The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-12-09
THE DOcTons DIsAGREE.

THE DOCTOBS DISAGREE.
We may now look for a very interesting
controversy between Or. Porter. health
officer Of Florida. and DR. Wyman, sur
geon general OF the Marine Hospital serv-
ice. 10 his annual report the Secretary
of the Treasury states, on the authority Of
! Dr. Wyman, that the first official an
nouncement of the existence of yellow
fever at Miami, Fla. was made on oct l9,
and that it had been there probably in
a mild form for two months before that
time. but unrecognized. The Secretary
says II has not been determined whether
the yellow fever at Miami is traceable
to the fever at Key West. and If it is,
whether the cases were not existing there
before the quarantine patrol had been
placed around the island of Key Vest
This statement coming from the head OF
the Marine Hospital Service seems to be
2 reelection on the health officer of Flor
ida II yellow fever existed for two
months at Miami before any announce
ment of its presence there was made, it
follows that the Florida health officer did
not know of It's existence there or else neg
leeted to send out information about it.
But DR.. Porter has another story to tell
Tt Is that DR.. Wymans statements are
based on information from agents who had
no knowledge of dengue fever or of yellow
fever; that the epidemic al Miami had its
source in vessel brought from Cuba,
which was disinfected by an agent of the
Marine Hospital Service. This agent was
attacked by yellow fever within a week
after he dsinfected the vessel. DR.. Por-
ter says that at the proper time he will
produce proofs that the Marine Hospital
Service is mismanaged and inefficient.
The issue between Dr. Porter and DR.
Wyman is squarely made. We are quite
sure that the whole country is interested
in knowing whether or not the charge that
the Marine Hospital SERVICE is misman-
aged and inefficient can be sustained. This
city is particularly interested, because it
has placed its harbor quarantine in charge
Of the Marine Hospital Service If that
service is inefficient or mismanaged steps
ought to be taken at once to make it eff
Gent and to have it properly managed.
We do not of course undertake TO say
that DR.. Porter's charges are wen found
ed. That is a matter about which we
know nothing. But we do know that 1t is
of the utmost Importance that the Marine
Hospital Service should have the very
best management and should be as eff
cient as it is possible TO make it. Great
interests are dependent upon it and we are
sure that the government is ready and
willing to appropriate all the money that
is necessary to secure the best manage
ment and the very best service.
If we understand the situation in respect
to Miami correctly, it is that 1t was known
that dengue existed for a number of weeks
at Miami before 1t was announced that
there was yellow fever there. 1t seems
that the agents of the Marine Hospital
Service are of the opinion that the fever
which was diagnosed as dengue
was in fact yellow fever. or else
they hold that there was yellow fever
of a mild type among the dengue
cases. 1t IS sometimes quite diff
cult to distinguish dengue from yellow
fever, and yellow fever quite often follows
deugue fever but 1t is seldom that the two
exist together.
We do not believe that any harm will
come from this controversy between the
head of the Marine Hospital Service and
the Health Officer of Florida. on the con-
trary, it Is likely to impress upon the Ma
rine Hospital Service the fact that in or
der to gain the confidence of the entire
country and widen the sphere of its use
fulness, its management must be so good
as TO command the highest respect and its
efficiency so great that attacks upon it,
unless sustained by the most conclusive
evidence, will make no impression on the
public mind.