The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1888-12-22
Florida Letter.



One may, / presume, take it for
granted that even in Little Garrett"
the people some how have heard that
we have had a yellow fever visitation
in Florida during the past Summer
and Autumn. The past history of
this epidemic has been such as natur-
ally to fill the public mind with ter
rOr, when its prevalence in any part !
of the land is proclaimed. The utter-
ances of the public press the past six |
months have given abundant evil |
dence that the people at large have
been more painfully exercised IN
mind, by this visitation, than have
we amOrg whom the sc0urge pre-.
vailed. For long time we we've in
deed quite strongly disposed to dis
pute the character of The fever rs it
appeared IN Jacksonville. Many even
TO this day-and / am not certain
that the list of doubters does not in
clude Il portion Of the medical frater-
nity-questiOn whether there has
been case of genuine yellow fever
in Mort ern Florida during the year.
Such questioning opinion is, in the
light @f Facts, not altogether ground
less, either. SymptomaticallY, the
same fever, we are told, has prevail
ed. TO some extent, in many other
| places, as in Jacksonville We have
! had several cases in our own COM
munity: it has been in nv family,
and | myself have been a subject of
| it. OF course, there is this difference,
that in our case, as in others there
have been 20 fatal cases. do not in
the least assume to be competent
judge in the premises but it is GER
tainIy quite wonderful and excep'
tional, that. granting this was genu-
inc yelleW fever, the mortality should
have h"cn so low. No official figures
are at hand, but | should say that in
the whole state there have been about
1000 cases reported, of this fever and
| doubt whether the whole mortality
list would reach 800. Heretofore 80
to 20 per cent. has been the awful
ratio of mortality. Why, in our lati-
tude, and during a season most favor
anle to the spread and fatal preva-
Ience of cOntagion, should so low Il
percentage of mortality be reported ?
This is truly remarkable, and UNI
questiOnably proves one of two
things: Either, we have had no true
yellow fever ; or, in the coming years,
this scourge need no more be contem-
plated with the measure of dread it
has been wont hitherto, to inspire.
, For myself, | am willing to admit
that we "have had it )" but | shall
) claim privilege to greatly rejoice in
. the fact that medical science and san.
! itary appliances have TO so great an
extent robbed this scourge of its
: former terror.
We may reasonably hope, on the
: ground of existing evidence to the
, scientific correctness of the means
and methods now in vogue in deal
ing with the plague, as also by the
= general determination to guard
against its entrance to any part Of
our country, that little more will be
heard of yellow fever within the
limits of the United States. Certainly
aside from the necessary hardShip1
or Inconvenience connected with
strict quarantine regulations, there
is nothing SO very terrible about yell
low fever in Florida.
On the Goth and again on the 30th
of November we had sharp frOstS all
over the Northern half of the State,
and for this time yellow Jack" has
been nipped severely enough to kill
him. QuarantineS are raised, and
life. in all its varied activity, is re-
turning to normal conditions. Life
was quite dull here on the noble st.
Johns, with not single steamer
sometimes in a whole week and not
, a soul, aside from our limited num-
Der of families, as passer by or visitor.
Still more trying was it to be depriv.
ed often of our mails. But to most
of us, the most distressing matter OF
all Was the inability to get GRUB"
Really, we were ''cornered" on this
point distressingly at times. Switz-
erland people are not much given to
the habit of Boosting of anything
heavy in the matter of cash but,
how would a Marylander feel, if
having money in hand, he could get
: nowhere to spend it. though never SC
. hungry? So it was with us at times,
Along with the epidemic, Florida
has had trying time with chills and
fever, and low, facilitating type of
r fever seemingly not maarial. In
| many years there has not been known
2 Snch an amount of sickness Strange