The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1879-01-08
The Yellow Fever Congressional
Committee.
The INTERROGATION at New orIeau.
FIRST DAY.

Comm iS~ion met Yesterday at II 0 clock II
: room 100 s.. Charles Hotel. Present; SeDa-
Committee; Hon. L. Q. c. Lamar, of Mis-
Si-~ipoi: Hon A 5 Paddock. OF Nebraska
, hon. Randall l. Gibson, Gen Chss- E
Hooker, OF Mississippi Col 7 S. Hsrdee
d. John NJ. Woodwork and DIS. Louis A
Falii"ant. OF Savannah; Bemiss, OF New
Orleans; Green. of b 'ston-
Senator Eustis, Chairman, briefly reca-
piruisted the purposes tor which this com
{ miftee bad been appointed. and defined tie
suffers fer the inquiry substantially
, these are:
!. The origin of yellow fever, and the
cause ct the spread OF the disease through
/ the country.
. To = hat extern, and in what N amer
commercial interests have been affected.
IL Is on these two divisions Of The subject
carefully considered, that the report to
+ Congress will BE- made.
The examination OF medical experts was
proceeded with and DR.. Holiday was ex-
ahmed He said:
| There is always some difficulty in tracin 2
! the epidemic TO the rst. In regard 70 the
question As TO whether yellow feyer Is IN
.igenus or not. | believe that the gentle
men who held to the i'm portation theory are
srill firm in their belief on that head MY
own belftf i that the fever originates from
"a germ, and until | fiud one more satiS!ac-
tory, embracing as many it not more of the
o5nts. | shall cling To il. [ fl MY believe
/ that The germs. even II they were pFlHdrl-
Iy imported. are located here. and need but
particular atmospheric conditions to geuer-
ate au Epidemic at any time. / believe the
! Souter eases were imported. aS they origl-
mated too soon after their arrival here to
have BE- en- contracted in this city. / noticed
no particular difference between the f.
yer OF 1873 and chat of previous years
bur | do not think that it was a malignant
as the fever ot 1853 or 1853. saw negroes
who were affected by the fever in 1858,
! though the African race enjoy marked i'm
munily from the lever; believe this to be
| the case in the W est Indies. | believe that
| there l. never summer in New Orleans
! that we don't see some cases OF yellow fever
! which originate here. l have seen cases
| which have all the characteristics of yellow
| fever but which do not spread. In regard
| 10 maiarial levers, accompanied with black
vomit, | have never seen the peculiar vel
vrty block vOmit, which is found in yellow
! fever. in case of malarial levers. The germ
! is living particle transpIanted more par
| ticulariy by goods and clothing than by
! p reons.
| | 90 not think that a quarantine system.
| even il perfect, would guarantee immunity
! from yellow fever: 1t would protect us from
mali pox. typhus and other contagious dis
/ eases.
| Ii the germ theory is the correct one, |
| cannot see how a quarant inc system, either
| federal or local, i, possible, or likely to
! prove efficient "a yellow fever preven-
! i've.
Dr. w ii. I'll FlcOnUe sworn. SAID : L nave
| practiced medicine for the past fourteen
| YEAR, bat have lived in the yellow fever
! zone, near NatcheZ, for much longer pc
| Rod. agree with DR.. Holiday that the
/ germ OF fellow fever was imported here
| during the last century from the West In
| dies. which | consider the regular habitat
! OF yellow tever. | do not believe that quar-
| anime can prevent the Concurrence OF the
| germs which, II there are causes at the
! lime which tend to propagate them We
| D. rI it,i 10 al here all
! time. | believe that quarantine might be
/ effective in restraining the im portation of
| new germs. but | believe at the same time
| that nothing less than a military and naval
| Gordon around the coast would suffice to es-
| Cab sh and maintain a perfect quarantine
| system. | think that the epidemic in this
! city sprang up simultaneously in several
places about the middle ut July. Quaran-
! iIne, think, if well enforced, would lessen
| the danger of precipitatlng an epidemic.
| [ do not believe that New Orleans is the
! birth place of yellow fever. In regard to
| Natchez, | don't think that concurrence
| of causes favorable to the epidemic we're
com bined. | believe quarantine, if effectu-
| al. to be beneficial. L believe that fever,
! nine times out of ten, Is not Imported, and
| that often, when il is imported, at a time
| when the concurrent causes not at
| work, it does not spread. have treated
| the same person twice for yellow fever.
| Cases ofthiS kind, however, are Of rare uc-
! currcnce. | am CONVINCED that New Or
| leans Il the nluuS OF N6llOW lever lot the
Mississippi Valley, and that the outbreak of
the past sumner is only the first of series.
SECOND DAY.
DR. B. c. White testified: There is no
difference between an imported ease, one
! who contracted the disease in another port,
| and one which originated here; but when
| one breaks out here, it shows that the dis
| ease is here. There certainly have been
cases which could not be traced to i'm
portation. [ do not think the city was any
| dirtier last summer than it has been in pre-
| vious summers. 1t was more apparent be-
| cause OF the humidity of the atmosphere.
| There are cases OF yellow fever which can
! not be traced to i'm portatiOn. The first case
! OF fever in his experience, during this cpl
! demic. occurred about July 81. 1873. Thinks
! that quarantine would diminish the yellow
| fever. Whether the fever becomes epidemic
| depends upon certain conditions. Did not
! know how the fever originated; could not
| Subscribe to the germ theory. The epdem-
! les al 1878 and 1867 were not as fatal as those
| OF 1888 and former years. He has treated
the same patient twice for yellow fever;
| il is a very rare occurrence, as in smallpox.
DR.. Holt, formerly OF Wilkinson coun ty,
/ Mississippi, testified: Believes it is i'm
! ported when il prevails as an epidemic.
! condition OF fitness iavOring the spread OF
! the disease is given in the reasons previous
/ " stated. 1t is ppssihls for him to state
! what that condition is. The prevalence of
! fever il the interior of the country is ac-
! counted for by transmission. The diagno-
| sis OF the native aud i'm ported fever is the
same in both cases The uncleanly cOndi=
ton of the city had no appreciate effect
| on the spread of the disease. His opinion
! is that disinfection localized and confined
! it. Does not know of any epidemic TINT
was not imported, Has not any positive
| opinion To the origin of yellow fever; it
| is impossible for him to entertain an opin-
| ION. Does not believe that epidemics are
! always imported. Cannot entertain posi-
| tive b-liefin regdrd to quarantine; believes
| that New Orleans belongs to the yell ow
| fever section; il is only personal belief;
will not cham pon it. Quarantine i only
an experiment; it is the only possible,
| shortcut manner in which to ascertain
whether the fever is indigenous or not.
| quarantine law which would make any eX-
| crptions in favor of any one port would be
! iniquirous. Cannon say whether a general
Quarantine law would be judieious or not.
DIR. Holt is of the opinion that the fever
was transported to Mississippi and other
| points.
THIRD DAY.
Dr. VIM. Martin: think Federal sys-
tenn of quarantine would result in checking
| the importation of the fever; think fever
| when It becomes endemic is always impor
| ted it is only of local origin when few
| sporadic cases occur.
| DR.. w r. Maudeville: | consider the
| fever was imported from New Orleans, but
| the opening of the sewer aggravated its
| violence. | consider yellow fever has eX-
| listed here every summer, as [ think the soil
| is favorable for the development of the
| germs. | think the last epidemic might
have originated here; in interior towns tn
fever was imported from this place.
question whether fever originated here
not. | believe in a National system of
| quarantine, but also think the local author
tiles should have some power, otherwise