The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-09-10

low fever germs. He CDR. Bailbs che)
believes the disease is dengue ever.
About ten days ago, he says, the state
board of health of Mississippi, investi-
gated the fever and pronounced it den
que. If it should, however, prove to be
yellow fever. he says the l%ateness of
the season will materially aid the au-
thorities in keeping it confined to the
locality in which 1t has broken out,
and he gives u that there will
be no widespread epidemic Of the
dreaded scourge
Galveston, Texas. September City
Health Officer Fisher has declared
quarantine by water against New Or
leans and has sent the following to
State Health officer Swearingen, at
Austin: New Orleans has a case of
yellow fever, Ocean Springs two
cases. Please notify what quarantine
precautions have been taken to keep us
thoroughly informed so that we a
protect our municipality"
New Orleans, September 6.-The Lou
isiana state board Of health kept faith
with it's sister bodies Of the south and
the rest of the country this afternoon
when it made official announcement as
a result Of a careful autopsy that RaOul
Gelpi, 10 years of age, had died of yell
low fever. Gelpi was the son Of prom
inent people here and had been spend
ing some time at Ocean Springs, where
he was taken down with fever n
brought here. Soon after arriving,
despite the best medical attention, he
died. DR.. Thread, the physician in
charge, Immediately reported to the
board of health and expressed the
opinion hat death was due to yellow
fever. This afternoon an autopsy prov
ed thai DR.. Threads idea of yellow
fever was correct. Steps were prompt
ly taken to prevent a possible spread Of
the disease. AS the case was one of
importation, the doctors expressed con-
fidence 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. Physi-
clans, however, express no apprehen-
sion and state their belief that It was
quite possible to arrest a spread of the
fever. The board during the day had
ordered a rigid quarantine against all
points on the gulf coast and had taken
every ~precautiOn to guard all avenues
Of communication against the entry
into the city Of any person from Ocean
Springs, Biloxi, or other points on the
sound, which it was thought the fever
might reach.
During the day the bulletin boards
had been thronged about, the board of
health office beseiged and the Western
Union wires freighted with messages
to and from the various coast resorts.
In the meantime, however, reassuring
kilograms arrived from Ocean Springs
that the Mississippi board of health
had taken every precautiOn possible to
circumscribe the limits of the cpl
demic and prevent it's communication
to the outside world.
1--WE have no fear" said DR.. Walms-
ley, acting president of the board of
health, that the fever will spread in
New Orleans. The board Of health is
prepared to spend 8, 200, 900 to stamp it
out and we see no reason to feel
alarmed. People ought not to get
frightened. This n case was taken
charge of in time and such scientific
fumigations has been applied as to
warrant the hope that we shall
promptly stamp out the disease. We
AVE made arrangements to issue to-
night a circular to every practicing
physician in the northwest, command
ing him promptly to report to the board
of health every suspicious case, and if
other cases of yellow fever shall be
brought to our attention., we shall
without delay notify the world through
the Associated Press Of the facts"
During the week ending August 21st,
reports reached President Oliphant, of
AAlS VI ASOASAS vi IN ~
of ickness at Ocean Springs, the ma
ture of which was in doubt. DR.. Oil
plant, with a member of the board of
health, went there n learned there
had been up to hat time some 400
cases. OF these there had been only
one or two deaths. DR.. Oliphant
brought on Drs. CZarnowski and Sala-
mon, of the board of experts, and DR..
Patton, secretary of the board of
hoo1fh oil ovnor;orco1 in tho froof-
ment of yellow fever. They visited
eleven patients mi after a careful and
thorough EXAMINATION and investiga-
ton, unanimously reached the conclu-
sion that the fever was dengue. The
physicians agreed that none of the
cases up to then showed any symptoms
that would e lead to a suspicion of
more serious disease.
The quick death of DR.. Bemis arous-
ed suspicion and by Saturday the
boards of health of Mobile and New
Orleans were in possession of infOrma-
ton that justified the fear that yellow
fever had skipped into Ocean Springs.
Official reports of the boards of health
of Mississippi, Louisiana n Alabama
and the representatives Of the marine
hospital service went on Saturday to
Ocean Springs. They were al once
convinced that their gloomy apprehen-
SlolIS "CI hot uiAooIluCo. ou-
topsies We're made, but, aside from DR..
Saunders, Of Mobile, the experts were
disposed to await a further n COM
plete autopsy to remove all doubt be-
fore making official announcement to
the world Of the appearance of the
Last night another patient.
a woman, died, and this morning an
autopsy was held. It's result was to
dispel all previous doubts.
Acting President Walmsley, of the
Louisiana board. said this evening:
There was never a doubt about the
first diagnosis. At that time beyond
question dengue fever only prevailed.
Out of 600 cases the death rate was only
half of one per cent. In epidemicS of
yellow fever the death rate is infinite
ly heavier. In the past few days, how
ever. yellow fever has gotten into
Ocean Springs. That is rover both by
the rapid death rate and by the thor
ough diagnosis which has been made
by physicians.
Washington. September 6.-The lat
est information received by DR.. Bail
l-.l 49,