Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-05-16
THE Yellow Fever Germs Transported
, in Coffee and Quinine.

DIR. Jacob s. West, a prominent
physician of Texas, has recently pub
iisIed a letter in which he demonstrates
that the yellow fever germs can be
transmitted through grains of imported
coffee. When it is remembered that
the greater portion of the coffee con-
sumed in the United States is trans
ported from Brazil where the fever an
nually prevails, this statement by DIR.
West will show the importance of q
rigid quarantine. DR.. West publishes
his letter in the Berne (Texas) Register,
and he is represented as physician of
high standing and unquestionable We
racity. Re says:
In 1867 the town of Liberty had de-
clared and was enforcing quarantine
against Galveston, where yellow fever
was prevailing, and it being a small
town, and everybody on the alert,
stranger could not have come nor goods
have been imported without it being
known. The steamboat Ruthren came
from Galveston, and when within
mile or two of town was ordered to
stop, and the captain stated that, If he
was allowed to land on the bank of the
river t. sack OF coffee that be had on
board for Kicker, he would take his
steamer down the river. This permits
sion was granted and the sack of coffee
was placed on the bank and the boat
Immediately left. The coffes was hauled
to Liberty and opened by Mr.. Kicker
at his store, and in few days he was
taken sick with yellow fever and died;
his wife and servants were the next
gases, and then it spread all over the
kwn. In this instance the yellow
fever infection was clearly traceable
through the sack of coffee. The sec
ond instance was as follows: In 1870,
in passing through Galveston to Cor
pus Christi, met Hou. i. B. Picket,
who gave me list of names of families
who had moved from Liberty county
some years before and had settled on
the Nueces river near Corpus Christi.
On reaching Corpus Christi, visit
ed the settlements mentioned, and
learned that nearly all the families
were dead-had died of yellow fever.
The story, as related to me by several
parties living in the immediate neigh.
borhood, and by few members of the
stricken families who had survived the
scourge. is as follows: During the cpl
demic of 1867, coffee gave out in the
neighborhood, and man who had had
the yellow fever was selected to go to
Corpus Christi, fifteen miles distant, to
buy sack of coffee, and drive to cer-
tain mesquit tree in the Nueces valley,
near place known as Meanwhile, and
there to divide the coffee into separate
sacks, previously deposited in this tree
top and limb. In twenty-four hours
after the coffee had been thus divided
and suspended in the tree top, the sew
eral parties interested went there and
got their respective portions of coffee,
and into every family into whose house
this coffee was introduced in few days
yellow fever broke out and ragged with
fearful fatality. 1 felt deep interest
IN The matter, and was very particular
my inquiries, and the testimony of
al the parties interested proved beyond
doubt that it was sack of coffee that
conveyed the disease. for not q single
family escaped who used the coffee,
and other families did escape who had
no interest in the coffee and received
none, and from the further fact that all
thefamilies were attacked about the same
time, and no other communication with
Corpus Christi or other place Of infection
was had. 1t will be observed that this
sack OF coffee was transported in O
wagon exposed in the open air for If
teen miles and then opened, divided,
then placed in small sacks and again
exposed in the open air for twenty -four
hours. The yellow fever germ still
lived, and as soon as the conditions
were favorable acted with great viru-
lence.
The facts stated by DR.. West are cor
roborated by what occurred at Grenada,
Holly Springs, Grand Junction, Tus-
cumbia, Florence, Decatur and Browns
vile last summer. Yellow fever was
transported to these places, Just as IL
was to the town of Liberty, Texas, and
from Corpus Christi to the tree.top in
Nueces valley. IL was shown before
the Yellow Fever Commission. which
convened in this city few months ago,
that box OF quinine, protected by saw
dust, was sent from this city while the
yellow fever was raging, to citizen
IN Fayette county. When the box ar
rived there were several persons in the
PHYSICIANS Office, who Joe ularly re-
monstrated with the physician for
opening the box in their presence, as
1t might contain the germs of yellow
FEVER. The physician regarded such
tears as absurd. But the .facts show
that every person in the room at the
y A@e the box was opened soon after
% died with the yellow fever. These
Facts demonstrate that yellow fever can
be transported as easily and with as
much certainty as bale of cotton or
vaccine matter. As the warm weather
is fast approaching, the people OF the
south will not be forgetful of these
iacts, and erect an impossible gulf be-
tween themselves and the infected
towns. Knowing that yellow fever can
ne transported by sack of coffee, q
oox OF quinine. or yard of cloth, or
even the clothes We wear, the country
Will permit no contract or communica-
uon with the towns and cities SO unfor
tanate as to be again scourged with an
other epidemic. Woe to the Southern
town or city visited by the yellow
FEVER this summer. There will be no
H.