Wichita eagle., 1888-04-29
TT is YELLOW JACK.
Great Fears Entertained at the Spread Of
the Disease.

the Disease.
WASHINGTON. April 28.-Surgeon Gen
eral Hamilton has today officially pub
Eshed the full text of the reports on file IN
the marine hospital bureau, on which was
based his statement of last Saturday that
"a late inspection at Micanopy, Plant City
and Barlow, Fla, has proved the recent
existence of yellow fever there. and that
several other points in the southern and
western portions of the state are to be
looked upon as suspicious"
I lin an interview this evening, with rel
erence TO the subject, he said:
.In view of the Enthusiastically violent
attacks ON me by certain of the Florida
newspapers, | have thought best TO pub
lish the full text of those reports. 1t Will
be seen from a perusal of them that
could have made more positive state
ment and still kept within the limits of
the information on file. | now learn that
q report of DR. Knight, who was detailed
by the jacksonville board of health states
that there were two cases of yellow fever
at Plant City as late as April "a. The re-
ports as to Barlow are not confirmed, but
as to other points, the lnforma-
ton seems to have been correct ! regret
extremely the circumstances that made 1t
necessary to publish the original warning,
but under the existing law it was my duty
10 other localities to give them some init
nation of the facts. If the publication
shall stir the Florida authorities to a
proper sense of the obligation they owe to
The .other states of the union, by the
Of ,rippro11s Snnit
measures, and the establishment of a state
board of health, the publication will result
in great good t6them and to ALL Abuse
of the surgeon-general while it may be
an amusing diversion to the Florida news
papers, will neither clean up their villages,
arrest their yellow fever, nor restore con-
fidence in themselves.
The reports fill about four pages of the
Weekly Abstract of Sanitary reports, No.
II The first is from Assistant Surgeon
General Glennen in which, under date of
Key West, February 10, he says:
General-It seems possible that yellow
fever is latent in Florida and with the APP
proach Of warm weather danger may be
apprehended from its spread northward.
Cases of black vomit are said to have oc-
CURED at Sanford, and lady died a few
days ago ut Tampa with acute
Bright's disease, while relative
here asserts positively that it was yellow
fever A private letter from Caldwell
states that there will lie trouble when the
flowers bloom in the spring, so that taking
it altogether there seems to be some ground
for apprehension. The weather has not
been sufficiently cold 20 kill out the dis
8 Al, -
either don't know or don't care to recog
uize yellow fever when they see it, which
adds to the danger of its vivitication.'
On March l, Surgeon r. g. Murray, who
had been detailed, by orders of February
l6 to make the inspection, wrote from
Plant City:
General-'There is yellow fever at this
place, and evidently at other places in the
state, of which due report will be made.
Suppressive measures are being instituted
here. The death rate is low and cases
generally recover in short time. The
greatest desire is held by the health au-
thorities to not have publicity given to the
facts in the case, although rumorS are
spreading rapidly. No panic exists, and
the only anxiety Is i'll relation TO the news
reaching the general public. Ii is hoped
lndl Inc PRESS pl ElOElui Will npl
prominent notice OF the state of affairs
Drs, j. F. Wall, King Willy, +. III. Cald-
well, j. Y. Porter and others advise that
no public notice be given until a chance is
given for the complete checking of the
fever here where il is most prevalent. In
their view join, for many reasons, and
trust your Office will consider this conf
DENTAL
Four days later Surgeon Murray made
his detailed report from Key West. The
following are its important paragraphs:
At Jacksonville. Il continued fever, af
fecting the highest circle of society only,
has been prevalent for over two months,
resulting in from Il to per
cent of deaths which presents
the general characteristics of enteric fever
This name is given by DIR. X T. Daniel.
who has treated most of the cases. and is
concurred in 10y DrS. c. j. kenworthy, j.
Is. Fernandez and \. Knight consider
that DIR. Mitchell considers some of the
cases more seriously. and know that DR.
j. c. Lengel mot Il prscticing physician
holds the idea of wave of yellow fever
overspresding the city. Similar cases had
recently occurred in st Augustine and
Mandarin. In spite of local preiudices,
and few charges which arouse suspicion.
think the fever at Jacksonville is enteric.
but few doctors in South Florida will Join
in my opinion. Drs Caldwell and
w lily III iuSlSl lIlaI The
town of sanford had from loo 10 $50 cases
in the aurumn, with six deaths. and that
mild cases are still occurring rs late as my
visit tthe 9th and eth, and later on the
18TH. At Plant City. the junction of the
Florida railroad and Navigation company
with the South Florida railroad, twenty
two miles east of Tampa, cases have &C
CURED since October =. say l20 cases and
nine deaths: the last death (the 9th) was
on March Il. The last case sickened the
same day. On March 5, Mr. Calhoun con-
valesced at Box Springs, ia, from yellow
fever. engendered during one months stay
in Plant City, he having left his home on
February ~. The lady referred 10 by DR..
Glennen dying of acute Brights dis
ease" The wife of DR.. Bruce. evidently
died OF yellow fever about January -.
Mlcanopy and Barlow are presumably the
danger points At present. Ii is evident TO
me, painful as the idea is that the lines of
railroad from Tampa to jacksonville are
at various points infected by yomits which
VIII at the proper time, give all the trouble
prophesied by DIR. Caldwell.
lnder date of April IL, Dr. Neal Mitchell,
president of the Duvall county board of
health, wrote from Jacksonville 10 Sur~
Geon General Hamilton:
Slr-Of course you have known OF the
existence of yellow fever at Plant City
this winter. There have been cases
throughout the winter, but it has only
H.