The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-04

Local Coalitions the Main Cause OF
Development and Increase.
From the Philadelphia Press.
New Orleans, Oct. DIR. John Cutie
ras, the yellow fever expert from Phil
adelphia, has been having some lively ex-
periences with local shotgun guarantees
in Mississippi and Louisiana, and yet in
spite of it all has been able to do great
deal of good in advising local boards Of
health and in keeping the federal hOspi-
tai service fully Informed Of the exact
drift of events. While northern sections
are but remotely concerned in the pres
ent epidemic so far as the question of its
spreading north of Mason and Dixon's
line is concerned, there will be general
interest in the views of one so qualified to
speak as DIR. Guiteras. Hence, the fol-
lowing interview with him which has
just appeared is in the nature of the first
official review of the present epidemic. 1t
will be noted that in his remarks on how
infection is carried, DR.. Guiteras shows
without saying so how ridiculous and
without effect are the quarantine methods
of rural districts as they are so devoid
of knowledge of the disease as to defeat
the very end they have in view.
DIR. Guiteras, when asked to give his
views on the nature of the present cpl
deInic, said:
There seems to be a morbid fear on
the part of people outside of the infected
localities that infection is possible by
breathing the same atmosphere as that
inspired by person who has happened
10 he for Hrio s.,. TIE, oso.I
borhood. To this fear was due the scant
welcome given me, but the fear is absurd,
as it is matter of impossibility for infec-
ton to be conveyed in this manner. A
physician will not carry the infection TO
anyone, because he himself is not infect
ed, and the germ (for there is undoubtedly
a GERM is unable to multiply in the dry
clothing, particularly where the wearer
submits himself to the steriliZing inf1u-
ences Of the dry air and sunshine.
1T is possible for the very room in
which a yellow fever patient is lying to
be void of infection by the fact that
person submits himself to the influence
of the SICK room for a brief period under
any circumstances. Infection is made pos
sible by the lack of sanitation and disin-
lection in the early stages of the disease.
For instance, a person may become infect
ed by remaining in an infected house for
too long period. He or she becomes part
Of the infected locality. and may be taken
down with the fever. BY disinfecting the
clothing of a yellow fever patient, to-
gether with all matter Voided by the pa
tient. from the inception of the fever and
continuing this process thoroughly, the
danger of infection to other persons in
the dwelling is reduced to a minimum.
II speak from experience in this regard.
have had cases of fever under my care
in the crowded ward of a hospital, at
tended by nurses fresh from Bellevue and
surrounded by other patients, and yet, by
pursuing the course indicated, not another
case of the fever developed. Other expert
ences along the same line have demon
strated the virtue of this disinfection even
during epidemics; where fever hospital
has failed to spread the infection in To-
cality of which it was the center and when
it contained a large number of patients,
and in other instances of a like nature.
81 know that a case of yellow fever can
be so cared for in a hotel filled with unin-
fected guests as to absolutely avoid dan
ger of infection to other persons. A dwell
ing in which fever exists must however,
be thoroughly sanitated. This must be
kept up from the very start, and under
these circumstances the house will not be-
come infected and the danger reduced to
nothing as far as adjoining householders
are concerned and even to the other dwell
lers in the building. If, however, this dis
infection is not carried on the building
will become so filled with the poisonous
germs as to threaten an entire neighbor-
hood, even taking into consideration the
immunizing influences of the sunlight and
the fact that the germs must travel in the
air. They generate so rapidly as to cast
out a very wave, and this result may take
place in one or two days. With ordinary
care there can be no danger to person
living next door or across the street from
a case of yellow fever.
yellow fever is a disease well known
but not always understood. 1t may do
one thing this year and something en-
tirely different upon another occasion.
There are things about it that none of
us are able to correctly sound. Its
origin in this country may always be
traced TO Cuba. Never does it appear
here but what Cuba is the source of its
being. 1t may be brought over by a
island and takes sick here, and then 1t
may be brought over in personal effects,
like clothing in closed boxes or trunks,
where a moist condition always prevails.
The yellow fever germ is one that revels
in a moist environment and cannot in
crease save under these conditions.
1.-THE present outbreak may have had
its beginning at Mobile or at one of the
Mississippi coast towns, but it did come
from Cuba, and was not brought by
refugees. Once here it found the con-
ditions more or less favorable for its
development, and began it's course. There
is no prognosticating the results of the
visitation. From what I know of the
fever 1 see no reason to believe that the
present outbreak will end before frost.
1 have great hopes, however, that the
present system of sanitation and disin-
lection pursued by your board of health,
so 1 understand, and the modern methods
of isolation and treatment may modify the
outbreak and keep it in a measure within
bounds
AT the same time there is no dsguis-
ing the fact that the fever is likely to con-
tinue with an ever-increasing scope by
reason of the new foci of infection, and
that there is a probability of the mortal
ity becoming a trifie greater than at pres
emit yellow fever has a cycle which it
pursues. If it begins early in communi-
ty climatic influences retard its spread,
and 1t progresses slowly until favorable
conditions supervene, when it branches
suddenly into an additional existence. It
reaches its average, however. befort it is
over Again, it may begin later and de-
velop its cycle rapidly and within few
weeks Of It's Inception present the char
o1tarfeffae Of 5rotfio11e o,,tbraaIx tba