St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1897-10-02

Appreciating that our readers
are much interested in the subject
of yellow fever at the present time
NOT because they expect to have
it, but simply because it's "the
question of the hour,"-a Clarion
reporter yesterday interviewed one
of our prominent physicians on the
subject. AS the gentleman had a
great deal of experience with the
disease, what he says will be Of
value to our readers.
Follows the interview:
[ @. What is yellow fever?
A. 1t. is q specific disease, due
to a specific germ as different from
other germs as a horse differs from
an elephant, and therefore non
convertible with other specific dis
eases. Other diseases, however,
can co-exist in the same system,
for contrary to the belief of many
able medical men,. / have seen it
complicated with malarial fever,
and call to mind instances where
the malarial element both ante
dated the yellow incursion and also
came after. The yellow, however,
soon rules the pathology and when
the yellow fever symptoms have
abated, or run their course, the
malarial element remanifests it
self as evidenced by the pulse and
temperature curves.
@. Then the symptoms are in
yariably alike? 81
A. Not necessarily so; for while
the clinical phenomenon do not
vary as much as in most other in
fectious diseases and are always
sufficiently marked for a careful
observer to note, and give their
proper value to groups of symp-
toms, we must recollect that Sec
ondary poisons are generated the
different manifestations of which
vary according to the varying con-
ditions of the systemic fluids at
the time of the invasion.
@. You speak of groups OF symp-
toms; is there no one sign byWhieh
yellow can be detected?
A. Emphatieally no; it is only
by grouping symptoms that a
proper estimate can be formed,
aided by the previous history of
the case. have seen hemorrahgic
malarial fever simulate yellow. /
have had cases of black vomit
when there was no yellow nearer
than Havana.
@. 1t is difficult then to decide
at times whether a given case is
yellow, or hemorrhagic malarial
fever?
A. Yes; / have seen cases pro-
nounced yellow that was satisfied
were malarial, and vice versa. In
most of these cases nothing but an
autopsy would have convinced me
to the contrary, in some the post
mortem proved the incorrectness
of the diagnosis. Take for in
stance Prof. jones' well known case
in the Charity Hospital. Linman,
German laborer, who was brought
to ward l3 in All unconscious con-
dition, the skin of the entire body
was of a golden yellow color, the
whites of the eyes of deep yellow
hiccup, irregular heart action, sup
preston of urine, great tenderness
over pit Of stomach. Pulse like
that OF yellow in the stage OF calm.
The case was pronounced yellow
by the ward student, hospital
clerk, sisters of charity and the at
tending priest. But that prince of
diagnosticians, that great author
ity ON yellow and malarial fevers,
the late Prof. Jones, after carefully
viewing the case announced en-
phatically his belief that 1T was
hemorrhagic material and not
yellow, and the autopsy held 10
hours after proved the correctness
of his diagnosis.
@. Do you mean to say then
that it is almost impossible to
make correct diagnosis?
A. By no manner of means. On
the contrary, by an intelligent
grouping of symptoms, particular
ly with a knowledge of the pa
TENTS history, there would be no
trouble in determining the nature
of the attack. For instance IL you
were to be suddenly seized with
fever, and would present train Of
symptoms incident to yellow, ma
larial hemorrhagic, a disease un-
known to the town of Opelousas,
could be moro readily excluded
from the plane of consideration,
than if you hailed from the swamps
Of the Teche, or Atchafalaya. At
any rate, if you died, an autopsy |
would surely reveal the trouble.
@. What would be small conso-
lation to me, doctor?
A. But what a comfort to your
friends.
@. You doctors can afford tol
talk that way, because you carry
some gri-gri or specific which en-
ables you all to go through an epi- |
delnic with impunity?
A. My pious friend, you never
made a greater mistake in your |
life. There is no specific for yetlo,c
feter.t
Q. What about the Tebault
prescription?
A. Tommy rot. There is no
more in it than any other simple |
tonic with quinine as a basis. The
best preventative is good consti-