Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-08-08
YELLOw-FEVER or NOTg


There are some people who are not
satisfied that the disease which is pre-
Mailing 10 some extent al the National
Soldiers Home IS yollow-fever. They
argue that if it be that dreaded scourge
surely 1t would have spread farther
among the inmates and caused more
deaths.
one Of the rumOrs which has E1tten
ahoet IS that the men who ale supposed
TO have died from this fever were really
poisoned. The ssory is, that poison was
spread FOR rats and chat the poisoned
rats. in search for water. got into the
cistens whence the homes drinking
water is drawn and there died. But this
IS utterly denied by the authorities at the
Soldiers Home. They dcclaYe there is
not one wcrd Of truth in IL.
We put faith in theie denial Aside
from other potent considerations. /. Is an
believitble that medical men and other
officials who are sworn TO dc their duty
would engage in any scheme to bamboozle
their superiors at Washington and the
people generally.
There are q number of yellOw-fever ex-
perts now at the homo who have had
opportunities there TO watch tho course
az the fever, and TO make post-moriems
where they desired TO do SO. They must
le presumed to know yelowfever when
they see 1t. and TO have reported the facts
as asoenained by them So we think the
theories OF doubters cannot stand in the
light Of tho official Investigations
That there has not been efester
spread Of the disease among the Yete-
rams we may fairly attribute 10 the
Vigorous measures adopted 10 stay its
progress. as soen as its presence was
known. 10 all intents and purposes The
home IS a military post where severe dis
clpline IS maintained. where every order
given must be ebeyad. and where there
is fuu corps of physicians and nurses
to attend the sick. The situation there
is very different from what it would be
in a town of throe or four thousand i'm
habnants.
AS 10 the mortality among tho veterans
stricken by yenowfGv0r, we believe the
percentage is greater than that which Oh.
occurred
in the far South in 1891 That epidemic
was mild but in the case under conside-
ration we have % remember that all the
patients have been old. broken-dowa men;
men whose habits in all cases Mere pos
sibly not promotive Of hat sort Of
stamina which enables person 70 with
stand disease.
- lad al vail ttt. fntsn
and smallpox both. as seen In this
country lstterly. that they are not OF tho
Niroient types Formerly Characteristic "
them. In Virginia In the course OF tho
past twelve or fifteen months. thote have
been some thousands Of cases Of small
ros<; but smallpox so mild as 10 raise
suspicion I'm the minds of some that Il
could not be the real disease. But here
again We have the testimony Of experts,
and that testimony is. that the disease
Was true smallpox. Yet 10 many In
stances the attacks were SO mild that
Vnyaoclnatod persons passed through
them without serious sickness. And some
O. those parsons had 10 medical attsu-
Dance 1t not being known at the time
that the disease was smallpox.
Relyins upon the Judsment Of the OK
perts. and recognizing that they have nc
motive 20 conceal the truth. we must be-
ueye tho disease al the Soldiers Home
ID genuine ycllow-gevcr. Now ss to how
n was introduced into ths home there
IS abundant room FOR question. The
theory that II was brought there by an
Old fellow who had been on a visit 10
Santiago is repudiated by that person
himself. He ought TO know. II he Is
inen Of ordinary intelligence. By some
4 u supposed the disease may be trace
able 20 the Reina Mercedes. Upon
wnas grounds this supposition rests we
90 not know.
Ia GOOD time. We hope. The origin o,
The disease viii be traced. Meanwhile
~s cannot but rejoice that It is no worse