The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-11-20
FHRNANDIN AS DOCTORS
Criticised by One of Their Profession
in St MarV's


ST. MARY's, GA, Nov. 13.-Editor Morn
ing NelCS: Having noticed in recent issues
of your paper several communications con-
demnatory of the action of the Nassau
County Board of Health in connection with
the recent outbreak of yellow fever in
Fernandina, | desire to place before the
public brief statement of the matter.
write this article simply with desire to
state facts as viewed from our standpoint.
For the space of month, at least the
policy of the Fernandina physicians was
non-committal in its strictest interpreta-
ton, and owing to the fact that but n very
few miles separate the two cities. our liza
bility to infection became extremely i'm
minent.
In this emergency, being utterly unable
to obtain any official information regarding
the real condition of affairs in our sister
city, we established an absolute quaran-
tine; and even at a later period it was an
nounced in the public press that there was
not single case of yellow foyer in Fernan-
dina. About this time l addressed letter
to the health officer, and one to the presi
dent of the board of health as well, kindly
soliciting information. These letters have
never been replied to. And had we not
acted upon information derived from
private sources, this city would, in all
probability, have been crowded with refu-
gees; and infection tee inevitable result
st. Mary's is not indebted to Fernandina
for the immunity she has enjoyed from the
scourge of yellow fever, but to the in
dividual efforts of her citizens, both white
and colored.
The majority of the physicians in Fer
nandina l number among my special
friends, and ! trust, therefore, that they
viii pardon me should | crlticise in a
friendly way, their course Of action in the
beginning Of the present epidemic.
[ well know the harsh and unjust criti-
cisms to which medical man would sub
ject himself were he to form and express an
opinion in the affirmative, unsupported by
one or more Of his professional brethren
who entertained similar views.
But to my mind II seems utterly incon-
sstent with reason and common sense that
a majority of them claiming to be not only
experts but veterans" as well, educated
in the wide and fertile field OF pathological
research, versed also in the important
branch Of symptomatology, should utterly
fail, after having held re, Gated ''autopsies"
and fortified by the visible signs usually
present previous to dissolution, to announce
any but negative results, subordinating, as
it were, their opinions to the commercial
interests of town, regardless, apparently,
of the lives Of its citizens, until compelled
by public sentiment TO proclaim to the
world the fallacy of such course.
When there are grave and suspicious"
symptoms present in one or more fatal cases
Of fever, and there are differences OF
opinion, as TO whether or not the fever is a
typical one, think the people should, by
all means, have the benefit of the doubt
This course can do no harm, and may ac-
complish an incalculable amount OF good.
In DIR. Starbuck's letter, which appeared in
your issue of Oct. 9, he uses these words
lust before her MRS. Bucks death: "She
vomited a dark brown substance" Mr..
Sesser, also, just before his dissolution,
''vomited dark substance
Now II the doctor, in his nomenclature Of
this special symptom, had made use Of a
more expressive "adjectiven and more COM
prehensive substantive" the laity could
have grasped his meaning with much
greater facility.
Why not, doctor, call the matter elected
from the stomachs Of these people "black
vomitn and have done with itl / hope the
doctors In Fernandina will take no umbrage
at what l have written. / have simply
stated my views, and every man has right
to his opinion.
We have not had single case Of yellow