The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-07-10
,>,4,r,c,T1ON FROM THE ORIENT.
lINI IN of

1>rr1rcTTON FROM THE ORlENI'
Follou-ing closely upon the heels vi
49, ,.ornine published in the Argonaut
80 o,ve 400 the Board of Health IN
this CITY has begun to take preoa utioli'
opainst the introduction OF lhlecliou7
diseases from the countries OIL 'ne
Asiatic seaboard. AS was SUGGESTED do
probable in these columns, the poalu
nointe out the fact that tine lncreaseo
influx of passengers from Aslatlc porlS'
particularly soldiers returning from the
Prilippines, renders the city llapie u
+be entrance and spread of infectious
diseases. as is evidenced by the appear
o,,na of several cases of smallpox" To
guard against this danger, the podiu
urges increased care in maintaining
sanitary precautions, and proposes
house-to- house inspection to discover
and remove all conditions Favorable TO
the spread of disease
These measures have been adopted TO
guard against the spread OF smallpox
which is the most prevalent of infec-
tious diseases in the Philippines, and
+ha nreca1tion is a Wise one. The Ar
gonaut again called attention to the
is disease far less understood by the
medical fraternity, and far more tatal
in its effects. The warning when ut
tered has been ridiculed in some quar-
ters. on the ground that the conditions
for q spread of the plague do not exist
here This opinion is not shared by
those best qualified to judge. Medical
authorities unite in declaring that con-
ditions most favorable to the Judgement
and spread of the disease exist in the
| elums of all large cities, anu every
country of Europe to-day is taking pre-
cautions to prevent its Introduction
from India That such precautions
have not been taken in this country is
| merely because the communication has
| been so irregular as to minimize the
| danger This condition is now changed.
| Nor is the climate any protection
| against it, It will be recalled that the
pestilence to which attention was par
ticularly called at Hong Kong in 1884
though it had existed there for three
hundred years at least-spread in India
in 1896. and it's ravages startled the en-
tire civilized world. During the first
three wears it's vigor relaxed at the APP
| DIOaCh OF not weather. lnlS year II Has
! increased in virulence with the coming
of summer. AT the other extreme is
| Augzap in Turkestan, fourteen thous-
and feet above the sea-level, and with
a cold, dry climate. In a population of
six hundred, three hundred and seventy
eight died before help could come from
the outside world. But little has been
heard of its ravages in India, yet at
| Bombay it is now carrying off three
hundred victims a day that are report
ed. In Hong Kong the most vigorous
and sweeping measures for breaking VI
the slums have been unavailing tc
stamp out the disease.
The action of the board of health in
adopting sanitary precautions against
the introduction of smallpox is a wise
measure since it reduces the danger
from all other infectious diseases II
it is to be thoroughly effective, however
it must be supplemented by rigid quar-.
antine regulations governing the impor.
tation of goods as well as passengers
San Francisco Argonaut.