South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1879-04-25
FROST AND YELLOW FEVER.


ted States Senate has passed "A bill ap.
propriating 100000 for the cons,ruc.
ton of steel refrigerating ship to disin
feet tho holds a1d cargoes OF vessels
coming from infected porte.
The projectors OF this plan Of disin.
lection claim that no mere experiment,
is contemplated. The project, they say
Is sure TO succeed, since artificial re-
triSeration is simple and well estab-
lished process, and It is certain that veil
low fevor germs cannot Withstand frost :
accordingly II is perfectly feasible TO
freeze cut any possible yellow fever in
lection that vessels from the tropics
may bring 10 our shores.
Unfcr;un ately, however, these cont.
dent statements involve several hypo-
theses which sadly lacS coniirma.ion.-
The germs themselves are hypothetical.
we have no positive proof Of their ex-
lstencc as living organisms: still less
proof that frost kills tbem. IL is true
that an undetermined something, under
favorable conditions not wholly under.
s'ood, suf!!ces TO propagate the disease.
!. IS true also that yellow fever epiiem.
les In this country are stopped by cold
weather. Yet, while the fever is not apt
TO rage IL any locality during two sue.
cessive seasons, except in the tropics,
Tue rrool that frost is tho srresting a.
gent, and that it is able 10 put an end to
the disease permanently OR until it is
rclmported) is very far from satisfactory.
IL is no uncommon thing for refugees
from fever districts TO return to their
10
then sicken aid die Of yellow fever. 1t
ia even asserted. on fair authority, That
cases of sickness, which no one would
hesitate 20 prOnou CO yellow feverduring
the summer season, have occurred re.
peateGly during the past winter in towns
along the lower Mississippi yet there
has been no lack OF severe frost in that
region.
The recent outbreak Of yellow fever
on the United States Steamer Plymouth,
after spending the winter at Boston and
being subjected to freezing and fumi.
CATION. complexities the matter still more.
The Plymouth came TO Boston las. fall
from cruise among the West Indies,
with yellow fever on board. The YES
Sc! was free from the disease during the
winter and if there is any truth in the
theory that frost is fatal TO yellow fever,
no cases should have occurred on that
vessel without renfection. Yet as soon
as the steamer, which left Boston March
10, had arrived in southern waters about
3OO miles southeast OF the Bermudas)
fever broke out and the steamer was
forced to return. But one step had
been made at II. Georges. Bermuda,
where there has been no yellow fever for
several years
lfthe infection of yellow fever can
Withstand the winter climate Of Boston,
why should it not that OF Memphis or
New Orleans! If il can, the importa-
ton of the disease ia rot necessary to
start an epidemic next summer. in which
case the most thorough refrigeration Of
incoming vessels will not suffice TO STAY
the plague.
There is another objection to the spen-
ding Of so much money on mn expert
mental vessel. II refrigeration should
prove adequate for the distinction Of
yellow fever ships, one rcfrigerating YES
sci will scarcely begin to do the work
required in all our southern ports; TWEEN
- ''y''N' ~ ''hO WV ulullN. II NJ WHY
should special steel ship be construc-
ted to carry the simple apparatus need.
Ell Tor the production of cold? ANY ex-
istlng river steamer or fair sized tugboat
would suffice for :'G' purpose ua5 the
$500. GOO appropriated would fl, up and
charter large number of such small
vessels each provided with all the ma.
chinery needed to refrigcrate the hold Of
any vessel, should the experiment, sus.
tain the projectors theory While two
hundred thousand, or two hundred mil.
lion, dollars would not be too much to
pay for preventing an epidemic Of vel
low fever next summer, il is altogether
too much TO pay for an experiment. which
could be made FOR n tenth Of the money
especially when there is possibility
tina: the wasted funds may be sorely
needed in the practical application OF
the methods the efficiency Of which the
experiment is expected to confirm
Scientific Amerjc0n.
As Philadelphia is acknowledged to
be the leading industrial city Of this
continent. it is natural that the manu-.
tacture Of shoes should be very large.
1t appears that three wears 400 there