San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-10-18
On DeIgue Fever
DR.. Menger'S Views Regarding The
Epidemic.
State College Of Physicians tx
rected To Furnish Their DiagnO-
sis OF The Disease To The
Medical Verdi
Editor Daily Light:


At your request to give my views
on this late epidemic OF dengue
fever, beg to state that it can be
done only In condensed form and
the health authorities throughout
the state will undoubtedly furnish
soon, comprehensive statistics,
clinical as we'll as mortuary, which
will prove of great value to the
advanced knowledge of the late
epidemic Of dengue and IL there is
some relation to yellow fever. The
matter is OF such general public
importance that a better under
standing will surely be arrived at
in due time, but, from all that has
been so far gathered and PERSONAL
ly observed, it can be SAID, with
out fear of subsequent contradic-
ton that the late epidemic was
one of typical, socalled "dengue
fever" entirely independent OF yell
low fever. Like in varioloid and
true variola or smallpox, cases &C.
cur that are very difficult to differ
entiate; in both the typical erup-
ton occurs, ETC., and still, al
though certain well defined symp-
toms in both occur it is often very
embarrassing to say (which is
which," Such exceptional cases of
doubtful disease has also shown
up in the late dengue epidemic in
some parts of the state, but, con-
sidering the fact that yellow fever,
besides its different symptoms to
dengue fever, is nearly always fatal
Tin our Texas climate, at least
and non-contsgious, shows unmis-
takabiy that Texas had either no
yellow fever or that the very few,
and not fatal cases, were a "miXed
form" OF dengue and yellow fever,
il there is such a disease Dengue
fever is as well infectious as 1T is
contagious, and, il the bacteria OF
dengue, detected by Mclaughlin,
or the bacilli of yellow fever got
"mixed" up in such especial cases
causing an "attenuated" form like
yaricella, milaria, varioloid, ETC.,
is, so far at least, only conjecture,
but important enough, l think, for
investigators to make note Of it.
One thing this late epidemic has
shown, according to the report by
telegraph and otherwise, that the
disease has invaded nearly every
city and village OF the state,-sim-
liar to the GA grippe" or "catarrh-
alic fever" of late years. 1t has
spared neither the young, even
babies; nor the aged, or color, sex
or race, and as it has affected
nearly every member Of our family
the fact is therefore not surprising
that a very large percentage OF
complications OF different diseases
in the same rerson have been OBJ
served. Persons in normal health
as well as those afflicted with some
form or other of lung, heart, kid.
ney, liver, or chronic diseases Of
other organs now subjected to dem
que fever attacks. If now, for in
stance a person has some chronic
kidney or liver disease and gets
high fever and yellow jaundice,
black vomit, albumen in the urine,
etc, such cases, especially If the
real previous history is not known,
will always be a perplexing mat
ter as to exact diagnosis. Albu-
men in the urine has been found
by some observers in dengue fever
cases, as well as it occurs in many
socalled "malariap or splenic
fevers; in fact, in a number Of in
fictitious diseases, and in particular
also in yellow yever. In well de-
fined cases of dengue fever, yellow
jaundice. albumen, retention and