Sharp County record., 1879-08-21
YELLOW FEVER AT HOME.
How Ie Is Treated at Vera Cruz, the Place
Where Yellow Jack Reigns Forever
from the New York Times.l

Give a city q bad name for fevers and it
has to suffer even when no fever Is
there. The steamship City OF Mexico
ran for long time between Vera Cruz
and New Orleans, making quicker COM
munication with the civilized world for
the people of Vera Cruz and the interior
than they ever had before. The time
to New Orleans was less than four days,
and from there communication was easy
with all parts of the United States, or
all parts of the world. This steamer
now lies in the North River, laid up for
the summer-and all because Vera Cruz
has bad name. Last summer they
had yellow fever there-plenty OF it,
This summer there is no epidemic; but,
to guard against any chance OF conta.
gion, New Orleans has ordered that all
vessels from Vera Cruz shall lie in quar-
antine 20 days before going up to the
city. This practically stops water COM
munication between these two cities for
the summer, and Vera Cruz, OF course,
must be the sufferer.
"Last SUMNER" said Capt. Mackin-
tosh of the steamer City of Mexico to the
writer, "they seemed in danger of all
going off with yellow fever. This sum,
mer there is no fever to speak OF, but
they're in fair way to starve to death,
for no steamers are running there. The
English and French steamers do not 60
there this summer, and we will not start
again till fall"
Vera Cruz seems to be yellow fever's
favorite summer resort. Never q sum-
mer passes without some cases, and fire.
ouently there is an epidemic. 1t even
stavs there throughout the winter, keep
ING occasional cases in the hospitals all
the year round. A stranger going there
in January, and sleeping out in the open
air. often on the deck of ship, is in
fair way to catch it. Strangers very
often do this, unless they are warned in
time, for the heat, even at that time
wear. is almost unbearable, and nothing
is more pleasant than to get up at mid
night and walk down to the mole, where
there is always breath of air from the
sea. But New Yorker might almost
as we'll look down pistol barrel to see
the cartridge explode as to do this, for
he is sure to sit down on cotton bale,
and almost sure to fall asleep. Even
the natives are afraid of this, and keep
religiously under cover at night.
The native Vera Cruzans have very
little fear of the vomito, although they
know that it is continually lurking
among them, and most of them have
had it, some of them several times. 1t
would be as reasonable to say that be-
cause mans right arm has been bro
ken his left arm is forever safe, as to
imagine that yellow fever can only be
had once. Some old stagers in Vera
Cruz have had it half a dozen times,
and are'ready for 4 fresh siege. After
they have had it few times their skin
keeps permanent yellow tint, though
it does not usually leave as decided
marks as Chagres fever.
With three or four stray cases OF fever
in Memphis, the north begins to cry out
that after last years experience Mem
phis ought to have been cleaned. If any
thing will induce the southern cities to
scour themselves up, very good. But
Vera Cruz, where yellow fever has
permanent residence, is as clean as any
of our northern cities. With the pains
these toasted Mexicans take to keep
their streets clean and their cutters pure,
and every thing about them savory, 1t
would be mean fling at them to say
that Vera Cruz is as clean as New York.
1t is at least 200 per cent. cleaner. They
have powerful inducement for keep
ing things clean. Dirt in the hot season
means almost sure death, and when
man dies there in the morning he is
safely settled in the graveyard in the
afternoon. Almost any body would
whitewash his back fence under the cir
cumstances. This applies only to Vera
Cruz, where the fever RACES. Up in
Mexico City, where it is cooler, the peo-
pie experiment to see how long the AL
mighty will let them wallow in filth be-
fore He cuts them off.
If they know how to treat yellow fever
anywhere, they ought to know how in
Vera Cruz, for they have plenty of prac-
tice. Their hospitals are almost as open
to the air as tents-old converts seized
by the Government long ago-fne brick
and stone buildings, far larger and bet
ter adapted to the purpose than our
Bellevue. Here every yellow fever pa
tient has nurse to himself, usually a
little Indian girl, who, it is said, hardly
ever catches it, although the Indian ma
tives are liable to have it. The patient
is kept perfectly quiet. Any motion is
believed to be fatal. If be has the gen.
uine vomito nothing can prevent him
from vomiting frequently over The bed
clothes, as the action of his stomach is
entirely beyond the control of his will.
But the bedding is patiently changed as