The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-12-03
THE FLORIDA QUARANTINE.
What DR.. Duncan Says About 1.-THE
Railroads Care.


DIR. William Duncan Of the sanitary
board was asked last night if he would give
the readers Of the MORNING NEWS his
views upon the advisability of raising the
quarantine at as early date as was deter
mined upon last week. He replied that
while be had no desire to appear SO often
10 the public prints, yet he recognized the
Iact That as member OF 80 important
oody, which has the responsible duty of
looking after the health OF the citizens, he
could not well refuse to answer any ques-
lions bearing upon the city's sanitation.
Upon being asked if there is any ground
for alarm because the quarantine has been
raised before the disappearance of yellow
fever in Florida, he replied:
None whatever, in my Judgment. be-
lieve that decided frost, such as we have
had, eff sctually destroys the poison of yell
low fever, and think that past experience
proves this conclusively. II is possible for
infected material, such as blankets, wooden
goods, mattresses, etc, to retain the poison
from one season to another, provided such
materials be kept in a warm room, and not
exposed to a cold atmosphere, but as the
public have been well informed as to this
danger, 1t is probable that they will
observe the precaution of expos
ing any and all such material TO the open
ar when the atmosphere is at or below the
freezing point, which will prove fully as
eff1cacious as any disinfectlon which
may be practical, and certainly far
less troublesome and less expensive
Mr.. c. d. Owens, traffic manager, was re-
quested to give instructions TO the several
agents at infected points in Florida not to
receive for shipment to Savannah any ma
terial Of any kind which had been infected,
which had not undergone disinfecIion or
had been exposed to the effect of a cold
atmosphere. 1t occurs to me that such
safeguard is the best that can be adopted,
for | do not well see how the health author
tiles could carry out effectively such a
regulation without the cooperation of the
railroad authorities, who, after all, are
quite as much interested, both from a moral
and pecuniary standpoint, as any other of
our citizens
Is there any special danger to be appre-
hended here during the next summer and
falll
"The epidemic of the past season in
Florida, on the whole is not to be consid-
cred virulent epidemic, and the reason
for this in my Judgment is to be attributed
to the fact that it is clearly traceable to the
importation at Tampa during the previous
year. If it be fact that the yellow fever
poison loses its virulonce by Information
from one season TO another, which my ex-
prlence and observation lead me to accept
as true, it may fairly be concluded that If
any germs should lie dormant during the
coInl 6 winter. and not be destroyed either
by disinfection, or by the effects of a cold
winter, that less danger is to be apprehended
from that source, than if there were a recent
introduction of the disease from its conceded
home in the West Indies But predictions
as to the future amount to but little. 1t is
manifestly the duty of the health authori-
ties always to exercise such measures of
prevention, both as to quarantine, maritime
and internal sanitation as are recognized by
experience and the best authorities as afford
ing the greatest immunity not only from
yellow fever, but also all other diseases
which tend to destroy or shorten life"
DIR. Duncan said that he has always
favored quarantine as a preventive of cpl
denies, and while he opposed hasty quar-
antine, it did not follow that he shared the
views of some members of the profession
who do not believe in quarantine at all.
Hasty guarantees shut up the people in
city where fever is about to become cpl
demic, and while it works great hardshps,
it increases the food for the fever to prey
upon. He hoped that Savannah may never
be visited by yellow fever, but If it should
be visited, the wisdom Of his opposition to
hasty quarantine would be felt If the avenues
of escape were cut off by hasty quaran-
tine on the part of neighboring cities. He
would relax no vigilance in protecting the
city against the fever, and says he has no
interests that would lead him to hesitate a
moment when the health of the city is
liable to be imperiled from any quarter,
but he thinks few alarmists should not
shake the confidence of the people in those
charged with the sanitation of the city,
who have deserved well at the hands Of the
people for their vigilance and effective
sanitary precautions.