Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1879-08-16
Epidemic at Last.

DIR. G. B. Thornton, President of
the Board of Health at Memphis,
on Saturday, the 9th instant, de-
clared the yellow fever in that city
to be epidemic in the following
card
The Board of Health, being in
formed that there is IA disposition
manifested on the. part of some abb
sentees from Memphis to return
sooner than would be advisable,
and as this disposition may be in
creased, deems it best to submit the
following statement in regard to
the prevalence and spread of yellow
fever in the city. Though the death
rate from yellow fever up to Aug.
2, the date of the last regular week
ly report, exceeded the deaths from
all other causes by few, but being
less than that of the week previous,
the Board of Health was encour-
aged to believe that it would not
exceed this number for any week
during the prevalence of the dis
ease, and as no practical good, it
was thought, would result from a
formal announcement of an epidem-
ic, it declined to make such an an
nouncement at that time. Up to
Aug. 2, if prevailed mostly in the
neighborhOod where the first cases
occurred in July, in the southern
portion of the city, in the fifth and
a portion of the seventh and tenth
wards, and in the northeastern por-
ton of the city in the eighth ward,
and could not be considered epidem-
ic beyond those limits. During the
last ten DAYS, it has extended be-
yond these limits, where it was
hoped to be confined, and cases have
been reported, and deaths occurred
in so many different localities of
the city, that it is now impossible
to say what portion is not infected.
Therefore, the Board of Health
makes the formal declaration of
general epidemic. The death rate
is small in proportion to the num-
ber of cases reported, and there are
good reasons to hope that it will
not exceed, if it again reaches, the
present weeks mortality during the
prevalence of the disease. These
reasons are, that some escape in ev-
cry epidemic, not being liable to
the disease, from what cause we do
not know many of those who re-
main are protected by a previous
attack, and it is reasonable to as
sumo that many who contract the
disease will recover +; that large
portion of our population, who are
liable to the disease, have left the !
A.. 4 g IL LOT sxNr.
is still in progress, which should,
and no doubt will be continued, un-
less free subsistence is supplied in
the city, which would not only !
have the effect to prevent some |
from going to the camps where
such provision is made, but would |
induce others to come into the city,
thereby becoming the means of |
the disease to localities |
now free from infection. Therefore,
in view of these facts, we are in |
duced to believe that, although the |
disease is liable to be here until |
frost, the rate of mortality will not
exceed, if it equals, its present num-
Der for any one week in the future.
Every practicable means of infec- |
ton and local sanitation calculated |
to avert the disease has been and is
still being used. In this work, the |
Board of Health has the active CO.
operation of both the National and |
State Boards of Health, through |
their representatives, DIR. r. w.
of the former, and Hon.
John Johnson, Ofthe latter.
The following is the number of
deaths from yellow fever since its
as reported to this Of
fee /: For The week ending July II,
3 for the week ending July 10, 6;
for the week ending July 26, "a; for
the week ending Aug. 2, %; for
the week ending Aug. 9, %; total
of deaths to date, 50. AS is
the Board of Health
will announce officially through
the papers when it is thought to be
safe for absentees to return.
g. b. THORNTON,
President of the Board OF Health.