Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-09-27
oF YELLnW rEYER.

1t is, Of course, barely possible that Ed
ison. the indefatigable inventor, has dis
covered specific for yellow fever, but the
inclination is to doubt it, and to treat his
announcement as purely fanciful. Edison
knows nothing CT the disease by expert
ence; he is not q medical man, and above
all, the fever-like many other fevers-
is TO be treated only as such, and not by
general application of one remedy to all
cases; in each case, as it varies in indiyid-
ual instances the patient must have the
attention Of physician, Or at least of
skilled nurse, familiar with the plague
Notwithstanding Pasteur's efforts 70 check
hydrophobia, and the announcement that
a Spanish physician had discovered a
cholera preventive in a form of vaccina-
ton, it is by no means settled that the one
has been able to prevent the spread of
cholera by his discovery or that the
ether mas really prevented hydrophobia
from developing. The belief in
the anti hydrophobia application is
greater, however, than in any other.
American and French physicians and
scientists have long been diligently er-
gagged in research to find some means of
laying the yellow fever when it assails a
city, but thus far their labors have
been comparatively fuitless. 1t Is not
probable, therefore, that Edison has sud-
denly fallen upon the longed-for specific.
1t is more likely by far that Pasteur and
the Spanish doctor have succeeded in the
direction of their labors, than that Edi-
son, an electrician. should have outstripped
the American and French physicians
Should Congress, as it has been petitioned
to do, offer 100000 reward for a specific
for yellow fever, it is to be taken foI
granted that several thousands of people
will come forward and claim the premium
on the basis Of concoctions with the assur,
ance that they need but to be taken tc
effect perfect cure, and the chances are
that they will all be found valueless
There is one excellent preventive" G
yellow fever, perfect cleanliness il
cities and towns, and proper sanitary
precautions rs to drainage ans
sewage. Even where all the sanitary con
ditions, however, arc of TIC L.j,...,si l....I
acter, the disease sometimes appears, hay
ing been transmitted by travellers tn,
mails, baggage, etc. Good sanitation, how
ever, depriyes the plague of its food mostly
1t lives upon filth, but it secures no firm
fOothold where there is constant watchfuI
ness over the sanitation of cities and
towns. 1t is certain, too, that the buria
Of victims of the yellow fever is a menace
to the living. The yellow fever burial
ground breeds pestilence under proper con
ditions, and these prevail in most semi
tropical climates. The right thing to d,
with the victims who have fallen befor
the foe, is to cremate their dead bodie
and thus put beyond possibility of doub
the question whether the grave earth rest
ing upon the bodies of fever victims doe
not become charged with the fever germ
They certainly believe in Brazil, where
Government Commission of scientists an,
physicians examined into the matter ant
experimental for some years, that tn
burial of victims of cholera, smallpox
yellow fever, does charge the grave groun,
with disease germs that are active for tw
years or more.