Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-07-27
FRANCES FATAL PLAGUE

FRANCES FATAL PLAGUE
SAVANNAHS VISITS FROM THE
DREAD DISEASE.
The Victims of It's Ravages in 1884
and S66-How the City Is Protected
"A Rigid QuarantIHe-Precauti
Teasures-How to Keep Away the
Terrible Pesti1ence.
The terrible ravages Of cholera in
France and the East recall to many the
visitations OF the dread disease in this
country. Although it has prevailed in
Savannah twice during the present CEN
fury there is little fear that the city win
ever suffer again from its devastatiOns.
In 1884 it first reached Savannah, and
ragged with fearful fatality among the
negroes on the island plantations north of
the city. The first case appeared on Sept.
IL, and during the remainder of
the year % deaths of white peo-
pie were recorded. These Oc-
CURED IN September and October. The
number of deaths among the negroes is
nos given and no burials were reported.
This was probably owing to the
fact that the negroes were buried on the
plantations where they died. The
disease did not extend more than 10 miles
west of the city, and there were few
deaths reported within the limits. 1t was
confined chiefly to the l0wlands and
islands.
THE EPIDEMIC IN 1866.
In 1866 the disease again ragged with
greater fatality than before. 1t broke out
on board a vessel bound from New York
to Savannah with troops. The infected
passengers were landed on Tybee Island
in June, where they were placed in tent
hospitals. The tdisease proved signally
fatal, the men dying rapidly. A panic
ensued, and many escaped from the
island, and coming to the city,
brought the disease with them.
first death, that of colored pilot, was
reported on July 8. The epidemic ragged
the remainder OF the year, and until Feb
ruary, 1857. 1t then ceased until
September, when it again made
its appearance, and continued
through the remaining months of that
year, with 81 deaths during January, 1868.
1t then ceased and has never made its ap-
pearance since.
The records show that there were
50 deaths of whites and 211 of
cOlOred persons in 1866, in 1867 u
whites and II eOlored, and in 1868
Is whites and IS eOlored, making total
Of $50 deaths in the city from the time
the disease was introduced until it disap-
peared. The ratio of mortality from
July, 1866, to February, 1868, was
12.4 deaths per 1000. There is no
record to show the number that fell
victims to the disease at Tybee. With
the two visitations of 1894 and 1866
Savannah has been free from the ter
rible rayages of the disease. While only
356 deaths occurred here, there were
$500 in New Orleans, 4,557 in
st. Louis, 5,514 in Cincinnati, 1922 in
Philadelphia and 5,071 in New York in the
scourge that visited those cities in 1S49,
and filled black page in the history of the
dread pestilence.
THE sAPELo STATION.
Savannah and the entire South Allan
tic coast, especially that of South Caro-
lima, Georgia and Eastern Florida, is
protected in every possible way from the
Importation of the disease by the Govern
ment Quarantine Station on Sapelo Island,
under the supervision Of United States
Marine Surgeon Stone. DIR. Stone return
ed yesterday from visit of inspection.
The station is in charge of the Inspector,
DR.. Bruner, who has a force of eleven
men at his disposal. Every precaution
has been taken, and preparations have
been made for the quarantining of any
infected vessel that may arrived. There
far this year.
sin regard to the cholera, what is the
probability Of the disease being imported
into the United States this year ~ asked
a MORNING NEWS reporter of DR.. Stone
upon his arrival from the station.
''That depends largely" replied the
Doctor, ''upOn the efficiency of the quaran-
tine that may be established. As yet,
while our own government has taken
preparation, as you have already seen, to
guard against the introduction of the
epidemic, Canada still simply requires
ships to be inspected at her various ports
of entry. In order to be effectual the
quarantine must be international, and
steps are being taken to make it so in
connection with Mexico and Canada. But
this cannot be done this year."
PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES.
''What," continued the MORNING NEWS
man, edo you think ought to be done to
prevent it spreading should it once make
Its appearance on our seaboard?"
''Well," said the Doctor, ''the pre-
cautions in case of its appearance may
be summed up in sentence-municipa
cleanliness and the total removal of all
filth and refuse matter from the city, the
flushing of sewers, the use of filters to
guard against impurities in water, and a
strict attention to general cleanliness
e everywhere"
''What is the character of the disease,
and what are its sYmptomsr' asked the
reporter.
THE SYMPTOMS.
''The first symptom is cramps, followed
by vomiting and diarrhea-an aggravated
cholera morbus, in fact. AS the disease
progresses, the watery portion of the blood
is carried off with the excavations, and
thus the patient finally dies from exhaus-
tion and collapse. This is characteristic
A.. Al. - ~
will be seen the shrunken, pinched face,
and the staring CLASSY eye. At this time,
too, there is a great thirst owing to the
loss of water from the system"
chow long does it take the disease to
run its coursep
''As to that, 1 may say that there is a
great variability in the duration of the
disease-some patients having been
known to die in a couple of hours while
others survive forty-eight hours or MORE"
''There is a decided difference of opin-
ion, is there not, doctor, in medical cir
cles as to the treatment for cholerar'
SWELL" said he in reply, "the first thing
that a man should do, if seized with
cramps, which is the first symptom of the
disease, is to call his physician. AS for
the modes of treatment, there are only
two, but they differ widely in their char
acter. The first proceeds ON the theory
that the disease is the result of poison in
troduced into the system, and which
should be Immediately gotten rid of, and
that the symptoms observed are merely
natures evidences of the fact. This
method is the so-called Eyer treatment,
which originated in Mauritius (Java
Islands) somewhere about 1866.
THE MAURITIUs METHOD.
'Itconsists simply Of the use of power
full emetics and purgatives, promptly
administered, and in such quantities as
to empty entirely the intestinal trap be-
fore collapse can take place. This treat
ment, should say, which was generally
resorted to by planters of Mauritius,
proved eminently successful, but it has
not been received with general favor by
the medical profession either in this or
the Old World. The second meth
cd, and that commonly in use,
consists in administering opiates and
stimulants-opiates for the purpose of
arresting the cramps and diminishing the
secretions, and stimulants in order to
support powers of the system. The half
dozen or more popular mixtures which
are sold by the druggists as cholera rene
dies are compounded on this basis. In
addition, however, to these internal RENE
Tof1, 10 &C.