Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-01-11
The Yellow Fever Record.

The yellow fever has been raging in
the Southern States for over two
months. The total number OF deaths
at sixty points, from which reports have
been received, is 1889. This includes
all deaths from yellow fever at points
North and South, from July q TO Oct.
/. and the record is certainly fright
fnl one. The greatest number of deaths
have occurred at New Orleans. Mem
phis standing second on the list, Vicks-
burg third, Grenada fourth, and Gren-
vile fifth. Since Aug. /, 2.S45 deaths
have occurred at New Orleans. 2,6I6 at
Memphis, 1000 at Vicksburg. 219 at
Grenada, 245 at Greenville, 167 ut Hul-
ly Springs, 113 at Hickman, KY, 1l2
at Fort Glib son, and 1O2 at Canton.
The disease has been more violent
than in 1867. but not as violent as in
1855. In New Orleans in 1867 there
were go deaths in August. 1,637 in
Sep ember, 431 in October, the disease
abating about Oct. 10. This year, ac-
cordiug to reports published i'll the
New Orleans papers, there were 80
deaths III July, ST. in August, and ], :
9GS i'll September, with u death rate of
50 per day, extending into October. In
1858 there were in August alone 5,5lG
deaths i'll New Orleans, and the NOR
tally in other cities was correspond
ingly great. In 1867 the mortality in
Galveston was greater proportionately
than i'll New Orleans. This year Gal.
weston and other cities on the Texan
coast have escaped.
Nnarlx, nStahlrchnl thannxy N
yellow fever has been exploded or modi
fed by the experience of this season.
In previous years children were less
subject to the disease than adults.
This year they have been more liza
BILE to attack, and the fatality among
them has been greater. In accounting
for this, the physicians at New Orleans
argue that as the fever has hot pre-
vailed to any great extent for eleven
years, all children born within tat time
were as unused to the poison us child
rem born in the North. In o majority
of cases children were first attacked by
malarial- re mittent fever, which, after
several days, idegenerated into yellow
fever. In previous years acclimated
persons stood in little fear OF the dis
ease. This year the fatalities among
acclimated persons have been startling.
ly numerous. In accounting for this,
one writer advances the theory that
man having the yellow fever once will
not have it again, should the disease
prevail every season. But if the city
be freed from the poison for number
of years, lie will lose the effect of the
first attack and be susceptible to anoth-
er attack.
Another queer point in the expert
ence of the season is that quarantine
has in majority of cases avuiled but
little. Memphis, Grenada, Vicksburg,
Mobile, and Canton, all declared "a
stringent quarantine against New Or
leans, but all have suffered from the
fever. Of the twenty towns declaring
quarantine, only one was severely
stricken.
Never before in the history of the
yellow fever in this country has more
sympathetic and hopeful spirit been ex-
n ibited by the people. All that could
DC done to prevent the spread of the
disease, and in the way OF the care of
the sick, has been done. There has been
no lack of skill in treatment or of funds
to provide for the comfort of tho af-
hicted, and it will he strange if We do
not come out of such all experience with
more knowledge as to the disease and
with softer hearts for those in trouble.
In connection with the fearful record
in New Orleans and Memphis comes up
the almost forgotten fact that from 1741
to 1892. New York had eleven. yellow
fever seasons. In 1898 there were, in
apopulation of So, 900, over 1000 deaths,
and IN 1905 the havoc was 80 great that
over half the people (37 .000) left the
city. In 170S Philadelphia was nearly
desolated by the yellow fever, the
deaths in population OF $4,000 num-
bering 4,041. Five years later SO, 900
out of 10000 inhabitants in Philadel-
phia fled from the city, and the death
rate was over 100 per day. Since 1922
the disease has not prevailed in Ell her
city to any great extent, although in
1867 New York had $40 cases in quaran-
tine and 1T deaths. How much the
better systems of drainage and better
sanitary regulations generally have to
do with the exemption Of both cities in
later years, is subject of special inter-
est to New Orleans and Memphis.-
Chicago Inter. Ocean.