The herald., 1897-10-03
DEATH TO
THE GERM
An Italian Scientists Great
Discovery
SANARELLPS NEW SERUM
1T WOULD HAVE BEEN A BOON TO
NEW ORLEANS
The New Discovery Is Known As An.
tiamaryl and Is Very Powerful.
Scares of the Past

Correspondence to The Herald.) The
dreaded scourge of yellow fever which
recently almost threw this city into a
quickly combated and the public fears
allayed had the authorities been in pos
session of a new serum discovered By an
Italian medical savant.
| The new serum is known as antiamaryl
Its discoverer is Dr. Sanarelli, whose ex-
periments while in Brazil and Uruguay
resulted in the discovery of the yellow
fever germ. There is no question in the
| minds of the physicians here. even
| those who can look back to the dread
days of 1878, that had we been blessed
with the possession of this serum the
danger Of epidemic would have been en-
tirely averted. AS 1t is, in New Orleans
| in yellow fever times one never feels
safe until frost, the one always success
| full foe of Yellow Jack, puts in an ap-
pearance.
| No one who does not live below the for
| ty-eight degree of north latitude, the
northern boundary of the district sub
ject to the yellow fever, can imagine the
absolute terror which the news of the
presence Of this fearful scourge inspires.
Therefore it is no exaggeration to say
| that the mama that fell to the children
of Israel in the wilderness was no more
grateful than the news received here
from a reliable source that Sanarelli's
discovery in all probability meant new
weapon against the fever and one which
would be available at any moment.
ba Of ho Of
rum and the fact that the Italian sa
want had his attention directed to New
Orleans as a field of experiment, if ever
opportunity offered, was brought here
| by an American physician recently ar
rived from Montevideo. He states that
Sanarelli told him that he believed that
New Orleans would offer, If it ever be-
came unfortunate enough field for ex-
| pertinent superior to that of any other
place in North America, owing to the
peculiar climatic conditions existing in
| the city and it's surroundings.
He told this physician also that while
at present it was impossible for him to
spare any Of the serum he had made, as
soon as it was possible he would forward
to him here at New Orleans small sup
ply to be used in case of an outbreak of
fever. If this physician had that supply
now he could sell it for triple. yes, quad
ruple it's weight in gold. While the fever
here has been practically checked-for
while the run cannot be instantly stayed,
fresh outbreaks can-the panicky feeling
is evident on every hand. Small wonder
is there that this is the case when one
recalls that the scourge has left its mark
in other years. has scared the city so
dreadfully that even the mention of it
fairly excites terror.
1t Is less than twenty years since the
deaths from yellow fever in New Or
leans and Memphis exceeded 5000 within
one month. This was in the autumn of
1873, when the Mississippi valley bore
far more the appearance of vast char
mel house than of the populous, fruit
full country which it ordinarily appears
to be- There are those living yet who
rem ember how death travelled the Miss
issippi and the Ohio on board, the steam
tug John u. Porter and its two barges.
Two long months did this triumvirate' of
disease-stricken craft move up and
down the Mississippi and Ohio rivers,
spreading yellow death wherever they
touched. They communicated the fever
to the town of Gallipolis. Ohio, where
81 persons took the disease and 81 died.
From the time these craft left New
Orleans until they tied up at Pittsburg
twenty-three persons died. aboard of
them. The ghostly plague ship, or
Vanderdecken and his Flying Dutch
man were never more dreaded than
these three spreaders Of the yellow
death At Gallipols, Ohio, on the morn
ing Of August 10, 1878, the engineers Of
the tug refused to work any longer and
ran the boat alongside the bank, where
all hands except two men and the doc
tor deserted. II was from New Orleans
! that the tug and its barges brought the
cargo of which Yellow Jack was master.
A pitiful story is told Of the last out
break of fever Of any consequence, which
| took place in 1855. All Louisiana was in
dire distress when none knew at what
moment the DEATHS head might 1eer in
at the door, Apparently sporadic cases
were heard of on every hand. Dr.
L'Heureaux, a physician of New Or
| leans, learned that at the house of
farmer out toward Bayou Christian, the
disease had found several victims. all
of whom were in pitiable state. The
doctor, who had no fear of Yellow Jack
drove out to the place and found that
| the majority of the family had gone
Across the road from the house sat the
owner. beside brightly burning bor-
| fire of pine logs. He told the doctor his
son was sick in the house but that he
was afraid to go to him.
| The doctor went in and searched the
dwelling which he found to be in condi-
tion simply frightful, but discovered no
sign Of the patient. AT last, behind the
kitchen stove lay form that he at first
thought was that of r.egro, but on ex-
animation discovered that the nineteen
year-old boy, fevered, thirsty and, dy-
| ing from the dread disease. had crawled
about on the filthy floors of his home in
vain search for water and had at last
collapsed on the spot where he was
| fourd.
This is one of hundred instances.
Yellow Jack drives courage from mer
who have fearlessly faced death and
danger in many forms. There is some
thing so horrible about it that one be-
comes tremendously alarmed with ap-
parently slight cause. What brings the
yellow fever to New Orleans is some
thing that no one knows. unless it be that
certain conditions of the atmosphere or
certain growths of vegetable nature