The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-10-20
THE EPIDEMIC ABOUT OVER.
Surgeon General Wyman Says 1t Has
Nearly Spent Its Force.

Nearly Spent Its Force.
The Fever, he Thinks, Will Soon Be-
gin to Decline-His Conference With
Surgeons Carter, Murray and Ged-
dings-Steps TO be Taken to Thor
oughly Disinfect Brunswick and All
Places Where the Fever Has Existed.
Plans for Work.
! Surgeon General Wyman of the United
| States marine hospital service is in the
! city. He arrived last night and is regis
tered at the De Soto The train on which
Dr. Wyman came was nearly two hours
late and it was nearly II o'clock when he
reached the city. Health Officer Drummer,
DR.. l. p. Golfer, marine hospital surgeon
at Savannah, and DR.. J. B. Graham, quar-
antine officer, met him at the depot and
escorted him to the hotel
A MORNING News reporter saw DR..
| Wyman at the De Soto shortly after his
arrival. The surgeon general is a stoutly
built man of medium height, verging on
middle age. He wears glasses and has a
pleasant, intellectual face. He said he
found things in good shape
in the yellow fever district,
so far as medical and quarantine
matters are concerned. He is well salts
fed with Surgeon Murray's management
at Brunswick and says Surgeon Carriers
quarantine system is as strict as could be
desired He did not go into Brunswick
and Jesup, as this was not necessary, but
he met Surgeons Murray, Carter and
Geddings at WayCross and Waynesville
and discussed the situation with them.
ABOUT SPENT ITS FORCE.
DR.. Wyman is satisfied that the epi-
demic has about spent itself and will
soon begin to decline. A heavy frost, he
says IS what is needed most now, but he
fears that will not occur before the mid
die of next month. There will be fever
in Brunswick for fully a month yet, he
said, but he thinks the number Of cases
will decrease rapidly after Nov 1.
DR.. Wyman was well pleased with the
management Of the detention camp by
Surgeon Geddings. Everything there
is in tirst-class shape, he says.
They have an excellent disinfecting
apparatus at the camp" said DIR. Wymau.
AN the clothing and baggage brought
with them by the refugees coming to the
camp is put through a process Of disin-
lection on arrival and again on their
departure. The disinfection is very
thorough. 1t is to this thorough system
of disinfection that attribute the fact
that there has not been a single case of
yellow fever at the camp nor among any
of the refugees who were there after
leaving camp. There are 125 people 1t the
camp now, and the number will probably
decrease daily"
TO DIsINFECT BRUNSWICK.
The chief object of DIR. Wyman's trip
now is to arrange plans for thorough
disinfection of Brunswick and other in
fected points this winter, after the close
OF the epidemic, to guard against the re-
appearance of the fever next summer.
"A cold winter will be our best disin-
fectant," said he, land that am very
much in hopes we will get. We shall take
every precaution so far as is in our power,
however, to destroy the infection. The
marine hospital service will remain in
charge this winter until the process
of diSinfectiOn is completed We desire
the cooperation of the local authorities
but the work will be under the super
vision of the marine hospital service.
Our inspectors at Brunswick will keep
list of all houses in which there have
been one or more cases of yellow fever.
These houses will be thrown open
during the cold weather so as to
allow the cold air every opportunity
to reach the germs. The disinfecting
plant, which is now at the detention
Cdmp, Will De moved down TO Bruins
wick. The plant is in a box car and will
be moved to convenient points on the rail-
road tracks around the city. Mattresses
and other heavy articles of bedding that
have been exposed to infection will then
be brought to the plant and put through
the process of disinfection."
PORTABLE APPARATUS.
GA smaller portable disinfecting appa-
ratus will be constructed which will be
moved from house to house for the disin-
lection of articles of clothing Bi-chloride
of mercury will be used freely around
the city, and houses will be fumigated
where it is thought necessary
DR.. Wyman said that with the bless
ing Of a cold winter, and the system
of disinfection thoroughly carried out,
there is little probability of the reappear-
ance of yellow fever next summer.
DR.. Wyman talked in a very interesting
manner upon various subjects connected
with the marine hospital work, and dis
cussed many points relating to quaran-
tine with DrS. Drummer, Golfer and
Graham. He will remain in Savan-
nah to-day as the guest of the city by
invitation of Mayor McDonough Health
Officer Drummer will have charge of the
surgeon general and will see that all the
courtesies are extended. A trip down the
river will probably be taken to-day. as
DR.. Drummer is very anxious to have the
surgeon general see the Savannah quar-