The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-10
DIR. FowLER's paEDrcrIoN.

DIR. FOWLER's PREDICTION.
Dr. Fowler, who was chief surgeon on
Gen Lees staff, and who is well known in
this city, is making some interesting
statements respecting the sanitary condi-
ton of Cuba He is now at his home in
Brooklyn, having resigned from the army.
1t is his opinion that unless the United
States take immediate command of all
sanitary regulations in Cuba, the South
ern states will be visited with a severe
epidemic of yellow fever next summer.
He says 1t will not do to merely establish
sanitary laws in Cuba. The laws must be
executed by citizens of this country. not
Cubans. The Cubans are neglectfuI of
the laws of health, anG, besides, are i'm
munes against yellow fever.
II is remarkable that the government
seems TO attach so little importance to
the danger 10 be apprehended from yell
low fever. Ard yet cases of the disease
are appearing among our troops in Cuba
all the time In our dispatches yester-
day it was stated thai there were six
cases of the fever among the soldiers of
the Two Hundred and Second New York
Regiment, stationed at Guanajaya, in the
province of Pinar del Rio. The cases were
mild ones but that is because this is not
the season for yellow fever. In July, If
the troops are at that place, they will
get some idea of what yellow fever really
is.
It Is said that the government Is taking
IL 49,.
is establishing sanitary regulations. 1t
is evident. however, that what 1t is doing
amounts 10 little or nothing. If what il
is doing promised to accomplish the OBJ
ject aimed at a man like Dr. Fowler would
not be criticising it. But he foresees the
danger, and he feels it his duty to warn
the people of this country, and especially
of the Southern states, before it is too
late. Now is the time that energetic meas
ures should be taken to stamp out the dis
ease.
We have said a number of times that
the government made a great and costly
mistake in not acting promptly In accord
ance with Col Warnings report. That
eminent sanitarlan said in his report that
there was time. if the work were begun at
once. to drain and clean Havana before
the beginning of the yellow fever season.
While his report has been approved his
recommendations have not been acted
upon, 1t Is probable that the govern
ment thought that to carry into effect his
recommendations at the time they were
made would cost too much. And yet, IL
the yellow fever should be introduced into
this country next summer from Cuba, the
loss that would be inflicted upon our peo-
pie would be many times greater than the
cost of putting a sewer in every street,
and thoroughly draining every sink In
Havana
DR.. Fowler is right when he says II
would be folly of the worst sort to make
1t the duty of Cubans to execute sanitary
| regulations which may be established.
| They have no fear of the fever, and some
of them would welcome it-those of them
who are hostile to strangers. DIR. Fowler
says that they used ID call it "the friend
ly fever" because il spared them and at
tackled foreigners, to whom the Latin
races are antagonistic the world over. In
| Dr. Fowler's opinion yellow fever is just
as preventable as smallpox. He states
that it was introduced into Cuba about a
hundred years ago. and owes its contin-
uation there TO the criminal Indifference of
the Spanish authorities.
The warning of DIR. Fowler should be
| needed. Rigid sanitary regulations for
| holding the disease in check in Cuba and
for preventing 1t from reaching this coun-
try should be established, and the enforce
ment of them should be placed in the
| hands of Americans having the ability
and will to enforce them.