Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-08-19
THE YELLOW FEVER PLAGUE.
Home of the Pestilence-Its Geo
graphical Limits-Is there Danger
to Washington tits Former Raw
ages In Alexandria. &c.

r
ages In Alexandria, &c.
The appearance of yellow fever in malig-
nant fOIm at New Orleans and other points in
the Gulf states, has naturally caused much
anxiety on the part of the sanitary and health
officers of other localities for protection from
it. AS this is portable disease. not only sea-
board but also all interior cities having water
and raill DAD communications with that Sec
tiOn are vitality interested.
The history of the origin of this outbreak
whether from recent importation or developed
from an old fornetis hidden away, which had
preserved its vitality in some obscure place
where the disease had once prevailed, and
again revived its latent poison under favor;
able condition, or originating de nOro, we shall
lot discuss. We will here quote few SEN
tences relative to
from paper by DR.. j. M. Toner, entitled
"The Distribution and Natural History of Vel
low Fever. as 1t Has Appeared at Different
American Public Health Association in the
city of New York in the fall of 1874, and pub
lished in the report of the Surgeon General of
the marine hospital service of the United
States for that year. with map showing the
ease has appeared from l66S.lS74: THE con-
ceded home OF yellow fever is in the West In
dies and the Bahamas, with portion of the
adjacent continents of North and South Amer
lea. square formed by the 45th and lO0th
the 5th south latitude, will include the favOrite
region of this disease. Although originating
within the square named, history shows that
it may prevail on the sea-coast in any locality
within tre tropics, north and south of the
equator, where malarial feVerS prevail
and the daily average of the thermom
eter is over Is or. so degrees, with a high
dew point for weeks or months together"
There are, no doubt, other conditions than
those OF continued high temperature with
moisture OF a purely sanitary and preventa
s.l,sr rs0fn ,inIf fnx-
propagation of this great scourge of the trop-
les. 1t has been observed that once the dis
ease becomes epidemic it can exist and pre-
serve its grave form at q much lower tempera-
ture than seems to be required for its origin.
Yellow fever of a malignant type has appeared
very early this season in the southern part of
the United States, and is spreading with un
exampled rapidity and mortality to the cities
in the gulf states. 1t is also advancing stead
lily up the Mississippi valley into the heart Of
tfe country: In the past it has appeared in
as far north as Boston, and indeed has been
chronicled at Quebec and Halifax. The his
tory of
THE GEOGRAPHICAL LIMIT OF THE DISEASE
in an epidemic form shows its northern bOun-
dary to be in the region of Norfolk, Va. This
disease prevails In warm, and In cities rather
than in rural, places. 1t is sometimes arrested
in its course or modified in its severity by
storms, heavy and continued rains. The polar
waves or ''northers" that occasionally blow
from the Arctic region down across Texas
its severity and spread. We cannot now rea-
SOnably expect the complete arrest of this
epidemic until the advent of frost, which
always eiiectualy puts an end to it for the
While it Is true that yellow fever has visited
many OF the seaport cities, 1t has, fortunately
away from the towns and cities located along
the great water courses to which it was car
REQ. Dr: Drake many years ago observed
that While the disease had appeared at almost
town MiSSiSSinDl a q a
Vicksburg, that WOodyille, twelve miles from
the river, was the most remote inland point it
had reached. The changed condition of our
country, in it's development of railroads, with
the growth OF villages into towns, and towns
into cities, have rendered it possible for this
disease to be carried within few hours or d
cities, and where it is probable such uns initary
conditions exist that it could propagate Itself
during the heated term. Once the disease has
become epidemic in city the unacclimated
have no security except by flight to healthy
localities.
There are, perhaps, no cities out of the Cult
states " here the clizens could be said, in any
sense, to be acclimated to yellow fever.
PEOPLE LEAVING AN INJECTED CITY
ought for their own safety, as we'll as in JUS
tice to others, seek elevated rural places or
cities at tide level. Such fugitives ought not
to bring anything with them that could pos,
slby contain the germs OF the disease. In this
day of rapid transit, express lines, mammoth
trunks, it may not be safe to trust to the pru-
dence of travellers or the interested mer-
chants. 1t may therefore become the duty of
system OF quarantine over railroads, as well
as water routes, and at least supervise the
shipment OF all articles of domestic charac-
ter from infected cities that could possibly
cases require the publication of goods before
being opened in cities and localities where
the disease has not appeared.
~ Is 10 pe noRed that the health officer Of
npcaSSar finp O
for f"'''A'
THE PROTECTION OF WASHINGTON.
we snail not attempt to instruct, but we are
among those who believe that hygiene has
been reduced to something of a science, and
that sanitary officers possess in great degree
not only the power to prevent disease by en-
forcing sanitary laws, but that science has
placed within our reach the means and pointed
out the methods by cleanliness and disinfec-
ton to stamp out epidemicS even where they
have assumed formidable appearance. Al
though we do not, on an inspection of DR..
Toner'S yellow Fever Map" find that the
city OF Washington is named upon it, we
nevertheless do not see that we can depend
on any exemption except through good santa
ry regulations, inteliigently administered If
Washington has never been visited by yellow
fever, her near neighbor and practically her
and '9s and again in 1903. The latter wear it
was quite severe causing over 20S deaths 1t
may not be uninteresting at this time to quote
the following account given of that epidemic
THE DISEASE IN ALEXANDRIA IN 1893
The yellow fever commenced in Alexandria
ID. e., the last of July and the beginning of Au.
gust, 1898. The population of Alexandria is
estimated at something upwards of six thou.
sand. 1t is situated on the west bank of the
Potomac river, and the houses on Water street,
together " lth those to the westward of it,
stand generally about 25 to 30 feet above the
level OF high water mark. The streets are laid
of at right angles, which, with two exceptions
are IS feet wide and upwards. The SQUARES
are about 352 feet by 246. A considerable ex.
tent OF ground has been made to the eastward
OF Water street, and new street, called Union
street. has been laid off, and built upon be-
yond which warehouses are erected and
Wharves extended to the channel of the river
These two streets are only fifty feet wide and
there is a pretty steep descent from Water to
Union street, the latter being not more than
| five or six feet above high water mark The
streets are generally we'll paved, and especial.
| ly In the commercial parts of the town but
many Of the warehouses which stand on the
| low made ground under which there are no
| cellars, are supposed to have water under
| their lower floors. 1t is believed that upwards
| of three thousand of the inhabitants deserted
| the town. From the western part of it there
| were but few removals but it is probable that
| In the three ranges of squares next to the
river not more than tenth part remained
| The whole number of deaths OccaSiOned by the
| epidemic was, think, something upwards Oi
| two hundred, and it continued, throughout
| he season, to be singularly limited in its Ope.
rations.
| Yellow fever scourged Alexandria also in
! 1871 and 1872 to such an extent as to cause