The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-20

Experiences or writer who Has been Through
Three aud Had the Disease Twice.


is a thing to go through much ns one would a
oattlo. Inc worst condition In Whlch 10 n,eeC'
Is one OF tunk, out III uoes not Ioiio"' eitnoi'
that calm Indifference Is q prcservatiVe against
its attacks A good deal depends on ono .u"
dition oil health at the moment mooe OF mo-
and other circumstances. Epidemics OF this ais
ease also vary In their viruience; cases that enu
fatally terminating under certain CONDITIONS IN"
rev hours after seizure whlle uhuer other u,
cnmstances the course OF an Illness may eN.o"u
over several days. There may ne cases IN "hrch
there Is an apparent recovery, then n sudoeh re
lapse and speedy death. temperance IL u SURF
saieSuard' ana incompetence hot ho'ooe"tn'
fhtai; although tue compiler OF n mliltary uo-
tioharylh a BRUSH reEin'ehtih inc "eS' ~
wren he came TO the WORD orahoy' put heo
yellow JACK ana wheh no roacneu 'ho "f|'io
yellow jack put SEQ Brandy.
Inc actual cause OF yellow ieVor IL, presunip'
uVc'y' some bacillus aItor its kihu' orouk"'
into activity by certain conditions "hich Scieh.
THO research VIII soon discover. IL 'ney n"Nen'
ALREADY oeen lodhu. lheuinhcuiVy IN t,e"'ins
tue disease IN some cases ID inc irisnCiui r"p'u'
Ivy OF It's course the decomposition OF poisonIhR
OF inc oioou oolyihg al mouicai con'roi' iho
cohdltlons uhdcr which yellow IeVer S gen
Grated nave not YET oeeh sett'eu. hi'noush ~
mas oech proven 'haI sahltaIloh' IL II "ocs U
eh'irciy prevent may h'oui'y its Fh'"scs' |uSo'
o' recovery ironi the ie'er i'seh "ro. vi 'ou'so'
humorous' thosc OF recovery at'er inc tom,'o
state hao SC, IN arc rare an" eNcept'ohai' inc
writer, VINO mas hau experience OF thrco ep'ucni-
les OF the disease under varying circumstances
ana IN inherent places never khe" Oh u case'
ana never heard OF moro th'h one.
Inc hrs' epiueihic IN Inc writer = experience
was NJ sierra Ieohe IN west AFRICA In 1901
The official returns made by the medical officers
.o - ~. =.
rate OF 20 per cent. o' .ho "n'to population ot
Freetown, the capital Of the colony, withouta
sinple instance of rccoy,rv. The preo over
snsh =. IT., a. -
when the disease extended was limited IN Free
town to that part of the area underline hundred
feet above sea level. The military stationed on
-. ~
rover hlli' In the centre OF the town. some -FOUR
hundred feot above the sea, enjoyed complete
immunity from tho fevcr The medic,, rulc was
''
that none OF the European officers or non-com-
missioned officers should go down into the low
level before an hour after sunrise. and should
,efci oo'oro an nour ~ 'unris anu onouiu
o DE , a1s S ea.s, IN in qI ,Sat sD SisD5S ' 1"s,sS m veFy o 'ow
,or,r.;,ht bours o,d MANY n througb overv
iot'so Ibn' u "n. mon 81 .niouen 80
stage in four hours time. The strongest reme-
dies awaited no more than so much cold water.
Mercury was apnlicd in various WAYS with abso-
'
lutely no result. Doses or combined calomel and
quinine were given that in ordinary health
would nave peeh dangerous out all 70 no pur-
pose.
-an r "". hn mon,h,n s,aama, an, hotmaon
"of'a was y montn's t'a.no, ~ 80" nn
two outgoing packets the greater part OF the
white population Of Frectown was literally
,,,no, nut Of , Ers,ch Iosui, u;ss;on NJ six
"lpeu ou'' vi feneu ''eui' vi o.
persons. tnat had only been a short time in
stalled. all hut one was carried Off. and the last
survivor was fortunate in catching a return
steamer before being stricken down by the, ter
ri 1iG 1ss a ,i@s Mas op ,ss Of r ,ss % OF sn ' EnStish ine saiIins
vessel that put into Sierra Leone, having lost
her Captain and mate oy fever; An officer OF
turn TO England; volunteered to navigate her to
port. Some weeks later natives from the Bijuga
coast, reported "A ship wrecked at one o! the ISL
ands, with the corpses of the crew lying about
visit the place, TO be tho unfortunate craft in
which the officer mentioned had sailed, There
Leone since that year, but none in which the
disease raged with such exceptional yirulenGe.
pericnce was that which visited the island Of
Barbadoes. one Of the British West Indian
islands. in 1862 In the early part Of the year
creeks were one morning found covered with
great quantities of fish that had apparently been
destroyed by some noxious element in the sea,
probably gases let loose by n submarine disturb
ance. The superstitious and the seers,s such AS
that the portent was the forerunner of u vista
ton Of some kind. and the infection In the air
that lasted for several days seemed certainly TO
justify the prediction; Weeks. however. passed.
and then months. without anything remarkable
huppcHliS, WYNN VI Nv uhs III luc autumn SOW
erul cases OF u bad type OF yellow fever declared
themselves in one Of the barracks OF the garri-
son. The European troops were Immediately
moved to a high point in the interior OF the isl
and. where they Remained during the c%ontinu-
nncc of the epidemic, without the loss OF n man;
but the officers and white non commissioned
officers OF the West Indies regiment that re.
manned to guard the Government stores and
buildings suffered severely. All the early
cases were fatal after a brief course. Then the
duration OF the illness became longer, with "A
treacherous apparent recovery. followed by re-
lapse and death; and finally the epidemic
ceased i'll the garrison. In no case OF recovery
were tho circumstances identical. In one case
the patient, during the treacherous period iol-
lowing the hrst stage OF the fever, violated
every prescription and order of the doctor. lie
forced his servant to take him out OF
his room on the veranda Of the quarters to
give him his pipe and tobacco and bring him IA
bottle OF English porter. From that moment he
gathered strength, and in n few months recov-
cred his full vigor. In another case bleeding
from the gums and ~nostrils took the place OF the
decomposition through the stomach. and though
1t left the patient in great weakness for some
time. he eventually recovered health. Both
thAse IN aRa yyare atranuply anpuph nntad for a