The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1878-11-27
Mississippi
IN THE NATIONAL HEALTH CONVENTION.

The State which we have the honor to
represent having been one OF the chlei sur
fers from the recent epidemic OF yeiio" It.
yer. it is proper that we should say some
thing to this meeting. The ardHous tntle
incident to the epidemic, left 40 tine Tor
to collect statistics, and we will therefore
not attempt TO enter into dejaii-, but VIVA
we have TO say will be in a gen raj way
On the 81 of August, when only com par
atiyeIy small NUN Der OF cases OF yellow lie
yer were officially reported in the city
| New Orleans, our towns located on the Mis-
>issippi river aud on the railroads, began L
ESTABLISH guarantees under the direction 0
the State Board of Health, and a little late
the Quarantine OF entire counties be
gan The first official report received
at the office of the State Board of Healtl
OF the existence of number OF eases o
yellow fever within the limits OF the State
was from the town of Grenada. on the 1871
of August when fifty eases were reported
Some time before this our County Boards o
Health had been organized, and soon aftel
the report had been telegraphed through
out the State, almost every town and village
had organized a board. Very early in The
season most of our towns aud villages ano
many entire counties were quarantined
Thus you will see our organization to &c
| battle with the pestience was pretty thor
ough In addition TO quarantines, disintec-
tants. carbulic acid, sllphate of iron, fresh
| stone lime, ETC.. were freely used ia the
greater part of the State, and an effort was
made to place every exposed point in tie
| lest possible sanitary condition. When q
| locality became infected the following
| measures were reSorted to: Households
containing patients were guaranteed,
apartments after being occupied by patients
were subjected to sui phurous fumigation,
bedding, clothing and towels used by pa
tients were burned, dead bodies were buried
soon after death, and csrbolic acid was
| freely used about infected localities.
| The abundant experience which we have
! Just had leads us to believe, that while dis
infectants, cleanliness, good drainage, etc.,
| have their merits in the prevention of some
other diseases, they are utterly powerless to
| prevent yellow fever. Localities that were
| in the best possible sanitary condition were
visited by the disease, it spread rapidly and
was as fatal as in other localities. Seven
weeks before the appearance of single
case of the disease, the city of Jackson was
placed in the best sanitary condition, and
during all of this time the streets were
sprnkIed daily with three per cent. solu-
ton OF carbolic acid until the odor of the
acid pervaded the entire town, but when the
disease was introduced an epidemic was the
result. The experience of other places was
similar. When place once became infec-
ted the measures resorted to proved utterly
futile in arresting its progress, the disease
would spread in spite of them.
Much has oeen written on the subject of
land quarantines and their impractical bility.
Our experience has taught us that an
absolute land quarantine is not impossible,
but that they are extremely difficult to ac-
complish, are very incOnvenient, and inter
fere greatly with travel and internal com
merce. While many of our towns became
infected, still most of them entirely escaped
through the efficiency OF guarantees, and
instances are not wanting where entire
counties occupying exposed positions, thus
escaped. Notably among them is the coun-
ty OF jefferson on the Mississippi river. |
where seventy miles of territory was |
guarded by mounted police. But while we |
IN ade efficient, and should be establishes |
and made rigid 7hen necessary, still we are |
anxious to avoid their Inconvenience
Our disastrous experience Of this year has |
how difficult, how well nigh |
i'm possible it is to arrest the developments |
and spread of yellow foyer when it has once |
reached our shores. In addition to our own /
experience we have the voluntary confess
sion of numerous State and municipal |
boards OF health that their efforts to eradi-
cate the disease by the use of disinfectants
nave proven wholly Intellectual. if not posi- |
lively injurious. Naturally, then. we are
sd to the consideration OF other means by |
which we may escape future visitations OF |
his death-dealing plague. Satisfied as we
ire by the observance OF proofs that we
ieem indispulable, that yellow fever does
not originate de 1tO1O in any one of the
Unit ed States are naturally led to con-
slider the means by which the introduction
ntO our country may be prevented. Thi,
question is one that is of the very greatest
IN POI lance TO those whose homes are in the
Mississippi Valley, and scarcely less import
INT is it to the whole country.
The suffering and sorrow and the pecu |
liary losses that have this year fallen to our
PORTION, and which have so touched and
Melted the hearts of our whole people, can
lot fail to make the prevention of its repe-
ition Il subject of profound interest to the
Whole country I
The utter failure of such quarantine regu-
atoms as have heretofore existed at our
iulf and South Atlantic ports has suffi 5
iently demonstrated their inadequacv Ia I
ford to US that protection which we ask a
or the safety OF our citizens.
While positive non-Iutercourse with the | c
Vest India Islands, and the Spanish and
'Outh American States may not be possible [
or us to obtain, by reason OF commercial .
reaties that may exist between their re- .
iNyD frfANrl1r r1tYa r. RI
SIX of our general government that such [
be placed upon that intercourse.
S Will prevent the possibility of future q
isitations of yellow fever. a
Inasmuc as the States whose Dorts are c
hus exposed. have proven themselves DOW t
rless TO successfully quarantine those ports n
nd by such failure have inflicted great loss | o
nd injury upon the whole nation, we do 4
lost earnestly recommend that Congress ?
AXE such action as will afford to the States q
means CT making he quarantine OF those l
orts as rigid and etfectual as it is possible 0
0 be done. n
In pre- sentiBg our report we have neces- p
ariIy been very brief. and have avoidad L
IL reference TO the fearful scenes throu0h x
Thich we have passed, and endeavored 10 Z
resent such statement as may cenduce to u
he accomplishment of the great objects Il
ad in view by this Association.
And in conclusion we beg leave to record a.
ne profound sense of our Indebtedness to
ne great hearted and sympathizinO y
eople of the States outside OF the plague q
.ricken regions for the timely and appro- o.
ropriate relief they have lavished upon Us g
the gloomy and fearful period oil our I'M al
xampled calamity. With us the light went ~
ut and the darkness came on with ALARMING Ill
Ipiditv. But we soon discovered the u
eavens overreached with myriads of cheer 70
x faces, and gentle voices inspired us with u
esh courage, while countless ministerin0 VI
lnds scattered the lfe-giving tokens OF al
nder and loving solicitude upon us Thus =
lr trouble and calamity revealed our real
lends. Az
As darkness shows Us worlds OF light, ev
e never saw by day" "a