The Portland daily press., 1898-11-18
eAploLy PREPARING FOR WAR.
The United States Decides That Yellow
Jack Must Be swept From the Earth.


washington, November 1.-THE yellow
faver nroblem has been receiving earnest
atteution of late from the authoribles
here, particularly from the marihe
bosnital service and the war departmeht,
owing to the impo rtant new reiations
osta blisbed with Cuba and other fever
localities of the south of us, and also he
cause of the recurrence of the disease
within this country during the. last sum
NOR The purpose is to prepare during
+ha coming winter months for such an
ae5 oient Gordon of protection around the
conntrv that the chances OF re-intro-
dnctior, of the disease will be reduced to
n m iniInup,, while at the same time the
points of infection In Cuba and elsewhere
xwllI be so improved by sanitation and
",,ar1ed by auarantine chat the main
snuress of danger will be removed.
Besides the quarantine to provide
AGAINST the escape Of diseases from Cuba,
t6e authorities are now considering plans
for the internal sanitation of the island
IN an extensive scale. just what should
be done in the way of draining, clearing
away foul deposits and establishing
points of Cuba, is being thoroughly can
vassed by officials here, and 1t is expected
that a plan and the persons then to ex-
eoute it will be decided upon at an early
day
The surgeon general now has two OK
perts at Havana and one at Santiago and
this will be the nucleus of much larger
force. Two other experts, Surgeons
Wasdin and Geddings, left here yesterday
for Havana, increasing the force there to
four officers, besides assistants.
The work of Messrs. Wasdtn and Ced-
dinas is considered particularly I'M
portant, as they are specially appointed
by the President as a commission 10
ascertain the causes of yellow fever. This
appointment was made about year ago,
and the experts opened laboratories and
conducted their inquiries at New Orleans
and Havana. Their preliminary report to
the surgeons general, submitted a rev
years ago is said to be one of the most
important contributions to medical science
made in recent days, as it especially sus-
tains the Sanarelli theory that yellow
fever is the outgrowth Of certain or
ganism This Is not yet the positive con-
cIusion of the United States commission.
ers, but Surgeon Geeddings reports that
IN his experiments he has found that ~
Ger cent of the yellow fever cultures had
the organisms described by SanarelIl,
while Surgeon Wasdin identified ~ pei
cent of cases as showing the Sanarelh Or
Iganism. II
DR.. Geddings supplements his reports
| by recommending that as the bacillus IN
teroids of Sanarelii are Indicated TO be
thescause of yellow fever, experiments be
made on lower animals with the Sanarelil
toxins The work already done by the
TWO experts gives promise to the officials
here that the complete Investigation Will
make a marked contribution to the
problem of preventing and curing yellow
fever.
Concerning the recurrence of yellow
| fever epidemics in this country the
Marine hospital authorities hope thai
| their hands will he strengthened by tine
Catfrey bill, which provides for the estab'
| lishment of q more effective federal con,
| troll of local and border quarantine. 1t /;
said, however. that the lessons of the out
| break last summer give no ground for ap
prehension that the disease will be
| brought IN yearly. The outbreak, 1t il
| held. was but a renewal of that of a yeal
| before, no new cases being intrOd uced.
| The intervening winter was unusually
mild, SO that the germs were not entirely
eraaicated, furnishing the basis for ths
renewed outbreak during the hot months
| last summer Surgeon General Wymar
says, however, that the outbreak Was
marked by comparative mildness, the
| cases being much fewer than the year be-
| fore, the attacks less severe, the fever
points being confined to two states and
the deaths much fewer than the year be
| fore