The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-03
DOCTORS TO FIGHT FEVER.
HEALTH OFFICER LIE HARDY VOL
UNTEEHS FOR CUBA.


Has rendered His Services to the
President as Yellow Fever Ex-
pert-Dr. j. f. CrOnin Appointed
Contract Surgeon in the Army and
VIII Report at Once to Col. O'RefIIy
/ mt Tampa-Is an Immune With Con-
siderable Experience in Cuba.
The desire of patriotic Savannahians to
take hand in the war with Spain
extends not only to the military. but to the
medical profession as well. Added to those
who have already gone to the front may be
Health Officer LeHardy, who yesterday
wrote letter to =, President Mckinley,
rendering his services as a yellow fever ex-
pert in the army.
DR.. LeHardy has been considering tho
matter Of Offering his services as an expert
| for some time. and recently wrote Surgeon
General Sternberg on the subject. The sur
geon general not having taken any action
in regard TO the offer, DIR. LeHardy deter
mined to write the President placing the
| facts before him with a view to obtain
some information as to the needs of the
government for this character of service in
The army
| AS is the case with the physicians who
have gone TO Cuba in this capacity since
the war began, the patriotic offer of DIR.
| LeHardy will likely be filed for reference.
According TO reports from the front, how
ever, it is possible a number of skilled
physicians, who are adopts in the treat
ment of yellow fever cases, will be called
| q n 90 NH
their services are mostly immunes, and
as they would be in readiness to respond
or short notice, it is likely they will be
the first called out.
Owing to the interest he has taken In de-
visins methods 10 avoid an outbreak of
fever in Savannah, DR.. LeHardy has nat
uraily given the situation in the army con-
siderable thought. He believes a hospital
| camp consisting of three or four hundred
! tents should be used, inside which should
| be every convenience for the work physi-
| clans are called on to do in such cases
! Inc material for these tents should be
| heavy in order to ward off the brisk winds
| which prevail In that latitude about this
| season The flooring should be over a foot
| from the ground, so that the patients may
| be free from colds or other troubles while
| eonvalescing. With provisions of this sort
| Tor housing the yellow fever subjects, Dr.
| LeHardy believes The regular hospital corps
| together with the experts called into 1t,
Will have no trouble in holding the disease
at bay in Cuba, and preventing its spread
! into the United States.
Should the government can upon DR..
! LeIIardy TO so, he will not resign as
| health officer but will ask a leave of alb
/ sence. In the event he should return before
| his term expires, he would expect to again
| assume his duties. There is doubt about a
| leave being granted however, as a prece-
| dent to the contrary has already been SET
| in the case of two fire commissioners,
| whose Offices were declared vacant when
they left, and were soon after filed by
| Council. DIR. LeHardy says he will not re-
sign, however, even If called on TO do SO,
preferring that the board declare his Of
| flee vacant, in the event he asks a leave of
| absence, and IT is refused
| DIR. ]. F. Cronin, a well known physi-
| clan of Savannah, has accepted the posi-
! ton of contract surgeon at Santiago ten
dered him by Surgeon General shernberg,
| and Will leave at once for his new post.
| DR.. Cronin has been instructed to report
to Lieut.. Col O'ReiTly, chief surgeon at
! Tampa, and he will proceed from there to
| Santiago. His experience in treating cases
of yellow fever in Cuba, together with the
! fact he is an immune, will doubtless en-
able him to successfully cope with his
duties. Dr. Cronin has many friends in
| Savannah who viii regret his departure,
! but wish him unbounded good luck and
! success in his new field. For some years
| he was in Havana, Cienfuegos and in
| Pinar del Rio province and while there
was in contact both with yellow fever
and leprosy His experience thus gained
viii prove valuable to him in his present
| field. Dr. Cronin Is a graduate of the
| Augusta Medical College and is prac-
tictioner of considerable prominence He
! left for Augusta last night to say good
bye to his mother and will go from there
| to Tampa.
There are no other yellow fever experts
| here who have rendered the government
| their services, so far as known, but in
case the necessity for them becomes more
urgent, the city's record for sending vol
unteers insures that they will proffer
| their services.