The San Francisco call., 1897-09-07
Louisiana Officials Take
Steps to Check the
Disease.
One Death From the Fever
That Caused Considerable
Excitement.
Assurances Are Given the Public.
However, That There Is No
Ground for a Scare.

NE w OHhGANp, LA.I Sept o.-1ne
Louisiana State Board of Health kept
faith with her sister bodies of the South
and the rest Of the count Y this afternoon,
when 1t N ade the. official announcement
as the result of a careful autopsy that
Raoul Gelpi, Is years OF age, had died
from 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 of medical attendance, he
died.
DR.. Theard, the physician in charge,
immediately reported to the Board OF
Health, and expressed the opinion that
the death was due to yellow fever. This
afternoon an autopsy proved that DR..
Theard's 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
expressed 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
state their belief that it was quite pos
sibIe to arrest a spread of the fever. The
board during the day had ordered rigid
quarantine against all points on the Gull
coast and had taken every precautions to
guard against the entry into the city OF
any person from Ocean Springs.
"We have no fear" said DR.. Wimsley,
acting president of the Board of Health,
"that the fever will spread in New Or
leans. The Board of Health is prepared
to spend 81, 600, 600 to stamp it out and see
no reason 10 feel alarmed. People ought
not to get frightened. This one case was
taken charge of in time and such scientific
fumigation has been applied as to warrant
the hope that We shall promptly and
effectively stamp out the disease. We
have made arrangements to issue tonight
a circular to every practicing physician In
New Orleans commanding them promptly
to report every case, and if, unfortunately,
other cases of yellow fever should be
brought to our attention we shall notify
the world, through the Associated Press,
of the facts.
There have been at least four cases in
addition to Gelpi, one of the people suffer
ing from fever who have come to New Or
leans from Ocean Springs. Ten of the
most prominent physicians of New Or
leans have been pressed into service, and
we have the closest attention given to
each of these cases. In every instance
psychological examinations showed the
existence OF only malaria germs, and no
evidence of yellow fever microbes.
EtV
when 1 say the GeIpi case is the only one
OF yellow fever in New Orleans up to the
present time, and l am sure we have the
city fully covered
During the week ending August u re-
ports reached President Oliphant of the
Board of Health of the prevalence of sick
ness at Ocean Springs, the nature oi
which was in doubt. Mr.. Oliphant, with
8 mem Der of the Board of Health, went
there and learned that there had been Ut
to that time some 400 cases. OF these
but in two cases the symptoms were so
serious as to give rise to the belief that
the fever was of a violent type.
DR.. Oliphant then brought on Drs Gar.
nowski and Solomon of the board OF ex-
perts and DR.. Patton, secretary of the
Board of Health, ali experienced in the
treatment of yellow fever. They visited
some eleven patients, and after careful
and thorough examination unanimously
came to the conclusion that the fever was
dengue. The physicians agreed that none
of the cases up to then showed symptoms
that would even lead to a suspicion of a
serious disease. All these physicians have
had experience in yellow fever epide
and are eminent in their profession, and
their unanimous conclusion seems to
leave no doubt that at the period spoken
of The lever was mild type. During the
week, however, yellow fever in yirulent
form appeared at Ocean Springs.
The quick death of DR.. Bemis aroused
suspicion and by Saturday the boards of
health of Mobile and New Orleans were in
possession of Information that justified
the fear that yellow fever had slipped
into Ocean Springs. Official representa-
tives of the boards of health of Missis-
OF the Marine Hospital service went at
once on Saturday to Ocean Springs. They
were at once convinced that their gloomy
apprehensions were not unfounded.
Careful autopsies were made, but aside
from DR.. Saunders of Mobile the experts
were disposed to await further and COM
plete autopsy to remove all doubt before
making an official announcement to the
world OF the appearance of the scourge.
Last night another patient-a woman
died, and this morning an autopsy was
held. Its result was to dispel all previous
doubt. Acting President Walms.ev of
the Louisiana board said this evening:
There was never a doubt about the
first diagnosis. At that time. bevond
question, dengae lever only prevailed.
Out of 800 cases the death rate was only
half of per cent. In epidemics of yellow
fever the death rate is infinitely heavier
In the past few days, however, yellow fever
has got into Ocean Springs. That is
proven both by the rapid death rate and
by the thorough diagnoses which have
have been made by the physicians. No
earlier announcement could be made. for
the reason that prior to the last lie days
there was no yellow fever existing in Ocean n
Springs"
Mr.. Walmsley was disposed to hold the
representatives of the Marine Hospital