The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-10-14
CAME TO INVESTIGATE.
Committee Of Physicians and County
Judges
THE SITUATION DESCRIBED TO THEM
return to Points on the I. a G. N.
Convinced That There Ii NO
yellow Fever Here.

! delegation of doctors and county Judges
from various points along the line OF the
International and Great Northern railway.
from Palestine down, sent at the instance
of their respective communities to investi-
gate the situation here and report back
their conclusions.
This expedition was gotten UP In the In
terest of relaxing. IL possible. the strin-
gency Of the quarantine imposed against
Houston by the various towns and counties
along the line Of this road.
The regular board of health was in ses-
sion when the visitors arrived and expected
to meet them at the office OF DR.. stuart,
but upon it's being learned that the North
east Texas visitors were enjoined not to
leave the Grain at Houston upon the penalty
of not being permitted to return to their
homes, the board of health, together with
the mayor, City Health officer DR.. McEl-
roy and DR.. Stuart, proceeded to the Inter-
national and Great Northern depot and
visited the party in their cars
The visiting delegation consisted of DR..
Smith of Crockett Dr. Merriweather Of
Grapeland, DR.. j. f. Collier, Judge Cooper
and Mr. Darby of Conroe, and DR.. Jameson,
DR.. Colly and G.. L. Noble of Palestine.
After introductions Mr.. Noble explained
that the visitors were here to investigate
the sanitary situation.
Mayor Rice presented City Health Offl-
Ger Dr.. McElroy to explain to the visiting
physicians the situation from medical
standpoint.
DR.. McElroy said the most typical case
OF DR.. Guiteras' yellow fever discovered in
Houston was the Mcdonnell case, which he
proceeded to describe as follows: This man
Mcdonnell came no my office after a pro-
tracted debauch and fell in a fit OF vertigo.
He had dengue and the rash had broken out
upon his face. DR.. Guiteras and DR..
Siwearingen both saw the case and pro-
nounced 1t yellow fever. Albumen was
discovered In McGonnell's urine. but 1t
was there from dissipation. The man IL
now up and never had any yellow fever
| yet shis is enc o. DR.. Guiteras cases.
He is now sizing on the gallery just up
the street" said DR.. McElroy. Would you
gentlemen like to see him?"
We would like to-" replied one OF the
doctors, but If we should do so we could
not return home.
| The other cases were also explained by
DR.. McEroy, particularly the case OF Po-
lice Officer Henry Lee, who had been sick
three weeks and had two relapses, enc the
| result of the exposure from q hunt when
he fell in a creek.
| THE advisory beard of health will take
cognizance OF these cases tonight" said
DR.. McElroy. "and | shall recommend that
we pronounce them emphatically not yell
low fever and remove the guards at once.
| shall at least insist upon this being done
in the Mcconnell case"
Mayor Rice explained to the visitors how
| he had met Drs. Guiteras and Swearingen
| and afforded them every facility for in
vesigating the city. He had taken them
TO St. Josephs infirmary. where they in
spected eighty-seven cases and found roth
ing suspicious. Just before leaving a ply
stefan of Houston took charge OF DR.. Gui-
teras and showed him three cases Of So
called yellow fever. all in his private prac-
ice. These people. pronounced by Dr..
| Guiteras as having yellow fever, were all
citizens Ct Houston and had lived here
continuously of late.
DR.. Smith Of Crocliet said that in his
opinion Or. Gulteras had come to Houston
and Galveston with the avowed and speci-
ned purpose of finding yellow fever, and
In doing so he had but carried out pre-
conceived purpose
Mayor Rice referred to the DR.. Mason
case as another of Dr. Gulteras' plumbers.
DR.. Mason" said Mayor Rice, was sit
ting mp the day after Dr. Guiteras pro.
nounced his case yellow fever. He smoke I'd
hitecn ciragottes and wrote prescriptions
for his patients. He was very emphatic
in his denial of having yellow fever. as
were all the other patients pronounced BY
t'r. Gulteras as having the disease"
Dr. Smith asked II any deaths had &C.
CURED in Houston from the dengue
| On being answered In the negative. ha
replied that he did not believe that there
YVES single case of yellow fever In Texas
Df. ID. e. Stuart spoke OF the prevail
! ing disease here. It's prevalence covered n
period OF some six weeks or more. he had
personally treated rot less than zoo cases
ana he regarded the disease as deugue
| IL appeared In different forms. some mild
some more severe. Some with little or no
fever, some with rash. some without lin W
tocay out OF several thousand cases. not
single death had been reported. He had
learned Of the dsath today Of an infant
IRE cause being assigned as denrue. some
OF the cases Were more aggravated than
o,hers' Some were attended with great
agony, from pains In the head and spine.
an these cases he regarded as deng,le
Rr. Guiteras had pronounced three q,
Houstcn's cases as yellow foyer ana ar
other az suspicious. He was a man whose
auility every professional man was forced
10 respect. His diagnosis has been horne
out at New Orleans. Biloxi. Edwards .nL
IN tact, at every point where he had nro.
nounced 1t yellow fever it had turned ont
70 DC 50, He has made no mistakes nm,
'ar and this fact warrants us In at Least
taxing every prccaution in the cases here
mat he has pronounced yellow fever and
tnoGsh ] do not agree with him In his
diagnosis II Is at least demanding of seri-
ou' consideration, and the deyelorrnen.
sienid be carefully watched We have also
without DR.. Gpiterae. discovered two cases
az judge f. p. Hamblen's, his wife and
little girl, both Of whom have symptoms
OF yellow fever, n low fever and great de-
pression. We are watching these eases
carefully, great many cases are very
inherent OF correct diagnosis, but can
say conscientiously that do not beIieva
We have case OF yellow fever In Texas
and | have practiced medicine here SINCE
1851. The dengue being com,lcated win
malaria makes the diagnosis in NAM
cases all the more difficult. I have mo-,
seen case that I regard as yellow fever
! saw but one OF the cases passed uron
by DR.. Guiteras and regard that as q
case of dengue similar to that now pre-
vailing here. pe-
Dr Jameson OF Palestine said that In
M 20 f.s.