El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-11-26
THE YELLOW Fever PROBLEM.
What the Government Is Doing to
Keep Out the Plague.

What the Government Is Doing tt
Keep Out the Plague.
The yellow fever problem has been
receiving earnest attention from the
authorities here, says Washington
dispatch, particularly the marine hos
pital service and the war department
owing to the important New Orlean.
quarantine established with Cuba
and other fever localities to the south
of the United States, and salsO because
of the recurrence of the disease within
this country during the summer. The
purpose Is to prepare during the
coming winter months for such an eff
icient Gordon of protection around the
duction of the disease will be reduced
to a minimum, while at the same
time the points OF infection in Cuba
and elsewhere will be SO improved by
sanitation and guarded by quarantine
that the main sources of danger will
be removed. Already the marine hos
pital service has begun the work of es-
tablishing its Gordon of quarantine
around Cuba. A large floating disin.
fecting plant Is in operation in Ha-
vana harbor and a similar disin-
fecting plant is at Santiago, although
not yet in operation. These are
to take charge OF the shipping
coming to American ports and put it
through such disinfection that all fever
germs will be removed. Similar float
ing plants will be established at all the
other large commercial points and such
rigid rules put in force that the ship
ping will be free from danger before
1t 10 out of Cuban waters, although the
same rigid quarantine ut American
ports will be continued.
Surgeon General Wyman ia going
ahead with this floating disinfection,
although the present laws are not all
that is desired to give officials the
right to estab lish quarantine outside
of the country. Owing to this weak.
ness of the law strong efforts will be
made to have congress pass what is
known as the Gallery bill granting ad-
ditional quarantine powers.
Besides the quaranti tine to provide
against the escape of disease from the
island, the authorities are now con-
sidering plans for the internal SANTA
ton of the island on an extensive
scale What branch of the service
will have that in charge is not yet set
tied. SurReoa General Wyman says
the marine hospital service will under
take the work if it is desired. But as
Cuba will be under military rule for
months to come the war department
may determine to carry on the local
in connection with it's other
branches of military occupation and
control just what should be done in
the way of drainage, clearing away
foul deposits and establishing modern
sanitary methods at the main points in
Cuba is being thoroughly canvassed by
officials here, and it is expected that
plan and the ones to execute the plan
will be decided on at an early date.
Another means of coping with the
disease is by statiOning q force of fever
experts throughout the island to report
on the condition of contagion and the
appearance of any new outbreak. TIC
surgeon general now has two of these
at Havana and one at Santa
90, and this will be the nucleus of q
much larger force. Two other expert
surgeons, Wasdin and Geddings, left
here yesterday for Havana, raising the
force there to four officers, besides the
and assistants.
Concerning the recurrence of fever
epidemics in this country the marine
hospital authorities hope that their
hands will be strengthened by the CAT
ferry bill, which provides for the estab-
lishment of q more effective federal
1t Ia said, however, that the
lessons OF the outbreak last summer
leave no ground for apprehension that
the disease will be brought in yearly.
The outbreak, 1t is held, was but re-
newal of that of the year before, no
new cases being introduced. The inter-
vecing winter was unusually mild, 30
that the germs we're not entirely eradi-
Gated, furnishing the basis
for the renewed outbreak during the
hot months last summer. Surgeon
General Wymsn says, however, that
the outbreak was marked by compare
tive mildness, the cases being much
fewer than the year before and the at
tacks less severe. the fever points con-
fined to two states and the deaths much
fewer than the year before.