The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-21

year OS42). with the exception of
q sporadic case in June, 1852 from 1912
met with no yellow fever cases until the
fall of 1852. Late in summer an unacclim-
ated painter was attacked with it in the
northeastern part of the city He had been
working here all summer and had had no
intercourse with Charleston or Havana
The first case L met in 1854 was
one with well marked symptoms. The
summer had been the very hottest I had
ever experienced, and many fatal cases
of coup del soleil had occurred. I
was called to see this patient at night I'D
of August. Yellow fever has this
in common with bilious fever, it never
prevails except in the summer and fall
months, and is most effectually cut short
by a frost.
The tabulated mortuary record of Savan-
nah by DR.. William Duncan shows that
625 persons lost their lives by yellow fever,
in 1854, in a population of 2,46S, of which
fully one-fourth got away at the beginning
of the epidemic. One hundred and twelve
died in 1853 four in 1861, fourteen in 1864,
one in 1865, five in 1866, one in 1868, one in
1863 The number who died of yellow few
er in 1871, was 8; in 1874, /; in 1875, 8. The
epidemic of 1876 caused the loss of S96 per-
sons by yellow fever in a population of 3d.
900. In 1877 there were a number of cases
of yellow fever here, of these one death is
recorded. Since then, cases of continued
form of fever have occasionally been met
with by our doctors during the fall
months. When fatal, they appear in our
mortuary reports under various names
mot yellow fever.
The local causes to which the epidemic
of 1884 was attributed by physicians prac-
ticing in Savannah, are first. soil disturb
ance in laying water and gas pipes and
leveing the streets; second, the sobby con-
dition CT the slopes of our bluff; third, the
foul conditions of dry culture lands. east
and west of the city, and on Hutchinson s
Island, the greater part Of which, was no
better than marsh. Fourth.
the filthy condition of our
privy. vaults. which were shamefully neg
lected. Fifth, the poison laden emana-
tons from the filthy soil caused by the
prevailed that season. DR.. Jno. f. Posey,
government meterologist, and very care
full observer, writing to DR.. Barton of
neighborhood where the streets and a
square had been filed mp to level above
lots, on which as many small wooden
houses as could be crowded together had
been built; these houses, at the beginning
of the epidemic, were occupied by an in
credible number of people. The small
yard room had been planked over on ac-
count of the mire caused by rain water
pouring there in from houses and streets,
and these boards were rotting. The stag
nant water collected under the houses
emitted a stencil, which added to the efiiu-
via from the rooms and privy vaults was
extremely offensive%
From thence the disease spread over the
city"
OF the conditions existing prior to the
partial epidemic of 1885, one of our doctors
says: The preceding winter being mild our
people felt some apprehension as to the
summer, but the spring was dry, and ma
larial fevers did not appear as
usual, in fact we remained
almost without fevers until after the
heavy rainfall of July, and then the inter-
mittent and remittent type soon gave way
TO the continued, and we suffered from a
widespread epidemic of break-bone tden-
que feveD. Late in September cases OF
fever with black vomit were met with in
the northwestern part of the city. especial
" west of Jefferson street, extending into
Yamacraw. This local outbreak was at
tributed CDr. Juriah Harris) to the up
turning of the soil in building the West
Broad street sewer. to the undraned and
nasty condition Of Yamacrnw and of the
Vale Royal tract to the west.
In 1884 all the low lands west OF the
city were Kept submerged for defensive
purposes; that year fevers of the inter-
mtttent and remittent type prevailed al
along the western slope during the spring
and summer months, but toward the mid
die OF October they took a continued form,
some cases having the black vOmit pnd
they were called yellow fever; fourteen
persons died OF II that season.
The mortality records show thar eight
persons died of yellow fever In tie fall
of 1919. With such warning it would
seem that those In authority would nave
felt the urgent necessity of improving the
sanitary condition OF our city. but they