Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1879-03-18
YELLOW.FEVER GERMS TRANS
PORTED IN COFFEE.

DR.. Jacob S. West, a prominent physician
of Texas, has recently published a letter in
which he demonstrates that the yellow-fever
germs can be transmitted through grams
ofimported coffee. When it is remembered
that the greater portion of the coffee con-
sumed in the United States is transported
from Brazil, where the fever annually pre-
walls, this statement by DIR. West will show
the importance of a rigid quarantine. DR..
West publishes his letter in the Berne
(Texas) Register, and he is represented as
physician of high standing and unquestion-
able veracity. He says:
In 1857 the town Of Liberty had declared and was
enforcing quarantine against Galveston, where yell
lowfeyer was prevailing, and II being small town.
and everybody on the alert, a stranger could not
have come nor goods have been imported without 1t
Galveston, and when within mile two of town.
was ordered TO stop and the captain stated that If he
was allowed 10 land on the bank of the river sack
of coffee that he had on board for Mr.. Kicker, he
would take his steamer down the river. This per-
on the bank and the boat Immediately left The cot
Zee was hauled 70 liberty and opened by MT Kicker
at his store, and in aew days he taken sick with
yellow and died. his wife and the
next cases, and then II spread all over the town.
In this instance the yelowfever Infection clearly
traeeabe through the sack of coffee The
second instance IS as follows In 1870, in passing
christi met Hon. E. B. Pickett who gave me Eist
OF names OF families who had moved from Liberty
county some years before. iand had settled on the
Nuecss river near Corpus Christi. On reaching Cor
and learned that nearly all the families were dead
had died OF yeilOg-fever. The story, related to
by several parties living in the immediate neigh
borhood, and by few members of the stricken fami-
lies who had survived the scourge, is follows:
neighb rhood; and man who had had the yellow
fever, selected TO go to Corpus Christi, fifteen
certain mesquit tree in the Nueces valley near a
place known as Meanwhile ana there to divide the
this tree-tOp and limbs. In Iwentyiour hours
after the coffee had been thus divided and sus-
pended In tue reetop the several parties interested
went there and got their respective portions of cof
fee, and In every family into whose house this coffee
out and raged with fearful fatality. felt deep in
terest in the matter and was very particular in my
ested proved beyond doubt that IT was a sack of
coffee that conveyed the disease, for not single
lies did escape who had interest in the coffee and
received none, and from the further fact that all the
other communlcatiOn with Corpus Christi or other
place OF infection was had. Ii Will be observed that
posed In the open air for fifteen miles ana then
again exposed In the open air for twenty-four hours
The yellOw-fever germ still lived and soon as the
conditions were favorable acted with great viruence
The facts stated by DR.. West are corrobo-
rated by what occurred at Grenada, Holly
Springs, Grand Junction, Tuscumbia, Flor
ence, Decatur and Brownsville last summer.
Yellow-fever was transported to these places,
just as it was to the town of Liberty, Texas,
and from Corpus Christi to the tree-top in
the Nueces valley. 1t was shown before the
yellow-fever commission which convened in
this city few months ago, that a box of
quinlne, protected by saw-dust, was sent from
this city while the yellow-fever was raging
TO physician in Fayette county. When the
box arrived there were several persons in the
physicians office, who jocularly demonstrated
with the physician for opening the box in
their presence, as it might contain the germs
of yellow-fever. The physician regarded
such fears 80 absurd. But the facts show
that every person In the room at the time the
box was opened soon afterward died with the
yellow-fever. These facts demonstrate that
yellow-fever can be transported as easily and
with as much certainty as a bale of cotton or
vaccine matter. As the warm weather is fast
approaching. the people of the south will not
be forgetful of these facts, and3 erect an
impossible gulf between themselves and the
infected towns. Knowing that yelow-feyer
can be transported by sack of coffee, a box
Of quinlne, or yard of cloth, and even the
clothes we wear, tae country will permit no
contact or communication with the towns