The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-09-07

what was supposed to be yellow fever.
A family of nine persons named An
derson, living near Edwards, had been
sojourning at Ocean Springs. After
their return seven Of the family were
taken sick and Mr.. Champion visited
the family to inquire after their health.
Two or three days afterward Mr.. Cham
pion was taken sick and died yesterday.
The attending physician pronounced the
case one of yellow fever.
GOVERNMENT EXPERT SENT.
Washington, d. c., Sept 6.-The Ma
rine Hospital service is investigating the
fever at Ocean Springs, Miss, and the
information SO far received incllneS
them to the belief that the disease is not
yellow fever, though conclusive infor
nation is not yet at hand. Surgeon Gen
eral Wyman is absent from the city. He
has been attending the British medical
| association at Montreal, and is now at
Vineyard Haven ON his way back. Dur
ing his absence Surgeon Bailbache is in
charge. The cases at Ocean Springs
were first called to the attention of DR..
Bailbache last Friday in a telegram
from Assistant Surgeon Wasdin, who is
stationed at Mobile, asking permission
to accompany the board of health to
Ocean Springs to investigate the fever.
DIR. Wasdin was directed to proceed.
| Yesterday morning he telegraphed as
| follows:
"Of five or six hundred cases here,
have seen FIVE; an epidemic infection,
spread by carriage; mostly white; nom
paroxysmal; disproportionate in pulse;
prostration Insisted on and made first
autopsy on adult of sixty, said to be
a typical case of fever. Matter under
advisement Drs. Oliphant, Harralson,
Saunders and others will be here later"
| A copy of this telegram was transmit
ted to Surgeon General Wyman at
| ineyard Haven, and he Immediately re-
quested Dr. John Guiteras, Professor of
the University of Pennsylvania, to pro-
ceed to Ocean Springs. DIR. Guiteras
was formerly in the Marine Hospital ser
vice and is the acknowledged authority
on fevers in this country. DR.. Bail
| bache also wired DIR. Wasdin to inquire
into the result Of the autopsy and CONSUL
| tation, to give the number Of inhabitants
! at Ocean Springs and the number of
| fatalities. DIR. Wasdin replied that the
/ population of Ocean Springs, which is Il
| summer resort on the Gulf coast near
| Biloxi, was about 1900 in winter and
about 1900 in summer. He also report
ed the existence Of malaria, a condi-
| ton of the blood said to be never pres
ent in yellow fever cases.
DR.. Bailbache says that DIR. Wasdin
/ is making meteorological investigation
to determine the existence Of yellow fe-
yer germs. He OR. Bailbache) believes
| the disease is dengue fever.
| About ten days ago, he says, the State
Board of Health of Mississippi, investi-
gated the fever and pronounced it den
! que If it should, however, prove to be
yellow fever, he says the lateness of the
season will materially aid the authori-
ties in keeping it confined to the To-
cality in which it has broken out and
he gives assurances that there will be
no widespread epidemic of the dreaded
scourge.
SHUTTING OUT NEW ORLEANS.
Galveston, Tex, Sept. City Health
Officer Fisher has declared quarantine
by water against New Orleans and has
Isent the following to State Health Officer
Swearingon, at Austin:
"New Orleans has case of yellow fever
Ocean Springs two cases. Please notify
| what quarantine precautions have been
taken to keep MS thoroughly informed so
that we can protect our municipality"
A CASE IN NEW ORLEANS.
New Orleans, La, Sept. 6.-The Louis
lana State board Of health kept faith
with its sister bodies Of the south and
the rest Of the country this afternoon,
when it made official announcement as
a result of a careful autopsy that Raoul
Gelpi, 13 years OF age, had died OF vel
lloW fever. Gelpi was the son Of promi-
nent people here and had been spending
some time at Ocean Springs, where he
was taken down fever and brought home
here Soon after arriving, despite the
best medical attention, he died. DIR.
Theard, the physician in charge, imme-
diately reported to the board OF health
and expressed the opinion that death
was due to yellow fever. This after
Moons autopsy proved that DR.. Theard' S
decision of yellow fever was correct
Steps were promptly taken to prevent
possible spread of the disease. As the
case was one of Importance, the doctors
Expressed confidence that they would be
able to check the spread of the disease
The death of young Gelpi naturally
caused no little excitement in the city
Physicians, however, express no appre-
hension and state their belief that it was
quite possible to arrest spread of the
fever. The board, during the day had
ordered rigid quarantine against all
points on the gulf coast and had taken
every precaution to guard all avenues
of communication against the entry into
the city of any person from Ocean
Springs, Biloxi. or other points on the
sound. which it was thought the fever
might reach.
i During the day the bulletin boards have
been thronged about. the board of