The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1879-01-09
!. MIGRATIoNs OF YELLOW FEVER.

elbow fever, like the cholera, is on
4 Of the great migrating diseases. Start
is3g from, some point within the trop
les, it travels steadily onward from
ONT to point as long as it does no
meet freezing weather and it travels
by preference = compare
4ely seldom to the southwark of the
one from which it sets out. Thus Bra
I'll suffered comparatively little from
lis epidemic visitations. though, as We
Shall see, the disease planted its germs
long ago i'll Rio de Janeiro, on the. ex-
trene southern limit Of the tropics
But it's fayorlte course is toward the
north. Upon our Atlantic coasts,
says Dr.. J. C. Mott, q careful student
and observer of it's phenomena, "as on
the coast of the Mediterranean. it
comes from time to time in one OF
tuoso immense waves that know no
bounds and stop at no impediments.
Tue distance to which the disease ex-
tends seems to depend much upon the
strength of the wave: it first strikes
tue Gulf, and generally goes 10 farther.
Occasionally it will break over the
peninsula of Florida and reach Savan-
nah and Charleston. In 1855, after
many years Immunity, it struck Nor
folk with full force, and only a few
rjpples, as in 1853, 1866, 1870, have for
half a century reached the Delaware
River and the Bay Of New York And
the same observer, writing eight years
ago, adds some words which have a
grave Significance to-day: 'Y yellow te-
yer, after d long absence, never makes
its disappearance in our Northern Cit
les without a warning from tile Gulf
of Mexico. It is seen not only fOl'
months, but often for several years, III
vigorous action in it's native habitat
before it leaps over it's accustomed
bounds; but when once on the tramp,
it may travel from Buenos Ayres t.
Quebec, leaving more graves in Its
track than Asiatic cholera. There il
reason to fear that one OF these cruz
tions IS now marshalling its forces.
Let us glance at the course Of one Of
these typical epidemics-at the one,
for instance, which started lbs far away
as Bio de Janeiro, twenty eight years
ago, and travelled in six years all the
way to New York-a journey Of near-
ly four thousand miles-in q great cir
Gle. A great many years before, 50
many that the inhabitants Of Rio had
lost all recollection or tradition Of the
fact, the yellow fever had visited their
city; but now the epidemic broke up
on them like lightning frQm a clear
sky. ''This outbreak" Says DR.. Mott,
commenced in Rio in JANUARY, 1850.
and travelled night and day for six
years, making it's expiring effort in
New York Bay in 1856. | had my eye
upon this epidemic from it's commence
ment, watching its, steady course and
ravages along the Atlantic, Caribbean
Sea, and Gulf Of Mexico for several
thousand miles. When it struck New
Orleans 1861 it Was clear to my mind
that our own coast WAS doomed, and
before il reached Mobile ] was so Ger
tain it would come that [ moved my
family into the healthy pine hills, sew
en- miles from the town, where the
disease had never been. But, in spite
Of all my prudence, the disease not on
ly came to Mobile, but followed my
family out to Spring Hill, where | lost
four Of my children in one week. -
DR.. r. M. CoAN, in Ha2peT'S 21sGgoGi71e
for December.
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