The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-08-10
RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE FEVER
OUTBREAK.

The New Orleans Picayune grows indig-
nant at the carelessness and neglect Of
duty In some Northern port through
which the Infection of yellow fever was
permitted to enter this country week or
two since and find lodging at the Sol
diers' homo at Hampton, Virginia. 1t
thinks that the public should know
/ through government investigation and
/ publication, the officials who failed to suf-
/ hclently dsinfect the passengers and bag
gage of the ship from Cuba that brought
the dreaded disease into this country.
After expressing its regrets at the out
break of the fever and its sympathy with
the sufferers therefrom through exposure
thereto or from rigid quarantine. the
Plcayune says:
At the same time, universal attention
should be called to the fact that the infection
which has attacked the inmates OF the Hamp
ton Soldiers home and the people OF the
neghhorhood was brought from Cuba in n
United States transport ship and landed at a
Northern port, presumably New York 1t Is
also worth while to note that the name of
the ship and that of the port where the land
ms was made are either purposely suppressed
or they are unknown to the United States
medical authorities who are charged with
keeping themselves informed OF such mat
tiers
From the fact that the United States Ma
rine hospital service Is charged with sole con-
troll of all public sanitation supplementary
to u at OF States. and has the right to as
ties fall, II must be held that the quarantine
and dsinfecting service at the port where
the infected passenger and baggage landed
were shamefully deficient. and Ii becomes the
DUTY of the United States service to make
dihgent inquiry into the matter and discover
where and by whom such shameful default
OF duty wns committed,
The Picayune Is depending on broken
reed when II looks to the United States
marine hospital service to keep contagion,
especially yellow fever out OF the coun-
try. The National service is excellent IN
helping TO handle the disease after it has
once gotten In. but whether through COM
mercial considerations or otherwise It
the shipping OF Northern ports by insist
Ing that local or State officials do their
duty In the premises by rigid quarantine
or disinfecting process, certain It Is that
four or 1--WE epidemics are traceable to the
negligence or incompetence OF this United
States hospital marine service.
In the case in question, the local State
authorities may be, possibly, to blame in
the first instance, They evidently al
lowed passengers with their infected bag
gage to land without being sufficiently
examined and dlsinfected and then to go
South, or in whatever other direction they
pleased. The Northern people do not fear
yellow fever. and the quarantine officers
are naturally more careless than our own
in looking for 1t and taking precautions
against It. But II the entire work were
turned over TO the National government
under the supreme charge OF one man.
such as the surgeon general of the marine
hospital corps, We would still remain in
adequately protected--as has been demon
stated on the former occasions mentioned,
Rather than have rigid guarantees in
terfere with their commerce. great cities
In the East would bring speedy influence
to bear on the National authorities and a
short quarantine with perfunctory sort
Of disinfection. would be about the best
we would see. The passenger with his
still infected baggage could start direct
from New YORK or Philadelphia for Mem
phis or New Orleans and. possibly. an
epidemic be the result.
II is indeed true, as the Picayune says,