Sacramento daily record-union., 1883-10-22
JUSTLY ALARMED"
Some Interesting History Concerning the
March Of Yellow Fever into New Terri

Some Interesting History Concerning the
March Of Yellow Fever into New Terri
tory.
Seattle Evening Herald, October 18th
We produce in to.dsy's issue an article
from the Sacramento RECORD UNION which
treats the possibility Of the introduction and
acclimatiz alton Of yellow fever in California
much more sensibly than the subject has been
treated generally by the press OF that State.
The Los Angeles papers discuss the subject
in the light Of barely possible evil, aud the
San francisco papers, while insisting upon
rigid quarantine Of vessels arriving from in
fected ports, affect to regard that city as Be-
cure from any permanent lodgment of the
dreaded foe. Medical men, especially those
who have had no experience with the dread
disease, PROFOUND theories of their own and
discuss theories propounded by those who
have had opportunities for observing the dis
ease with the utmost freedom, while all par
ties, journalists and medical men, ignore prac-
tically the history of the terrible plague.
1t is to US source of sincere rejoicing to
realize that the middle of October is at hand
and that the probability of the introduction
of the disease into California during the
present year is reduced to a minimum. The
establishment of a quarantine station at
Fort Yuma, albeit at late day, tends to de.
crease the chances But recalling our own
observations and experiences in this direc-
tion, we deem it our duty to add our protest
against any future triHing with chances or
any failure to establish and maintsin on this
coast perpetual guard against the introduc-
tion of pestilencs, which, al the fine talk
about dry atmospheres aud glorious climates
which our friends in the Golden State iu-
dulgein, to the contrary notwithstanding could
find no more congenial field for the exercise
of it's dread sway than California presents.
Thirty years ago, exactly, the yellow fever
in the Southern States overleaped all its hith-
erto appointed bounds and asserted its awful
supremacy in previously unoccupied terri
tory. By slow degrees and measured steps,
extending through a long series of years, it
had ascended the Mississippi river to Red
river and up that stream to Alexandria and
Nsgitoches. Iu 1858 it ragged with unob-
| structed violence at both of the lastnamed
places. Shreveport, several hundred miles
above the last named town, was considered
practically as exempt from visitation of the
scourgs as Sitka, in Alaska, is considered to-
day. The population of Shreveport was esti-
mated at that time at about 800 souls. An
unusually low stage of water in Red river in
the year last named made for weeks commu-
nication between Shreveport and New Or
leans and the intervening towns impractical
bic by steamer, and in the mean time
goods and supplies for the upper
river had accumulated at Alexan-
dria and Nsgitoches, and suddenly
during the month OF September rise in Red
river occurred and g steamer was dispatched
from Nagitoches with freight for Shreveport
Among that freight wss d crate of crockery
packed in straw consigned to house on the
levee. To a clerk in that house named Ham
let was assigned the duty of unpacking that
crate. His work was but half completed at
nightfall, and it was the last work he ever
did. Before morning he was in the grasp of
| the destroyer, and in three days he was in his
grave. 1t is needless perhaps to say that
from the intense pains in the head and spinal
column which mark the inception of the yell
low fever, to the black vomit which closes the
| scene, there could have been no mistake in
the disease to the practiced eye. And yet
among the medical men of that town there
was not one who suspected the nature of the
malsdy until the black vomit declared its
true character, aud even then all were reluc-
tant to admit that this shadow feared Of
man had bsen flung over the prosperous
town.
AS for linking cause with effect, or rather
tracing the effect to the cause, nobody
thought of doing 80. There were few If any
believers in the transmissibe character of
the disease, and the efficiency, to say nothing
of the necessity of quarantine measures was
sneered at and in most cases opposed with a
rancor which rivsled the most intense odiun,
tteologicun1 ever manifested by contending
believers in different systems. Times have
changed since then, fortunately, and intelli-
gence, taught by sad experience, breaches
manfully the absolute need of precautionary
quarantine, but is too often baked in its wise
purp-ss by penuriou5 cooperative and legis-
I,3 -4iz
OF sanitary commissions and by sn after us,
the deluge," carelessness On the part of COM
munities.
To return to the Shreveport experience Of
1858. The death of young Hamlet was fol.
lowed in a very few days by the exhibition of
new cases among old citizens, and in less
than week by the announcement Of the ex-
istence of the sesse in al epidemic form by
the local Board of Health, which announce
ment was succeeded by 40 exodus which left
not more than one.third of the population of
the town as food for the disease, of which
number remaining not less than 40 per cent
were buried before the frosts came and there
was a lull in the disease, the writer being
the last but one TO succumb, a gentleman
named Dashieu, who was with him in at
tendance on stricken household, following
him to a sick bed an hour or two later.
We say there was a lull. More than a
month after the occurrence of black frosts"
had, as had hitherto been the case in the his
tory Of the disease in the South, made it, as
it was supposed, safe for the citizens who had
fl ID on the breaking out of the plague, TO re-
turn TO their homes, and they had done 60,
the disease broke cut again and carried off
scores OF men aud women. Let it be remem-
bered, however, That while the original visi.
tatiOn ragged there were often not enough well
RI Ms for ae..
sanitation Of plague.stricken houses, destruc-
tion by fire, or even fumigation of infected
bedding, clothing, etc, was not practicable,
even if thought Of. Plenty of heroism was
displayed in Shreveport during the terrible
months of September and October 1853 but
lack of knowledge and sickness of heart
among those who witnessed those dreadful
scenes, made what to-day are considered pre-
cautions. which nobody but a fool would
avoid, unthought of.
Since that memorable year the yellow spec
ter has extended its jurisdiction over Texas,
Mi sissippi, Arkansas and portions of Ten.
nessee. Sanitation and quarantine clamored
for hearing year after year, and yet it is
not too much TO say that for twenty years
after unrestricted intercourse between
Nagitoches and Shreveport left the door opsn
for the destroyer to enter the last named
town, nothing was done of practical nature
to establish the value of these great preven-
tive agencies.
We would regard ourselves as Insulting the
intelligence of the reading world if we should
undertake to argue the paramount necessity
of using these means, sanitation and quarar-
tine, to forestsll the advent of the destroyer.
What we wish to do is to remind California
that If that State is fortunate enough to
escape visitation this year there is no se-
curity for the future except in rigid appli-
cation of the most rigid rules which medical
and hygienic science have devised or can de.
wise to keep the enemy at bay. Just as the
yellow fever, by slow and hating marches,
made its psstilential sway from the Gulf to
Memphis, to Shreveport, to Vicksburg, Mis-.
sippi and Marshall, Texas, to Mszatlan and
to Guaymas, just 80 is it creeping up to the
borders of the vineyards of San Bernardino
and Los ANGELES, to the wheat-helds and the
orchards of Sacramento and the San joaquin
valleys, snd to the towns and cities of these
great valleys.
The preventive value of sanitation and
quarantine has been demonstrated the
transmissibility Of the germs of the disease