Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-08-29
TCI10w Fever,

4 dispatch from st. LOUIS TO The &c" OK
Herald says Mrs. Hart, daughter ct prom
mont St. Louis merchant, arrived hero this
morning from Grenada, having left there yes
terday morning. Her husband died week ago
from the terrible disease. During an interview
with renortor this afternoon she said
Grenada w to the present time, was always
| considered vary healthy city. 10 TACT, 10
! 1878, when fever was raging in Memphls 1T
was made tho retreat of oil who desired to AVOID
tho scourgc. 1t is very pleasant little place,
and was until two weeks ago thriving, popu'
Ions and psy town. No one ever dreamt OF the
fever coming there. and when az old lady on
Main street died with black vomit thcro was
m s,,rnrise exhibited or alarm felt. Grenada
then had population OF $500 persons.
And how many ct these arc lett now
"Wel," said Mrs. Hart, "Silen | left them
Sunday morning there were two preachers, -
and she marked them off on her ilngers-"ono
| Odd Fellow"-anothor finger was added TO the
first two-"two ministers
"That's five" suggested the reporter:
And two members of tho Howard hssocla
| ton, making seven in oil.
"AnG these arc the only ones lett 10 dre'
nada?' ou :,
| Grenada Who were there four weeks ago. They
| took tho dead and dying away from town at
| first, Few were to bc seen on the streets, and
only The dclirious cries Of the stricken and the
i low whsrcrs of the nurses and physicians were
heard on the street. 1T was Sad thing to
Think OIL" said Mrs. Hart. THAT Grenada,
which had always held It's doors open 10 rein,
gees from Memphis ard New Orleans should
| thus close them against the poor sufferers.
| And 1t was awful to sec the trains which we
used to sec stop every day at Our doors hurrylng
| through the town ct the of thirty or forty miles
an hour with closed widows ard barred doors
us If Grenada were vcritable blackholc and the
SLIGHTEST breath of its atmosphere was rcckIne
with DEATH But so it was. The trains would
not stop at all in the town. but rush through 1t.
General WaIthal, Who had been connected
with the road, wss tclcgraphlng iUr whole
day to have O train stop ln order that ne might
ret his family Gil, and when the train camo
IN The depot vas literally alivo with people,
and in two minutes alter the cars stopped,
that being The time agreed upon, tho depot
was bare Of people. All had packed them
selves into the coaches and were soon WhlrIlng
away beyond the reach Of the sc0urge.
'Iho opinion Of the physicians and q e
Great many persons is that II ii not yellow
| fever at all, but somO Understandable plague
Persons who have had yellow fever, you Know.
arc not 50 much liable TO second attack; but
nj, disc;s, makes 30 Gistirc.lon. Nurses Who
hayo had tho yellow fever have gone down,
aud tho usual fever treatment appears IL be
l,uitlcss. 1t is Of a very malignant type. HE
fever itself lasts twelve hours.
Mrs. lart said The plague spread rapid
II uat ajl were down except these enumef'
aict, The scene was terrible. The dead wcrc
buried ia tho clothes in which they died.
Sometimes the hearsc hurried away leaving
the remains over ground no grave being dug.
Food rs5 painfully scarce. For over week
had eaten only bread. The atmosphere VAS
heavy with poison. ltcould be lairly tasted in
the air, and il Vas impossible 10 remove it
with disinlectants Thcro was 10 difficulty
about my leaving towu. | went to the JUICE
| ton where tho train Stops to put cit and take
on the mail and | went to Louisville. No one
prcYeltcd inc from going l. was told Gil
Friday could CO. ia fact there is no neccs,
sity for prevention as there Is no one to leave.
| 4 diSpalch from New Orleans says:
At the Charity Society to day Dr.. Samuel
Chopan tried an exceedingly Interesting c.
pcrimcpt, which, it successful, will revolution
iza the treatment Of yellow ttvar, and Justly
be regarded as one Of the ni1st important
medical discoveries Of the age. The patient
was in 9 n0ribund condition, having been
sick with yellow lever twenty four hours With
cut attention, his only medicine being Ecld-
| litz po9der. The temperature OF his body ID
dicated l05 25 degrees. His pulse beat 10
:: inmate aud lie presented the Appearance OF
one who would die in very few minutes. The
paticnt was stripped naked, placed UPON one Of
DR.. Kidbcs' fever coils. which has 4 network
cover and india rubber receptacle beneath, and
sprinklcd With ice water from sprlukllog
can two hours AID a quarter. At the czpra-
lion Of that time the temperature OF the body
was reduced to IS degrees and the pulse to ~.
When tho sprnkllng ceased the temperature
CT the body returned to the normal heat in
health, The fever disappeared and the patient
fell Into gentle sleep, which still conlnucs.--
At present writing this tlis experiment 10 colo
water treatment is attracting widespread atten'
tion aulopg pliy.icans, and should the patient
recover it is predicted that the disease will be
mastered. After the sprInkliDg the patient
WAS covered with a sheet.
| Dr. Enmunl a. iludd, OF BtyanIowE, Charles
county Ma, sonds to the Postmaster General
letter inc!osing his views on the subJect of
yellow fever, which he has 'arrlVed' st after
| most laborOus research and ob5erva ton,"
accompanied by permission 10 telegraph them
TO New Orleans and other cities and towns along
the Mississippi. He says that if his instructions
are faithfully carried out there will not be new
case for!y-eight hours after. He adds that he
has been cndeavoring by every means in his
power for eight or nine years to bring tho sub
cct before the country, but in vain. Letters
have beca written by him to Senators Beck
and White without eliciting q. response. He
draws up form OF dispatch for use by the
| Postmaster General, in which the views, so un-
| kindly treated, ere given in full. It commences:
Dr Ssmuo! A. Mqdd ionds co%pTns 11ssn to
| and kind wishes TO the afflicted, After mature
study l have come to the following conclusions,
which experience and observation have fully
| satisfied mo Of their TRUTH" After setting
forth that the poison Of infection bears tho same
| relation to disease that spirituous drink does to
drunkenness or mercury to salvation, and that
this poison is to the dead matter eliminated from
the system and absorbed into bedding IS con-
tsgion is TO tho living tissues he concludes -
THAT if all articles Of bedding, particularly
wooden blankets, throughout the whole city BIO
81 nucn sIhuarpcd into strong soap water. wash