abont their
clothing, physicians might possibly be
induced by the Board of Health to put
some moral pressure on nurses and mem
bers of families. If none but the nurse
were permitted to enter the sick room no
one but that individual would be wearing
infected clothing, and if the nurss were
put under honor to change his or her
clothing before leaving the house, the die
ease would most probably stop juss where
it is. We heard the other day of lady
who, after sitting awhile with the members
of family to whom she was paying a
visit, announced that she was juet from the
bedside of yellow fever patient. Fortu-
nately, all present had had the Fever.
Even without any of the precautions
above referred to, however, except street
and domiciliary disinfection, the Fever
SCENE to be greatly under control, and by
an energetic perseverance, in the course
heretofore pursued, it may possibly be
checked almost entirely. We are, there
fore much encouraged at seeing that the
last meeting of the Board showed the un-
wavering confidence of that body in the
system and a resolute determination to
continue its application.