Arizona weekly citizen., 1883-09-29
It is Not Yellow Fever.

Owing to the loose sanitary regula tions existing between this place, Quay mas and Hermosillo, the San Francisco Chronicle thinks that the fever is "ikely to reach Tucson, Yuma, San Bernardln2 Los Angeles, Stockton, Sacramento anC San Francisco at this heated season oi the year." The Chronicle need not De scared. There have been no cases of death from the fever except those who contracted 1t Tn GuRymas or HermOsillO Our best physicians tell us that 1t is nOi yellow fever, and the fact that the dis ease IS not transmitted to others outside of Guaymas and Hermosillo should bt sufficient evidence that 1t is not. Da Costa, of Jefferson College, in a late work, describes the disease now raging ing at Guaymas with such minute eX. actness that we reproduce hIs diagnosis which every well read physician will al once recognize as
 HEMORRHAGIC MALARIAL FEVER.
 This fever is closely connected with congestive fever, indeed, m certain sense a form of 1t Is that pernicious malsdy winch Is attracting in this country more and more attention, and IS known as the yellow disease, icterode perniciOus fever, malarial hHematuria, or hemOrrhsgiC malariai fever. It is the same disease as that winch some of the French writers have long described as haematuric bil- ious fever, and Is found in intensely ma larial places, sometimes in epidemics. It usually occurs m those who have suffered from malariai levers, and IS almost always ushered in by n marked chill, longer usually aud more intense than the patient has had in the preceding seizure of intermittent, for often the dangerous paroxysm Is preceded by one of ordinary kind. Soon after the protracted chill, distressing nausea and vomiting are noticed, as well as headache, great residences, and rapidly developed deep jaundice. The The fever which follows the chlll Is not high, the pulse is rarely extreemly rapid, the patient is very thirsty. In few hours after the chill pain in the right hypOchOndrium, in the epigastrium, and over the kidneys Is encountered, and a dark-cOlored, bloody urine IS volded. Sometimes hemorrhages occur also from the nose and bowels. The type of the fever is either intermittent or remittent; occasionally 1t Is continuous. The bloody urine-for believe the dark colored urine, judging from the speci- mems 1 have examined, to be bloody-is at times assoclated with considerable albumen and with tube-casts.
 The disease may prove fatal Tn three days; but generally It lasts longer. As regards the diagnosis of the disease, there are but two diseases that closely resemble it. One IS intermitten haem- aturia. Now, undoubtedly some of the cases of this which have been described were cases of the malady under discus sion; but Tn those to which the name can be farely given the absence of mark ed malarial elements, of fever and of jaundice, supplies the distinguishing traIts. From yellow fever, for which
 HEMoRRHAGIc MABARIAL FEvER
 may be readily mistaken, it differs in the speedy occurrence of marked jaun- dice, Tn bloody urine, in the extreme rarity of black vomii, in the couase of the fever with recurring paroxysms, and in the high degree of malsrial poisoning which the history of the case proves. The Guaymas fever is not taken by citi- zens at Nogales, unless they are from malarIsl districts; but those who are from such districts are liable to take the fever. The fever has been introduced into HermOsillo which IS on the Sonora rlyer where the common malarial fever prevails, but 1t has not been introduced at Nogales, where there is no malaria, andln most cases those who came up from Guaymas and were taken down with the fever at that place have recovered. The citizens of Nogales do not have the fever, but those who are lately from any locality where malaria abounds. readily take it, but not in the severe form which pre- vails at Gsymas.
 When we take into consideration the execrable sanitary condition of that town, which all admit to be of the worst possible character, and the nun. Der who have had the fever, which in Guaymss and HermOsillO cannot fall short of 5000, the number of deaths estimated at less than 250 Is certainly small. If 1t was yellow fever the nun. Der of deaths would have largely ex- ceeded that number. Good physicians inform us that If 1t was real yellow fever, the number of deaths under the conditions above referred to would have exceeded 800 or 1000. There Is not, SC far as we know but one physician 1T Arizona who pronounces 1t yellow fever