The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-09-07
THE YELLOW SCOURCE.
One Victim Of the Fever Dies in
g New Orleans. =, /
EFFORTS TO PREVENT SPREADING
louisiana Health Omcial Believes
That tho Disease Was Brought to
Ocean Springs, the Popular South
ern Resort, From Ship Island.

y New Orleans. Sept. 1.-THE Louisiana
state board Of health kept faith with
its sister bodies of the south and the
rest Of the country yesterday after
noon when 1t made official announce
ment, as a result Of careful autopsy,
that Raoul Gelpi, 13 years old, had
hied Of yellow fever. Gelpi was the son
Ef prominent people here, and had been
spending some time at Ocean Springs,
where he was taken down with fever
and brought home. Soon after arriving.
despite the best medical attention, he
died. DR.. Theard, the physician in
charge. reported to the board of health,
and expressed the opinion that death
was due to yellow fever. An autopsy
proved that DR.. Theard's diagnosis was
correct. Steps were promptly taken to
prevent q possible spread Of the dis
ease. A the case was one of importa-
tion the doctors expressed confidence
that they would be able to check the
spread Of the disease.
The death of young Gelpl naturally
caused no little excitement in the city.
3hysicians, however, express no ap-
prehension. and stated their belief that
1t was quite possible to prevent
spread Of the fever. The board during
the day had ordered a 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 1t
was thought the fever might reach.
|, During the day the bulletin boards
have been thronged, the board Of health
officers besieged and the wires freighted
with messages to and from the various
coast resorts. In the meantime, how
ever, reassuring kilograms arrived
from Ocean Springs that the Missis-
sippi board Of heath had taken every
precaution possibl to circumscribe the
limits of the epidemic and prevent Its
communication to the outside world.
I'VE have no fear" said DR.. Walms-
ley. acting president of the board of
health, "that the fever will spread in
New Orleans. The board of health is
prepared to spend million dollars to
stamp 1t out, and we see no reason to
feel alarmed. People ought not get
frightened. This one case was taken
fumigation has been applied as to war
rant the hope that we shall promptly
and effectively stamp out the disease.
We have issued circular to every
practlcing physician In New Orleans
commanding them promptly to report
to the board of health every suspicious
case of fever. We have made arrange
ments to act promptly in every case,
and IL, unfortunately other cases of
yellow fever shall be brought to our at
tention we shall without delay notify
the world through the press, Of the
facts.
There have been at least four cases
in addition to the Gelpi one, of people
suffering from fever who have come to
New Orleans from Ocean Springs Ten
of the most prominent physicians of
New Orleans have been pressed into
service and we give the closest atten-
tion to each Of these cases. In every in
stance meteorological examinations
showed the existence only of malarial
germs and no evidence of yellow fever
microbes. I am well within the truth,
therefore, when say the Gelpi case Is
the only one of yellow fever in New
Orleans up to the present time, and l
am sure we have the city fully COW
cred"
During the week ending Aug. q re-
ports reached President Ollphant, Of
the board of health, of the prevalence
Of sickness at Ocean Springs, the ma
ture Of which was in doubt. DR.. OIL
phant. with member of the board of
health. went there and learned that
there had been up to that time some
400 cases. OF these there had been only
one or two deaths, but in two cases the
symptoms were so suspicious as to
give rise to the belief that the fever
was of violent type.
DR.. OlIphant then brought on Drs.
Czarnowski and Salomon, of the board
of experts, and DR.. Patton, secretary
of the board of health, all experienced
In the treatment of yellow fever. They
visited some eleven patients md after
o careful and thorough examination
and investigation unanimously reached
the conclusion that the fever was
dengue. The physicians agreed that
none of the cases up to then showed
any symptoms that would even lead to
o suspicion of more serious disease.
All these physicians have had ex-
periencs in yellow fever epidemics anG
are eminent in their profession, and
their unanimous conclusion seems tt
leave no doubt that at the period spOkef
of the fever was of n mild type. Dur.
ing the last week, however, yellow
fever In violent form appeared al
Ocean Springs.
The quick death of Or. Bemiss
aroused suspicion, and by Saturday thu
boards of health of Mobile and New
Orleans were in possession of infor
nation that justified the fear that vel
low. fever had slipped Into Ocear
Springs. Official reports Of the boards
of health of Mississippi, Louisiana ant
Alabama and the representatives Of tht
Marine hospital went at once on Sat
urday to Ocean Springs. They were a
once convinced that their gloomy ap
prehensions were not unfounded.
Careful autopsies were made. bu
; aside from DR.. Saunders. of Mobile, tht
experts were disposed to await fur
ther and complete autopsy to remove
all doubt before making official an
nouncement to the world Of the ap
pearance OF the scourge. Sunday nigh
another patient, a woman, died, ant
yesterday an autopsy was held. Its re
suit was to dispel all previous doubts.
Acting President Walmsley. Of th
Louisiana board, said last evening
hThere never was doubt about th
Arst diagnosis. At that time beyont
question dengue fever only prevailed
IN the past few days, however. yellow
Fever has gotten into Ocean Springs
That Is proven both by the rapid deatl
rate and by the thorough dagnos
which have been made by physicians
NO earlier announcement could hay