The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-07-24
BOARD OF HEALTH.
Items Of Interest Gathered Rela-
tive to Sanitary Matters.
Dr. Austin Reports That There is No
Yellow Fever In Mississippi
City.


City.
DIR, WIN. Martin sanitary Inspector, reports
to DE. Chopin that he had visited and in
Hpected the steamers Golden City and w. p.
Halliday, and found the vessels In good sani-
fary condition; that the nearest point Oh
landing was sixty miles and eighty-five
miles below Memphis, respectively.
DR.. Austin reported the result of his inves-
figation Of the Mississippi City cases as fol-
lows:
Dh. AUsTIN's REPORT.
NEw ORLEANS, July %, 1879.
DR.. Samuel Chopin, President Board Of
Dear Sir--According to your directions I
proceeded to Mississippi City to investigate
The sickness Id the Creel family. In company
Board of Haalth, and DR.. Peliaz, OF Missis-
Hippi City, reached the house, situated IN
Id old field, not inelosed, perfectly isolated.
near the beach, and about one mile and q half
eonsisted Il mother and i've children, all
occupying ono room. The five children were
sick, lying Ii, hunks and on the floor, sur
rounded and covered with filth. Or. Ieliaz.
ts attending physcan W te Lolto r
one. Louise, who died, he knew nothing Of the
I case except from rumorl: Thomas Creel, aged
tweTlty4une years, was taken sick eight days
inter the death Of his sister Louise, on the
eighteenth uf July, ut / D. m. Caroline was
taken the same day, Samantha and Arabella
taken Saturday, the nineteenth. Edward
il taken July 40; he was about twenty Years
old. The girls were children ranging from
turs OF the oldest boy was iO1, and
The pulse a.; the tongue was red ut ths edge,
gums Bpungy. He threw up extravasatedl
blood, and was suffering from suppression Of
and IL he could be well nourshed and stimu-
lated would recover. The other cases were
doing WE'LL with the exception OF one Of the
little girls: her Temperature was lob, the
think, are malarlal hemorrhagie fever. which
Il have often seen, and which occurs more
+ frequently In the country than ~ our city
! These five cases were never out OF Mississippi
City, born there, and have lived there all their
lives, and were In the habit of living on any
I thing they could get to eat from the neigh
hors, and such food as they could procure On
the beach; often staying out all night. and
Il bathing at all hours and seasons; living
+ almost entirely out OF doors. They had but
one nurse on our arrival to wait on the five
cases. and the attention is SO bad that the
! physician has but little encouragement for
The labor he bestoWs on them.
We applied the test for albumen, bit found
Ione The mother Of these children informed
us that her daughter Louise, aged fifteen,
came home on the sixth OF July from New
4 Orleans; that she had been sick in Mr.. John
Etput's family one week before she came over
She walked two miles through the sun and
sand; was caught IN rain, and got very wet.
The mothers statements about the case Were
~ unsatisfactory That called upon t Dr !;
received the following facts:
Louise Creel. white female, aged fifteen
years, native OK Mississippi City, had been
employed as nurse in the family Of Capt. John
Stout, b pilot on the steamer II. Z. Lee Louise
returned from New Orleans on Jnly6 6. Sent
B Tor me July 3. On that day paid her two
visits, and. after examination, pronounced her
case bilious fever, and treated her Tor such
Until the next day. In the evening, when
i paid her the fourth and last visit, / found her
& III uaticNia paortis. then thought 1t was vel
q low fever ,
why, Or. Harry, did you think she II e, had
yellow fever; did she have black vomit?'
No; not to my knowledge: but she was q
1usky color, and was dying. then said to
I some Of my friends, 4 feared 1t was yellow
fever She died Friday morning at,5 o'clock
asked Dr.. Hurry II he saw any blood or
None whatever
a nRia 4: yPa I'D o?k for these ndications7" He
II am well satisfied that the imprudence of
the girl, her exposure at d critical period
(which had never appeared before) caused her
death.
was called in consultation with DR.. Peliaz
/ to see Mr.. Iiddle, who lives In Handsboro,
= three miles from the house Ut the Cree fam
lily. He had no connection whatever with the
3 Greels, or the house where they lay sick. 1
found him laboring under the same malarial
fever.
There was also child In the same family
sick with the same fever. / therefore could
come to no other conclusion than that the
& eases are all the same disease, malarial, not
yellow fever.
DR. Fitzpatrick was with me In all the exam
nations made, and we spent at least eight
hours IN inyestigating these cases, and y ne g
cuneurred with me rs to the character OF this
fever at Mississippi City.
Very respectfully yours. j.
THE FOLLOWING TELEGRAM
was answered In the affirmative:
MILLIcAN, Tex. July 3d. 1879.
President Board Of Health, New Orleans:
Can parties pass through New Orleans to
jackson in safety? ). WILLIAMS.
FROM DIR. ADAMS.
MInLER's BAYOU, July 49, 1879.
y. Chopin, M d.. President Board of Health,
New Orleans:
The American schooner Moilie Emma G.
$ Bugdahl master. arrived from Vera Cruz,
Mexico. She cleared July u. She has a clear
bill OF health and United States consular GER
LllleaJe. All well during voyage, and the
vessel is in good sanitary condition. Ine
cargo consists Of $50 sacks coffee. l await in
structions at Miliers bayou
ID. w. ADAMS, M. d..
Resident Quarantine Physician, RigoleIs Sta
tion.
DR.. Chopin answered that tho schooner
must undergo ten days quarantine with dis
Infection.
Dr. Chonpin sent the following communi
cation to Vice President Clark, Of the New
Orleans. ST. Louis and Chicago Railroad:
OFFICE BOARD OF HEAIrH !
New Orleans. July o. s79
j. G. Clark Vice President New Orleans al
Louis and Chicago Railroad:
Sri have the honor to inform you that
the cars detained at Hammond will be re
IN leased and allowed to come to this city after
thorough fumigation and disintection by the
sanitary inspector. You are advised hereafter
Id, bring no more freight of any dissertation