The evening times., 1898-04-16
FEARS NOT FEVER.
Health officer Doty Says American
Soldiers Can Face the Danger

Soldiers Can Face the hanger
New York, April l6-"I am too famil-
lar with the ravages that yellow fever
has made in Havana and the interior
provinces of Cuba to underrate or min
imize its dangers" said Or. Alvah III.
Doty. health officer of the port of New
York yesterday. but / was surgeon of
the Ninth Regiment.N. Y. n. G.. for two
years and would go to Cuba with them
in two minutes if they wanted me-"
Dr. Doty has made a speciality of yell
low fever and other infectious diseases
for many years. He studied the ravages
Of the bubonic plague in Europe and
Egypt: yellow jack and kindred types of
fever in Havana. and his experience as
quarantine officer has qualified him to
speak authoritatively Of the dangers that
might best an invading American Army
in Cuba.
Everything tends to operate against
the fever patient. both in Havana and in
the interior Of the country" said he,
and the death rate Is very large
The danger of yellow jack depends
very largely. of course, upon the sea-
son of the year.
The rainy season. which runs from
Nav until September, while we have
never been able to say that it engenders
the yellow fever bacilli. certainly en-
c0ura Ees their propagation. The damp
valleys the generally malarial condi-
/ tion OF the country. all initiate against
/ the patient in the interior Of the island.
on the other hand. the city of Havana
/ is a perfect pest hole stretching out its
! arms to welcome every contagion that
/ can reach il. 1t is miserably drained, its
/ harbor is stencil pond Of almost stag
/ nant water with the accumulated filth
Of years and the general hysienic con-
ditions would disgrace Egypt. OF sani-
tar-y or quarantine restrictions there are
none. ShDloads Of Spanish soldiers
bringing with them all the diseases of
their miserable country, are received in
Havana and passed through the city to
the interior with no pretense Of inspec-
tion.
1T behooves the American soldier who
NAV be called upon to face the dangers
Of Cuban campaign to use every pre-
caution to guard against disease. even
though he is a huudredfold better pre-
pared to fight it than is the Spaniard. I
know the American soldier we'll; | know
the National Guardsmen well They are
strong. clean. well fed. well cared for
men. who can meet disease on a war foot
ing, so TO speak, and nine times out of
ten repulSe II.
Il know many Of the surgical staff Of
the Army and National Guard also, and
] know how well prepared they are to
protect their men from danger. Surgeon
General George NJ Sternberg. Of the
United States Army. is the highest au-
thority on yellow fever and kindred cpl
denies in the world. He has served on
many commissions and made life study
Of the diseases to which large bodies of
troops are heir. His staff is splendidly
qualified to aid him and many of the Ma
tional Guard surgeons I know to be ex-
cellently qualified for exactly this sort of
service
MY last weeks report from Havana
shows epidemics of typhoid, malaria and
Inflammation Of the bowels. Still | would
not hesitate for moment to take our
troops there. They would fare better
than 80 per cent Of the population