The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-01
GANGRENE IN THE AIR.
A Claim That the Disease Can De
Spread without Contact.
From dc Philadelphia Ledger.

From the Philadelphia Ledger
Gangrene, though its origin and cause
is spoken of by doctors in terms that are
simple enough, is for all that. in some of
its phases, rather a mystery, and the
cases which have occurred In St. Agnes
Hospital though they may be traced di-
rectly to the weakness and scarcity of the
patients blood, are for all that. being
studied by the best specialists in the city
with anxious interest. Surgeons have said
confidently and positively that gangrene
is not contagious, and with the modern
antiseptlc methods of treatment its spread
from one patient to another would be all
but impossible.
DR.. B. Franklin Stahl of St. Agnes Hos
pital discussed the. gangrene cases with a
Ledger reporter with the utmost candor
and freedom, and pointed out that in
every hospital nowadays the treatment in
all cases leaves positively no chance for
the transmission of septic poison.
Old army surgeons have Joined in the
discussion of gangrene, and though there
is wide gulf between the absolute anti
septic conditions of the modern city hospi-
tai and those in an army or prison hospi
tai in the civil war, the statement of Mr.
Robert Duncan Coombs, who, having
studied medicine, was placed second in
charge while prisoner there, is of partic-
ular interest.
'I noticed in yesterdays edition" Mr..
Coombs said, that your reporter states.
l presume on the authority of the hrspi-
tai doctors, that peculiar fatal gangrene
has developed in one of the hospitals
among the returned sick soldiers and that
here is the vital point-it is not contae-
ious. desire for the safety of others to
sound warning, a serious and earnest
one, against the statement as likely to be
very dangerous, from my observation and
experience in 1864 at Andersonville I was
in a peculiarly clear position to know
what l state. l was in the cavalry for
three years, in service all the time, and
was taken prisoner in battle at the close
of the year 1868. After spending the three
winter months on Belle Isle, Richmond
on the 4th of March, 1864, we were started
for Andersonville. 1 and my chum. Young
Watts of Pittsburg, lay for three months
with typhoid pneumonia and with no food
or medicine, until general hospital was
rudely started outside the stockades. I
was convalescing after going out. and.
having had some slight knowledge of
drugs and medicines, having attended one
years lectures at home, / was placed
second in charge Of the gangrene ward
my principal being a man named Page
a New York volunteer, lawyer, but like
myself, with some medical knowledge
"All this is simply in explanation and
to show why I had such a chance of OBJ
servation. As you well know, sickness
and death were the conditions there
health the exception. I believe we aggre-
gated in all 10000 prisoners. understand
10, 900 sleep there still. The prevalent and
serious diseases were dysentery, scurvy
and dropsy, but gangrene severest of all.
The latter, l suppose, was largely due to
the long previous imprisonment and the
entire absence of fresh meat, vegetables
and acids / suppose l assisted to minister
to several hundred gangrene comrades
daily.
Each mornings sun saw about $50 ST.
tent forms laid out to be accounted for
and carted away to the long trenches
awaiting them.
"Our experience, as I distinctly recall,
was that gangrene was frightfully conta-
gious, particularly if any one had the
slightest cut or abrasion of the skin The
poison, even without contact, seemed in
the air, and almost certainly the slight sore
on hand or arm or foot would commence
to spread end slough, and eat away ali
the soft flesh, spreading in a day or two
almost all over the member attached.
THE patient was almost sure 10 die To
tell the conditions prevalent and the char
acter ana rapidty of this gangrenous
growth would sicken and startle your
readers. 1t was almost incredible. / sup
pose the scorbutic and impoverished con-
dlIion Vllke the CONDITION OIL our present SOL
diers) was responsible. When we had the
slightest sore we would at once cauterize II
TO try to destroy the poison The feeling Of
the Southern doctors was that If they
could have had nourishing food with plen-
ty Of fresh vegetables and acid drinks they
could have controlled it better.
what I want TO impress and urge is
that it must be very contagious; that those
stricken should at once be perfectly iso-
Gated entirely away from the other sick
that all the clothing and bedding of the
sick and dead should be destroyed at once
and that particular care should be taken by
the nurses TO have no cuts or sores ex-
posed"
Mr. and Mrs. A. G. Peters of San
Francisco have studied law together and