The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-04-29
SPINAL MENINGITIS.
IT IS SAID TO BE EPIDEMIC nS
SKAGUAY.

A Portland Physician Says the Dise.s.S
There Is swift and Deadly -sanitary Cess--
ditions Are Very Bad-The Alaskan Cel<1
Renders Men Easier Prey to the Dis1..az-
A prominent physician of Portland, Or,
who does not desire his name to be used
said concerning spinal meningitis: -The.
disease runs In epidemics and is due main
ly to bad sanitary conditions. It Is an IN
fammations Of the membranes Of the
spinal cord and of the brain and Is accam-
panied by terrible headaches and pains In
different parts Of the body. Young, healthy
persons are more liable to 1t than any 9TH
er class, and 1t attacks male and female
alike The disease is accompanied by a.
breaking out of purple blotches all over
the body and for this reason Is sometimes
called purpurio fever. There Is no known
cure for the disease, and nine out of ten
people attacked die inside Of "a hours and
sometimes in third of that time. II one
does happen to recover, he Is left deaf or
blind or afflicted in such way that ie
would have been better If he had died
"The sanitary conditions In Skaguay
arc very bad There Is no drainage W what
ever, all Slips, etc.. being thrown ON the
ground. The water is very bad, as tina
creeks are full of dead horses by the hun
dreds. Then the cold weather compels tho
inhabitants TO keep all the windows tight
ly closed, shutting out all ventilation andf
adding to the general bad health. 1t is a.
very terrible thing, and nothing on earth
could induce me to attempt to do any bust
ness in the town. While it is probably not
contagious, the conditions that give 10 to
one person will give it to another just a.
we'll.
There Is no doubt that the cold of the.
Alaska climate renders men easier prey to.
the disease. Up to the latter part of jan
uary the winter from the Arctic ocean tos.
the Mexican line had been exceedingly
mild. Since then the Alaska coast has
been constantly swept by icy gales, which
have been destructive alike to life and
property. During this brief period the
Clara Nevada has been driven to her de-
struction in the Lynn canal, the Oregon
has been blown ashore, other vessels have
had minor accidents and many people have
died at Skaguay and Dyea and ON the
mountain passes leading out OF those towns
to the Klondike goldfields.
Strong indeed is the constitution that
escapes ills in the northern regions at this.
season of the year. Few of the many
thousands who have left Portland, San
Francisco and Seattle for the north sinos.
the first of the year can truthfully say that,
they arrived at Skaguay in perfect health
All complained of some ailment-cold in
the head, stiffness Of the limbs, sore throat
backache, etc. The long steamer trip Is
not conducive to bodily comfort. SeasicE-
ness Is anything but pleasant, and lack al
exercise causes languor and failure of the
excretory organs to do their duty. Scru-
pulous attention to the functions OF these
organs is an essential in the treatment of
cerebro spinal meningitis, but whether So
avails as a precautionary measure Is foR'
doctors to say.
AS the majority of the north bound PEG
pie come from south of the fiftieth parallel
they do not have any great difficulty In
acquiring cold after the steamer passes
the northern point of Vancouver island.
and pokes her nose into the waters Oh
Queen Charlotte sound. In Alaska is is
not considered good form to kill" a cold
with whisky. The main reason Is that.
whisky in the northern regions does more
harm than good Another reason is that
the whisky of commerce, considered rs n
stimulant or as a medicine, is pure rot and
is of no value. One drink of Alaska
whisky will make man yearn for the re-
him to tell all he knows to any one having
time and patience to listen to him, and
the third will cause him to arm himself
with tomahawk and go on u murderous>
hunt for his wife's relations.
The sanitary condition of Skaguay is a.
bad as it possibly could be, but meningitis
Is Just as prevalent and just as fatal in the
mountain passes, where there is no end of
fresh air and unrivaled scenery, as it is
in the mud fiat called Skaguay.
Exposure TO cold in Alaska, especially
when men know what the result will be-
is due largely to carelessnsess. Men will
hug redhot stove for hours and toast
their shins to perfection and then venture
into the icy wind with the hat on the back
of the head, the coat unbuttoned or the
neck insufficiently protected. In thu
course of few hours they rack their
minds to find out why this cold In tbs,
head, why this weakness and other all
ments which are the sure forerunner Of.
pneumonia, grip or meningitis. Others
will stand on street corners until the mus
cles of the feet twitch and chill runs up
the back from cold. Others will keep
bundled all day in furs, wooden under
clothes, heavy stockings, high shoes ants
warm overshoes, with wooden cap pulled
down over the head, leaving only part Of
the face exposed. In a burst of confidence
In the atmospheric conditions they Will
throw open the coat and put the cap In IN
normal position on the bead. In q oom-
paratively short time the wind Is at the
warm scalp and neck and quickly works
its way inside the clothing to the chest,
and to the spine, and the foundation for n
period of sickness Is effectually laid. Mem
working on the mountain passes with
their outfits are as careless as people In the
town. The lack Of hospital facilities at
Skaguay gives the meningitis sufferer but
little show for his life.-Portland Ore
gonian
Urox, Tank For Cellar and CvcIouNa-