The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-01-20
WHAT IS YELLOW FEVER
DR.. Gibier Shows that Some Cases in
Florida Were OF b Distinct Type
From Oe NeW YORK Herdld.

From, the NeW York Herald.
Or. Paul Gibier, assistant Of the chair Of
patbogy Of the museum of Paris, ex-house
physician of the hospitals Of Paris, knight
Of the Legion Of Honor and the physician
intrusted by the government Of toe French
republic with the mission Of studying yell
low fever, lectored before the New York
Academy Of Medicine last night The sub
ject Of the Ice ure was, yellow Fever;
Experimental Researches on its EtiolOgy.n
During the course Of his remarks Dr.
Gioier said ain the beginning Of 1888 l
presented simultaneously TO the Academy
of Sciences OF Paris and to the A academy OF
Havana the result Of the researches TINT /
bad undertaken on yellow fever, begun in
the month of November, 1887. Since that
time have given a lecture on the whole Of
my works On the subj ct to the Academy
OF Medicine of Paris. In September 1888,
in consequence Of these studies, the French
government, which four times before had
honored me with its confidence for different
medical investigations, gave me the mission
to go TO Florida aud study yellow fever,
which was prevailing there at that time.
Before presenting the details Of the cases ]
have observed, it will perhaps not be useless
to examine question which many physi-
clans have asked themselves and which they
do not consider rs being settled, that is to
say: Was it verltable yellow fever which
was observed last year in Florida and in ii
few localities Of the surrounding states"
A BLACK AND WHITE QUESTION
THE relatively small mortality, and also
the fact that the blacks were attacked in
large proportion as compared with the
whites, have been the cause of these doubts
However 1t is proper to remark that if in
the West Indies they consider the blacks
and even the nlulattOes as having immunity
from yellow fever, in the epidemics which
have prevailed in the United States, on the
contrary, the disease has been observed AS
well among the blacks as among the whites.
Moreover, in Jacksonville a few days after
the outburst OF the epidemic, the greater
number Of the white families left the town,
comparatively few, excepting negroes, re-
naming. 1t was remarked tnat generally
the symptoms ere less grave in tho latter,
and the fatality less considerable than
among tie white people.
81 present it as a fact that many cases of
yellow fever we're observed in Jacksonville.
For my own part, lave seen some cases
absolutely a,acteristic, judged as we'll by
the symptoms rs by the anotono- pathoiogic
LESSONS
But it is not irrational to assert that tire
concomitant epidemic OF bilious fever and
many cases OF malaria intoXiCation have
existed simultaneous with yellow fever.
On Nov. l6 | made at ST. Lakes hospital
examination of a black sabjocu He died
on tho ninth day Of the disease. have no
doubt that he suCcumbod to bilious fever.
However that may be. il is as certain that
he had not yellow fever. At the temporary
hospital Sand Hills hospltaD DR.. Solace
Mitchell showed me the thern mistic charts
of his patients, and in most of them we
noticed in the intermittent form assumed
by the fever however the case termiaatedj
hat the plludlal awakened by the recent
disease had stamped, as u wore, its mark
upon it and made it assume one Of those
hybrid forms u which Prof. Nerneuil, of
Paris, has called Attention.
ONLY THREE GENUINE.
DR. Gibier then gave an account Of the
analyst, he had made of seven cases of sick
persons supposed to be suffering with yellow
fever, aud explained how out of the seven
cases only three were proven TO be really
yellow fever. In these three cases of real
yellow fever two of the patients Gied on the
eighth day, and the speaker said that he was
not able to find the microbe he had discOv-
cred in yellow fever cases in Havana. In
three cases IN which the patients died, on
the fourth day the bowels were filed with
the bacillus discovered by the lecturer III
Havana.
las curious thing" added the lecturer,
'in none of the seven cases mentioned did
he find microbes in the blood. Whom the |
post norton was held soon after death (say |
4 few hours after no microbes were found |
n the liver, spleen or Kidneys
In speaking Of his search for the yellow |
lever bacillus the doctor said: 81 recall the |
TACT that discovered this microbe first in
some Spa fish soldiers who died Of yellow
fever IN the military hospital in Havana,
and several months after in some foreign
sailors who succumbed 70 the same disease
in the civil hospital of thesame city. Now,
after year, find it again. as il were, at a
state Of culture and in great abundance in
A subject who presented the LESSONS of gen
line yellow fever, and this in Florida. mt
Jacksonville, several days journey from
Havana
Thus believe that l am right in saying
that the presumption that the bacillus is
he cause Of yellow feye. tends to become
gertrude.
Besides, in the cases in which autopsy
took place early after death, in Havana as
well as in Jacksonville, the blood the liver,
5he spleen, Une kidneys, have been con-
'tantly found free from microbes This |
ACT strengthens the theory That have adj
sauced that yellow fever is an intestinal |
Injection, which must be treated from the |
very beginning by evacuation and by dIsin-
Getting the mites ines with such substances |
Is bicnloride Of mercury, naphthaline and |
annie acid.
ALKALINE OR NEUTRAL.