The Washington critic., 1888-09-04
WHAT IS "yELbOw JACKP"
A. Peculiar Fever Requiring Peculi
Methods of fTrcatment.

A. Peculiar Fever Requiring Peculiar
Methods of Treatment.
Yellow fever is not rs dangerous as typhoid
when properly handled. It is 'singlo parox-
ysm," or continuous fever, lasting about
seventy.two hours. The premonitory symp-
toms are usually severe pain In the back of
the head and In the loins, followed by slight
chill. The pulse aud temperature then rise
rapidly, the former attaining usually about no
beats to the minute aud the attor l04 degrees
In few hours On the second day the pulse
begins to drop and continues TO do so slowly
until the uormal ia reached while the temper
ature remains steady, and this popularity is
the one pathognomOnic symptom of the dis
ease, rs ascertaned by experts who have
studied many epldemics Toward the third day
the temDcrature often rises to 105 This is a
grave symptom, and unless 1t can speedily be
reduced "black vOmit'' or gastric hcmorrhage
appears, or the kidneys refuse to act on ac-
count Of acute Inflammation and destruction
of tissue. The famous black vomit is not
fatal in more than so per cent Of the cases
well treated, but when albumon appears in
the urine death almost inevitably follows.
Ur@mic convulsions terminate at least 60 per
cent. OF fatal yellow fever cases. about 20 per
cent end in black vomit; 10 per cent close
from exhaustion on tho third day after the
fever subsidies, and 8 per cent, die Of apopeXY
or from heart failure on either the fist or sec
ond day.
NURSING IS EVERYTHING.
The treatment Of the disease is wholly ex-
pectant A hot mustard foot-bath and large
dose of castor oil are preiminaries After
this nothingis is given but orange-leaf tea, to
promote perspiration, and sometimes little
extract of iaboraudi. Champagne in small
| quantities is found to be the best preventive Of
black vomit and dry cupping and blisters are
resorted to In case of n tendency to kidney
| unp linn tho df,n
tor in yellow fever TO effect cure and In New
| Orleans nearly all the old black 'mammesn
are experts in handling the disease which
undoubtedly accounts for the very low NOR
tality IN that city's epidemics. To watch
the patient, be quick to start a fire IL q
north wind comes to chill the air, to keep
the clothing adjusted, see that no talking Is
allowed and DO familiar with the symptoms
forerunning black vomit or kidney trouble,
and know how to treat them promptly-these
are neccessaries in nursing yellow fever, and
III these the darky women of New Orleans
are more familiar than are the doctors in
other towns. Without aspersion, | can truly
say that If course of yellow fever were in my
horoscope would rather choose an old tur-
| baned New Orleans nanny of experience,
and resign myself wholly to her care, than be
treated by the entire staff of Bellevue without
her.
THE CRITICAL PERIOD,
On the third day after the attack when the
fever heat subsidies, the patient is left in a
weak and horribly nervous condition, and for
many hours is subject to immediate relapse
upon the slightest proyocation. Then it is
that tolling bell, the sudden shock of can
non fired by silly authorities the slightest in
digestion or exposure to cold or excitement
will do murder. The stomach is left raw
and for many days only milk, Cruel and
crackers are given, doled out In miserly guam
tity. The greatest danger OF relapse comes
from the patients belief that he is being
starved and kept in bed Unnecessarily. He
will steal food and get up clandestnely and
then Yellow Jack reaches out for HIM a sec
ond time, and usually grabs SO hard that not
poppy nor mandragora nor all the drowsy
syrups of the world can give him relief.
The great need of this country Is national
board of health composed of men who know
something beyond drawing their salaries with
promptness and Dispatch feeling large and
doing nothing. Experts in yellow fever
should be selected from New Orleans, where
the disease is known. The epidemic swiftly
becomes an interstate affair when not prop
erly handled, and when local boards are com
posed of chuckleheads who undertake tn
throttle yellow fever by firing cannon, burn
ing tar and Illuminating pompous edicts, it IL
high time for the National Government to STEP
in and interfere.-[ Henry Guy Carleton in the
New York World.