The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1885-06-17
DR.. SWEAR NGEN TALKS.
INTERVIEWED ON YELLOW FEVER
Rollicking "Reminiscences, but Logical
experimentation to Funt-
Mosquitoes The Yellow Fever
Germ and Its Wit ally

q few days ago in the cheerful, n0zy Of
fee of Dr. Swesringen, State Health
Officer, THE HERALD correspondent
was agreeably entertained listening to
interesting "reminiscences of the yellow
eyer epidemic of 1878 related by the
doctor himself, who, 1t will DO remem-
bered, CALAMITY offered his services aud
went into the fever stricken districts Of
the Mississippi Valley and labored day
and night amid scenes Of suffering and
death without parallel in the history
of this continent. He is blessed with Il
most buoyant, sunny disposition which,
with rare conversational powers, max es
him one Of the most agreeable of COM
panions.
An untiring student, a close observer,
q calm, dispassionate reasoner, he
combines to remarkable degree all the
distinguishing traits of character which
ever adorn the life OF the skilled aud
learned physician, and the successful
practitioner. Oa this occasion he graphi-
cally depicted the ravages Of the terri
BILE disease until sick OF its horrible,
CHASTITY details he would relate an anec-
dote, which gliding athwart the lurid
background OF his story, measureably
alleviating It's horrors ana its sorrows.
"The yellow fever" said the genial
doctor, who was an authority upon the
disease, has a national reputation, as
one of the most tony, hign-strung and
aristocratic diseases with which Pm ac-
quainted." "Why, sir, when tis epidemic
and fret enters village or city
on its sIealthy march of dea q
does it commence 6 work OF de.
struction in the slums and squalor? Not
a bit OF it, The first family in the place,
the most careful and clearly is the first
invaded, and the member of that family
supposed to be- the least susceptible Is
generally the first stricken down Gnd
usually dies, while the utterly worth
less, no occount losfer nearly always
escapes"
"The sanitation has very little to do
as preventative and check to the dis
ease?" interrupted TIE HERALD man
every little, iadeed. or course
CLEANLINESS is next to goliness, but the
yellow fever germ instinctively abhors
dirt. OF course in the densely packed
quarters of city the disease apparently
is more energetic andgits ravages are
great, but lis because OF aggregation.
In the less populated and most cleanly
districts the disease Is Just as mailx-
nant, just as deadly and the psr cent OF
deaths just as great"
"Does fumigation and disinfectants
have beneficial and controlling influ-
ence over the progress of the disesseS"
"No. Fumigatiou and disinfectiou
are simply OF no avail whatever. 1t is
impossible to kill where there is no life.
The yellow fever germ, take it, is
something like an egg. thas the prop
aHfl ~ 10 nd sNas.x
tions life Is infused and made active.
Take dozen fresh laid eggs and fumi-
gate and disinfect them to your hearts
content and still they will hatch So,
too, with the yellow fever germ. Fumi-
gate it., disinfect it, do what you will,
and Yet when it enters human system
and that system Is In proper condition
for its reception, life will be Infused and
the man falls victim to the lively,
risky, deadly microD which had lain
dormant in the germ until taken up
by his system. Several years
ago, remember making an
experiment at the Galveston quaran-
tine station. l thought II fumagation
will kin a yellow fever germ 1t will
surely kill a mosquito. There were mil
lions of them at the station, and they
were so troublesome at night that bars
were utterly useless, ana to prevent
them from actually killing their little
daughter, DR.. Blunt, the quarantine
officer, and Mrs. Blunt had TO relieve
each other during the night and keep
them from the child. had TO use heavy
domestic for my bar, and IL r. 0 | to keep
the pests out. You know IL Is well
established fact that mosquitoes
can and do inoculate persons
with yellow fever. One OF these
pests feeding upon a yellow fever pa
tient will give well person the disease
if he reaches him in time aud sue reeds
in puncturing the skin. Well, 1 con-
cluded to try Immigration to get rid OF
the mosquitoes. There were million q
of them. The ceiling aud walls were
literally black with them. L had the
room closed and the fumigating pots
brought in and for over two hours sub.
jected those mosquitoes to the most
rifle fumigation. So intense and onei-
getic had 1t been that II was over an
hour after opening tho doors before
could enter the room. When /
did so there were the blessed
mosquitoes as lively and as cheerful as
possible, and seemingly having hugely
enjoyed their ba b Of sulpl uric fumes.
found about dozen hoary old sinners
on the hoor rubbing their eyes, and
doubtless wishing they had had goggles
during the smoking process, but with
this exception no evil effects we're OBJ
served upon the very large and respect.
able mosquito family. Fumigation, no
matter how powerful, won't Kill Gal
weston mosquito. 1t won't kill yellow
fever germ"
"Does the yellow fever travel" asked
the newspaper man.
~ should say 1t did; aud some times it
displays some very eccentric habits. /
remember little town up in Tennes
see, 1t had but one street, long
spinal column, as it were, with houses
rather closely built on each side, with a
few struggling ones scattered here and
there of some distance. This street
extended east ana west, and just milo
by ectual measurement from the furth-
ermost house on the wost end was a
building at which quarantine station
had been established. There were no
intervening houses. A couple OF young
men fleeing from stricken town below
took the fever and were kindly per-
mitted TO occupyt his house. Both
died. Ten days after the house
at the end OF the street
nearest 70 the infe ,ted building had tue
fever in II. The next morning the next
house, then the one on the opposite side
Of the street, then the next and next
until every house, without single ex-
oeption, on the street had the lever
in 1t. over half OF the citizens
living on the street died, and OIL
OF IL only one or two cases
of fever occurred. IL travels, and the
only thing that will stop II 10 rigid
quarantine established ut safe distance
from the places to be protected
NAr a there anv Othar naouliariLiaa con
nected with the disease2n
Eyes, Indeed, lots Of them. One OF
them Is, that on It's travels
II accumulates fresh energy, and on
leaving one town and entering another
II II more malicious and malignant and
fairly revelh in Its dreadful work OF
death. For instance, should the fever
break out at Galveston and afterward
reach Houston the latter place would
suffer worae than the first,
ell conditions being equal
Then should 1. reach HOMESTEAD Il
would be still worse and again, at Bren.
ham, there would he a marked increase
Ill s.. al