The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-04-04
SAVANNAH'S QUARANTINE.
WHAT in AZ AND WHAT 1T OUGHT
TO BE.


one years after the last epidemic at Nor
folk and when our people had come to be-
lieve that they were secure against re-
turn Of yellow fever Sayannah's sani-
tary condition again became most favora-
bic to the creation and spread of fevers,
through the neglect OF our city authori-
ties TO enforce the dry culture of outly-
ing low lands; to cause the cleaning of
the surface drains, which had not been
done the year previous because it had
been an extremely dry season; also be-
cause the city had become very filthy and
the privy vaults had been permitted to
become filled with human ordure. Pools
of stagnant water in the city, as well as
over all the adjacent territory, were. COW
cred with green film quite early in the
spring, and malarial, remittent and in
termittent fevers were already manifest
in the early part of April. In May, June
and July the doctors found cases of the
continuous Zone paroxism) fevers. with or
without black vomit, in different parts of
the city, increasing in numbers and in
severity as the season advanced, and on
Aug. p yellow fever was declared cpl
demic.
Malarial feVers prevailed during the en-
| tire season, giving to the epidemic a semi
intermittent or remittent type and clear
ly showing the close relation that exists
between these fevers.
Dr. 0. A. White of New York, who
came to Savannah and who gave us the
benefit of his experience and skill, and
assisted us through the epidemic, said to
a Morning News reporter Sept &c, 1876: Il
think the present epidemic is different in
many essentials from yellow fever, as it
has heretofore come under my observa-
tion and that it is mixed largely with the
type of malarial fever the good re-
suits following the quinine treatment gen
orally pursued by the profession indicates
that the malaria enters largely into the
diagnosis of the disease" The report of
the Georgia Board of Health for 1876 page
III, reads: That an epidemic of malarial
disorders of an exceedingly acute grade
was prevalent in the city of Savannah
prior to and subsequent to the month Of
august is shown by the testimony of Dr.
j. c. lie Hardy and others" In
the appendix of the same report, page
xvii, DR.. William Duncan'5 opinion is
given as follows: Il have no doubt that
the local conditions of the city were fav-
orable to the spread Of the disease, and
thlnk that the malaral element prevailed
to great extent during the epidemic"
DR.. l.. A. Falligant, in his Report on
the epidemic of yellow fever in Savannah
1876" page "a, in a summary of his work
says Number of cases treated, between
800 and LOCO; number of deaths to which
L was called before fatal symptoms had
set in, II; number of deaths to which l
was called after fatal symptoms had set
in, Is" a total of 80, or about 3 per cent
In his history of the yellow fever cpl
demic of 1876 in savannah DR.. lie Hardy
gives table page 80, showing that the
number of cases treated by him during
the epidemic was Sl4, of which SIS were of
yellow fever. Number of deaths from
yellow fever, 81, or percentage of fraction
above .. This shows mortality but a
trifle greater than would result from bill
ious remittent feVers. Soon after the dis
appearance of the yellow fever epidemic
the state board of health met in this CITY
TO view the battlefield and search for the
causes of this epidemic Only two of the
members of the board who had had any
experience with the disease, the president
Dr. }. q. Thomas, whose only experience
was acquired during the prevalence of
the epidemic, and DR.. II. Campbell, who
had fought the disease in Augusta, 1898
and lo5A. This is perhaps the reason why
they allowed Surgeon Ely Mcclellan of the
United States army to help and to guide
them in the investigation that was made
AT any rate, the entire board desired 10
publicly acknowledge" that they were
under special obligation Ito DR.. Ely Nc.
Clellan, United States army, for most val
liable assistance in their labors''
In return for his services they published
in their report lengthy paper ga pages
in which the principles laid down by his
predecessor, Assistant Surgeon Harvey
Brown that almost every epidemic of
yellow fever if not all''-and there were
many hundreds-"was brought from else
where" Fully eight pages are devoted to
tables, showing the year. the name OF the
place, and where imported from. There
are many instances where mo record" is
placed in the column of origin of infec-
tion," but in no instance does it appear
that it originated on the spot.
In this report Savannah is credited as
having had a yellow fever epidemic in 1870,
1927, 1898. He was careful though. not to
mention the fact that DIR. Daniel, DIR.
Warning and others had already fully de-
monstrated the local origin of the out
breaks of 1917. 1919 and 1920.
and our city records show that there was
no epidemic of yellow fever here in 1927
or 1873.
AS was to be expected. this Surgeon Nc
Clellan made strenuous efforts to attach
the blame and the origin of our epidemic
to some Spanish vessel, but finding the
task too difficult a one, the bright idea of
putting the blame upon the ballast came
to his mind He caused some ballast to
informed that DR.. Fray (Fay) Of Savan-
nah had discovered an indian plant called
Riedlea Hirsuta, which is known to be a
foreign tropical plant. growing in some of
the Cuban ballast, he was convinced that
the yellow fever plant could do likewise,
and urged our city authorities to never
allow such ballast 20 come 60 our wharves
and upon the say of this one man ballast
has never been brought here since!
He ridicules the local origin theory"
and says tina, it has been "A curse TO
America
In contra, Surgeon A. A. Woodruff, L.
$. A., who had been taught TO believe in
the contagious character and foreign orr
sin of the disease, when brought face TO
face with yellow fever-scveral cases hav-
ing occurred in his command after il had
left Savannah-was soon convinced that
the disease was not contagious,
and Immediately upon his return to the
city he instituted the most thorough and
scientific search for the cause OF the epi-
demic that was ever made here.
The result of this work. together with
his experience In the treatment Of yellow
fever gugog was u ronnnlpfp reversal of tho