The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-03-28
SAVANNAH'S QUARANTINE.
HISTORY OF YELLOW FEVER IN
THE UNITED STATES.

The following is a continuation of an
the 7th inst:
The great majority of physicians and
the sanitarians of Philadelphia, were so
fully convinced of the local origin of their
last yellow fever epidemic 1858, and of the
futility of quarantine as a preventive
measure, that they united in the effort to
bring about a congress of noted doctors in
medicine, sanitarians. engineers, members
of health boards and municipal officers,
and succeeded in gathering representa-
tives from nine of the states bordering on
the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
The first quarantine and sanitary con-
ventlon in America was convened May IS,
1857 in Philadelphia. 1t remained three
days in session and passed a resolution ia
voring "the quarantine of persons sick of
smallpox, and, under certain circum-
stances, of typhus fever, cholera and yell
low fever, and Of infected vessels and car
goes"
The second meeting was held in Balti-
more on April 2s-S1, 1858. Two committees
were appointed, one ION Quarantine"
the other "On the Sanitary Arrangement
of Cities"
The best and most complete report ever
made on quarantine was made by the COM
mittee composed of well-known Drs. w.
Jewell, chairman; Moriarty. Cleveland,
Wragg, La Roche, Condie and Kemp, at
the next annual meeting held in New
York, April q, 1859.
"The subject which ELECTED the most
searching investigation at this meeting
was the contagious or the non-contagious
nature of yellow fever" Prof. A. H..
Stevens, one of our best-known sanitari-
ans, submitted the following resolution:
Resolved, That in the absence of any ev-
idence establishing the conclusion, that
yellow fever has ever been conveyed by
one person TO another. 1t is the opinion
of this convention that personal quaran-
tine of cases of yellow fever may be safe
ly abolished" with an amendment by DR..
A. ". Bell who now holds the enviablc
position of Nestor among American sani-
tarians, that fomites be rigidly restrict
ed" The resolution passed by an afiirma-
tive OF IS to negative; only two phys-
clans voting the negative. AT its next
meeting. June IA. Is and l6, 1850, in Bos-
ton, Gen =. M. Wetmore, representing
the New York business interests, while
speaking in favor of making this quaran-
tine and sanitary congress a permanent
organization, said: THAT the action Of
this body has done great good already. J.,
as citizen of New York, may well bear
my testimony; for 1t has entirely remove
ed the most unjust, oppressive and bur-
densome features of an institution, which
has for too long weighed heavily upon the
energy of commerce. / refer to the dec
laration by this body at its last session,
followed by practical action in other quar-
tiers, i'm regard to the question of quaran-
tine. If any person had asked me three
years ago, II. in my judgment, yellow
fever was contagious, I should most ner-
tainly have said that it was. I am salts
fed now, from statements then made,
and from the opinions expressed by COM
peteut and experienced men of science,
that there Is no danger OF a communica-
ton OF the disease from one person to
another. Sir. the quarantine reg
| ulations established 200 years ago By the