The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-11-22
The Yellow fcvcr Question Before the
National Health Association.

sRGIIMoSD,s Va, November 2l.-At tht
session 0ftth6 National Health Association
Surgeon J.-S. Billings, U. S. Army, sub
mitted report from the committee tc
which was referred the general report o
the Yellow Fever Commission, setting
forth that they had examined said report
and return it 10 the Executive Committee
with the following remarks:
!. That It is evident that the yellow
Fever Commission exercised great dill
gencc in collecting data with regard to the
late epidemic, and its labors in this direc.
American Public Health Association.
9. Tint the preliminary conclusions
presented are in accord with the prevail
ing opinion OF the medical profession oi
this and other countries, with the exCep.
ton OF that relating to disinieetion.
8. The method OF investigation pursued
blythe Commission Is considered ,satisfac.
tory, ,and in fact the only one which could
haSe been employed so. farms obtaining
the history OF this epidemic is concerned.
4. 1t is believed TO be OF great import
ance that the investigation thus commenc-
ed should be made as thorough and conf
plete as possible in accordance with the
methods OF the committee.
Q The, committee thinkit 10 proper to Oh
serve that the Investigation should take q
much wider range since what is desired is
to'obtain ii possible knowledge OF the
cause OF yellow fever, u knowledge which
the most complete history OF the epidemic
that can be made, will not be able TO furn-
ish. II yellow fever, as is supposed, is
due to specific material thing, some
means are desired Of recognizing the
1reseiice l0fthat thing, lotheEthan the fact
OF the occurrence OF the specific disease in
human subjects, and hence one OF the first
things to be sought Is some animal or or
ganism in which it may be possible to pro-
iluce citizen yellow fever or some specific
or recognizable effect OF yellow fever in
persons In the accounts OF yellow lever
are various illusions in animal life OF GER
tain analogies between yellow fever and
the Texas or Spanish cattle fever have
been pointed out, but us yet the test men,
toned has not only not been found, but 1t
has not been mcthodically sought. I
It appears, however, that this is the first
and most important step inthe investiga-
tioii 4 the CURRENT theories about the yell
low fever are correct. The yellow fever
poison may be developed by adding some
one or more OF the cxcretions or fluids OF
persons affected with the yellow fever to
,lecomposing organic matter under well
known conditions of temperature and
moisture. We have then TO carry out the
process OF elimination TO find out what
OF. decaying tilthme essential
and what are non n-cssential to the. produc-
lion OF poison, and at the slme time TO
seek chemical or microscopical means OF
the presence OF either the
cause OF poison or poison itself, in order
10 get rid OF the possible necessity,of re-
sorting to q physiological test OF innocula.
ton to prove its presence. In this brief
sIctchof what would be considered n sat
isfactory demonstration OF the cause OF
yellow fever but one provisional hypothe-
sis-the prevailing aud popular one-has
been considered Several others must be
and tested, but in each and all
the greatest and first desidcratum is m
easily applied test OF the presence OF poison.
II needs but moments reflection to sec
That in the period when III epidemicis rug
ing there is no time to carry out such
researches. Probably the best place to
carry on such an investigation would be,
first, the ccity oflTavana. Itmust be clear
that such IN investigation will require
muChtimc and labor, and that its results
should be presented and accompanied by
clear and convincing evidence. ~
DrJEzra NJ. Hunt, President OF the State
Board OF Health OF New jersey, read au
EXCELLENT paper on "How-to Study an
Epidemic" and then the association ad-
ourncd and proceeded ina body to the
Executive Mansion in answer to an invita-
ion from Gov. Holiday. Il
DR.. Chopin, President Of the New Or
cans Board OF Health, gave history Of
he introduction OF yellow fever into New
Orleans in different epidemic years and
showed it was always imported. He con-
ended for an absolute non-intercourse
with the infected countries from April to |
November, US he was satisfied that tho
quarantine was not sufficient to
presvnt the disease. l.s yr5