The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-07
Six Hundred Cases of Dengue Fever
at Ocean Springs Before the Out
break of 'BIack jack
SCARE IN SOUTHERN CITIES
WHICH ARE HURRIEDLY ESTAB-
LISHING RIGID GUARANTEES.
Officers of the Marine Hospital Serv
ice LOath to Believe the Epi-
demic Is Yellow Fever.

NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 6.-The Louisiana
State Board of Health kept faith with it's
sister bodies of the South and the rest of
the country this afternoon when it made
official announcement as the result of a
careful autopsy that Raoul Gelpi, thirteen
years of age, 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 here Soon
after arriving, despite the best medical at
tention he died Dr. Theard, the physi-
clan in charge, Immediately reported to the
Board of Health and expressed the opinion
that death was due to yellow fever This
afternoon an autopsy proved that DR..
Theards idea of yellow fever was correct.
Steps were promptly taken to prevent a
possible spread of the disease. AS the case
was one of importation, the doctors ex-
pressed 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
among the lay public. Physicians. how
ever expressed no apprehension and stated
their belief that it was quite possible to
arrest a spread of the fever. The board
during the day ordered a rigid quarantine
against ali points on the gulf coast and
has 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 it was thought the fever
might reach.
During the day people thronged about the
bulletin boards; the Board of Health Office
was besiegeo and the Western Union wires
freighted with messages to and from the
various coast resorts. In the meantime
however, reassuring kilograms arrived
from Ocean Springs that the Mississippi
Board of Health had taken and would take
every precaution possible to circumscribe
the limits of the epidemic and prevent it's
communication to the outside world.
I'VE have no fear" said DR.. Walmsley,
acting president of the Board of Health,
that the fever will spread in New Orleans
The Board of Health is prepared to spend
$1000,000 to stamp it out and we see no
reason to feel alarmed. People ought not
to get frightened. This one case was taken
charge of in time and such scientific fu-
migation has been applied as TO warrant
the hope that we shall promptly and eff
fectively stamp out the disease. We have
made arrangements to issue circular to
every practicing physician in New Orleans,
commanding them to report promptly to
the Board of Health every suspicious case
of fever. We have made arrangements to
act promptly in every case, and it, un-
fortunately, other cases of yellow fever
shall be brought to our attention we shall
without delay notify the world of the facts
There have been at least four cases in ad-
dition 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 gave the
closest attention to each of these cases. In
every instance archaeological examinations
showed the existence only of malarial
germs and no evidence of yellow fever mi
crobes. 1 am well within the truth there
fore, when 1 say the Gelpi case is the only
one of yellow fever in New Orleans up to
the present time and 1 am sure we have
the city fully covered
600 CASES AT OCEAN SPRINGS.
During the week ending Aug. q reports
reached President OIipant,o of the Board of
Health, of the prevalence of sickness at
Ocean Springs the nature of which was
in doubt. DR.. Ollipant, with member of
the board, went there and learned that
there had been up to that time some 400
cases. OF these there had been only one
or two deaths, but in two cases the symp-
toms were so suspicious as to give rise to
the belief that the fever was of violent
type. DR.. Ollipant then brought on Drs
Czlrnowsk and Salomon, of the Board of
Experts, and DR.. Patton, secretary of the
Board of Health, all experienced in the
tredIIn5hl oA ySlioW lever 1ney VISITED
some eleven patients, and after careful
and thorough examination and investiga-
ton unanimously reached the conclusion
that the fever was dengue. The physicians
agreed that none of the cases up to that
time showed any symptoms that would
even lead to suspicion OF more serious
disease All these physicians have had ex-
perfence in yellow fever epldemicS and are
eminent in their profession, and their unan-
imous conclusion seems to leave no doubt
that at the period spoken of the fever was
of a mild type.
During last week. however, yellow fever
in virulent form appeared at Ocean
Springs. The quick death of DR.. Bemiss
aroused suspicious. and by Saturday the
boards of health of Mobile and New Or
that justified the fear that yellow fever
had slipped into Ocean Springs. Official
representatives, of the boards of health of
Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama and
the representatives of the Marine Hospital
Service went at once on Saturday to Ocean
Springs They were at once convinced that
their gloomy apprehensions were not un-
founded Careful autopsies were made
but aside from Dr. Saunders, of Mobile
the experts were disposed TO await a fur
ther and complete autopsy TO remove all
doubt before making official announce
ment 70 the world IF the appearance of the
scourge. Last night another patient,
woman. died, and this morning an autopsy
was held Its result was 10 dispel all
previous doubt
Acting President Walmsley of the Ioris
lama board, said this evening: There was
never a doubt about the first diagnosis At
that time beyond question dengue fever
only prevailed. Out OF GOO cases the death
rate was only one-half of / per cent. In
eoidemios of yellow fever the death rate
is infinitely heavier. In the past few DAYS
however yellow fever has got into Oc,san
Springs That is proven both by the raD,d
death rate by thorough diagnoses
which have been made by the physicians.