The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1897-09-07
THE YELLOW SOURCE
One Victim Of the Fever Dies in
New Orleans.
EFFORTS TOPRBvBNT SPREADING

Louisiana Health Omclal believes
That the Disease Was brought TO
Ocean Springs, the Popular south
ern Resort, From ship Island.
New Orleans, Sept. 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 It made official announce
ment, as a result of a careful autopsy,
that Raoul Gelpi, Is years old had
died Of yellow fever. Gelpi was the son
of 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.
I 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 a possible spread of the dis
ease. As the case was one of importa-
! ton 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 ap-
prehension, and stated their belief that
it was quite possible to prevent a
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 II
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 health had taken every
precaution possible 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 a million dollars to
stamp it out, and we see no reason to
feel alarmed. People ought not get
frightened. This one case was taken
charge of in time, and such scientific
fumigation has been applied as to war
rant the hope that we shall promptly
and effectively stamp out the disease.
We have issued a circular to every
practicing physician in New Orleans
commanding them promptly to report
to the board of health every suspicious
/ q Of favor We baH va 10 or
ments to act promptly in every case,
and if, 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-
ton to each of these cases. In every in
stance ARCHAEOLOGICAL examinations
showed the existence only of malarial
germs, and no evidence of yellow fever
microbes. I am well within the truth
therefore, when I say the Gelpi case is
the only one Of yellow fever in New
Orleans up to the present time, and
am sure we have the city fully COW
cred"
During the week ending Aug. 21 re-
ports reached President Oliphant, Of
the board of health, of the prevalence
of sickness at Ocean Springs, the ma
ture Of which was in doubt DIR. Oil
phant, with a member of the board Of
health, went there and learned that
] L, 4 k1
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.. Ollphant then brought on Drs.
CzarnoWslli and Salomon, of the board
of experts, and Dr. Patton, secretary
J of the board Of health, all experienced
in the treatment of yellow fever They
, visited some eleven patients and after
a 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
r any symptoms that would even lead to
suspicion of more serious disease.
, All these physicians have had ex-
perience in yellow fever epidemics and
are eminent in their profession, and
their unanimous conclusion seems to
leave no doubt that at the period spoken
of the fever was of a mild type. Dur
ing the last week, however, yellow
fever in violent form appeared at
Ocean Springs.
The quick death of DIR. Bsmiss
aroused suspicion, and by Saturday the
boards of health OF Mobile and New
orleans were in possession of infor-
nation that justified the fear that yell
low fever had slipped into Ocean
Springs. Official reports of the boards
of health of Mississippi, Louisiana and
Alabama and the representatives of the
Marine hospital went at once on Sat
. urday to Ocean Springs They were at
once convinced that their gloomy ap-
prehensions were not unfounded.
Careful autopsies were made, but
Z aside from DR.. Saunders, Of Mobile, this
experts were disposed to await a fur
ther and complete autopsy to remove
. all doubt before making official an
nouncement to the world Of the az,
pearance of the scourge. Sunday night
r another patient, a woman, died, and
yesterday an autopsy was held. It's re-
+ suit was TO dispel all previous doubts
Acting President Walmsley, Of the
Louisiana board, said last evening