Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1889-05-01
The Yellow Scourge Again Appears
Near Jacksonville.
One Case Reported To-day at the Little
Village of Sheldon.
DR.. Hamilton Thinks the Plague VIII Surely
Sweep the State.
Steps X BY the Kealth Authorities to
Care for the Sufferers.

mored here that there is yellow fever
at Sanford, 12O miles south of here. DIR.
Daniel was called there, and he has
been making a strict investigation ever
since. Others of the board will 20 there
to-day. The investigation will be thor
ough. 1t is reported that the wife of q
baker is the victim, but all sorts of wild
rumors are prevailing.
WASHINGTON, D. c., April PA re-
porter saw Surgeon General Hamilton
to-day, and had a talk with him concern
ing the case of yellow fever reported at
Sanford, Fla, and the possibility of a
spread of the disease. Said DR.. Hamil-
ton: 81 learned Of the appearance of
yellow fever at Sanford from two
sources; from a special agent who
has been traversing the state since
the subsistence of the plague of 1883,
and from DR.. r. P. Daniel, president of
the State Board of Health. This fact
shows that there will be no attempt
made to conceal the presence of the dis
ease, as was done last year, and such be-
ing the case, the danger is largely re-
duced. The fear and panic excited by
the knowledge that the true condition
of affairs is being suppressed do much
more harm, in my judgment, than the
fever ITSELF"
What are the probabilities of
another outbreak of the disease this
year,"
ST should not be surprised if there
were a considerable number of cases.
The danger chiefly lies in those towns
and cities which escaped the plague
last year. In the places that were Wig
tied then, there is a large proportion of
acclimated residents who have had the
fever and are therefore safe, who can
remain to nurse and care Tor any who
are sick, so that the disease may COM
paratively be easily controlled"
"Are you prepared to manage an out
break, should it occurl"'
Eyes, much better than eve before.
Camp Perry is in such condition that it
hours. But it will be much better If we
do not have to fit up a refugees camp.
To do this would tend to
create a panic in surrounding
towns. and that is the most
difficult thing for US to control. Already
/ have received messages of inquiry
showing an alarmed state of public feel
ing for which there is no foundation.
Ever since the outbreak of 1888 ended,
this Office has kept a close san
itary surveillance over Florida,
tracing every report OF the
existence of fever; and this case at
Sanford is the only one l have heard of
from a reliable source.
gGS1noo %Io oDiJan,io ~ 1oCf xyoor Ejor-
ida has organized a State Board of
Health by legislative enactment, pro-
viding heavy penalties for viola
tons of the regulations of the
board, and those regulations which
were promulgated on the 9th of this
month are admirably adapted for car
rying out the purposes Of the act. The
board is made effective by the imposi-
ton of a tax, the receipts from which
are set apart as a fund to be used for
public health purposes of the state"
"Where is Sanford, the seat of the
present outbreak"
sit is about 100 miles almost directly
east of Tampa, in Central Florida. |
can readily account for the presence of
the disease there. 1t is only 900 miles
from Enterprise, across the lake, where
the fever ragged last year, and there was
uninterrupted course between the
places. After the fever was subdued
an attempt was made at disinfe citing the
place, but it was not thorough by any
means, nothing like the house to house
inspection and destruction Of infected
material carried on at Jacksonville
by this department. But after the
government ceased to pay tor the
articles destroyed, the destruction
ceased, the people would not give up
their property unless paid for it, and in
a great measure the inspection stopped.
Sanford Was visited by the yellow
fever in 1887, when there was
$50 cases there, the presence OF
which was concealed from the au-
thorities. That is the thing
most to be feared-a suppression of tue
facts. If publication can only be Sc
cured, apprehension and terror are al
layed, and the greater part of the
difficulty in controlling the disease is
overcome"