The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-07-28
9s aa1itha 1aIn Ea0Ie: griaap Yoruig gnIg Is 1885

| in those days, was known as the Biact
| Plague. The onset Is sudden, generally
| after an incubation period of from four
and one-half to six days. It Is accom-
panied by complete prostration. There Is
always high fever and usually delirium
On the first day OF the attack a bubo. OF
swelling. appears. In seventy-five per
cent of the cases this appears in the
groin. In ten per cent OF the cases 1t ap-
pears In the afmpit. The site of the swell
ling Is always one OF the sympathetic
glands. 1t quickly attains the size OF q
hens egg. Death occurs at the end OF
forty-eight hours. and often earlier. Dr..
Yersin examined the bodies OF those who
had died Of the plague and became con-
yinced that the disease was due 10 a spe-
cific bacillus. This suspicion the nioI0-
scope proved to be correct 1t slowed
that the s. 'Iijngs typical Of tEe rle que
were filed with a veritable paste of bacil-
II. The germs were oblong in shape. short
and thick, with rounded ends. BY expert
mentation DR.. Yersin became convinced
that incubation with cultures or the ba-
ciilus slightly or not at all virulent would
give animals immunity against the
plague. He had previously remarked as
one of the noteworthy things about the
plague that 1t affected animals as we'll as
men, Cats, dogs, rats and even chickens
were affected. In 1S95Dr. Yersin trans
ferred his work to the Pasteur institute.
in Paris. His one objectevas t. prepare a
serum which would confer uron man :m-
munity against the plague. He succeeded
in minimizing rats, guinea pigs and ether
animals, and finally reached the horse.
From the latter animal he obtained a
serum which is the one now used as a
preventive of the plague.
The method used is the same as that
by which other antitoxins are produced.
Broth containing diluted quantity of the
poison of the plague is injected into a
horse. The dose is gradually inr:e ased
until an injection of the pure bacilli has
no effect on the animal. The horse is then
immune and the serum of It's blood IS
capable of immunizing man.
DR.. Cyrus Edison, ex-health commits
sioner. late chief of the bureau os contagi
Gus diseases. says: There is. / think, TO
need for alarm that the plague will be-
come epidemic here. Should Il reach
Europe and find its way to the sn.pu:ng
danger. The history of contagious d;s-
eases shows that they travel by water,
but, should It come, the conditions here
are too healthful for the plague TO take
any root. In sanitary precautions and
methods this country is in advance o! any
European country except England. The
period of incubation for the buoonic
plague rarely exceeds eight days, and this
port is a safeguard against its admission
here from the places where it thrives."
DR.. Alvah H Doty, health officer Of the
port Of New York, says of yellow fever:
1.-THE patient recently treated with yellow
fever serum at Swinburne Island might
have improved without the use of the
serum. No definite conclusions can be
drawn without an analysis of at least
fifty cases of the disease. At the quaran-
tine laboratory we have traversed almost
the same ground as Sanarelli in making
serum. The value of such an anttoxin
will be appreciated when 1t is understood
that there is no specific for the treatment
of yellow fever. AS a matter of fact,
remedies seem to be of little avail"
DR.. Doty has just finished a successful
fight against yellow fever. He used
serum identical with that which bears the
name of the Brazilian scientist, Sanarelli.
The results obtained by DR.. Doty were
brilliant, and yet, so careful is the modern
scientist, he refuses to consider them as
conclusive. He says It is possible that his
patient would have recovered without the
use of the serum. Il will occur to the lay
mind that this Is an objection which
would apply to every remedy known to
man. The patient, Oscar F. Lackey, Is
less particular. He thinks that DR.. Doty
saved his life with the serum, and he is
quite willing to say so. Lackey, however,
is not scientist Lackey Is only one OIL
the two people suffering from yellow fever
who were taken from~the United States
transport Mcclellan on July 6. The other
person was Miss Helen Clendennin. She
also recovered. In her case the serum
was not used.
While DR.. Doty refuses to give the
serum treatment an absolute Endorsement,
he does So IT is understood, only because
he considers that no conclusions OF real
scientific value can be drawn without an
analysis of at least fifty cases of the dis
ease. The serum which he has prepared
has virtually been given its first test upon
a human being. Other sera, however, and
notably that prepared by the Brazilian
have been thoroughly tested
and have given results which lead physic-
ians to believe that a remedy for yellow
fever has been discovered.
Throughout the Americas there Is prob
ably no one thing which should occasion
greater rejoicing than the announcement
that a sure cure for yellow fever had
been discovered. Yellow fever Is the one
disease which has prevented the full COL |
onization of Cuba by white people. 1t has |
also done more to prevent the increase OF
commerce between North and South |
America than any other thing. In the |
United States there Is every year more |
or less serious outbreak in the south. and |
there Is always little danger of the dis |
ease ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 1t has operated |
against the commerce of the south to a |
large extent. and has indirectly. wrought |
great harm by frightening away travellers |
and others In New York there has been |
little recent danger from the disease. but |
It has always been an attractive subject |
to quarantine officers because of the fire. |
quency with which it was detected on in |
coming ships. DR.. Doty. however, is the |
first man holding that position who has |
sought to thoroughly understand the dis |
ease. and from his knowledge to evolve
method of cure.
Curiously enough. there Is probably no
diease from which man suffers that IS so
much in dispute as yellow fever. It has
been known and recognized since the days
Of Columbus. but there has never been
scientific agreement as to its cause. To- |
day there is even high dispute over the |
matter. 1t IS pretty generally believed !
that yellow fever is due to a specific or