The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-05-27

yellow fever during those years. In 1898
we had rigid Quarantine, and lived UP
to the regulations rs to freight rlgidly,
but we were not rigid In regard to pas
sentws. In 1898 we had 20 restrictions
on passenger traffic whatever Yours
truly. Heber Jones, M. D.,
President.
/ would like to cali your attention 10
experience in New Orleans In Just few
words. I'm 1897 and 1898 tons OF mer-
chandise were shipped from Infected To-
calities under the Atlanta regulations to
non Infected localities without carrying
the disease (Dr. II. Il. Carter, United
States marine hospital servicel. Also IN
connection to results OF disafeetlon OF
ships From 1881 to 1885,. 2s07 vessels
were ouarantined at the Mississippi river
Quarantine station. OF these 1907 yes
sells surely 9S per cent came from tropical
ports liable to yellow foyer; SIS per cent
came from ports actually infected with
yellow fever; SO per cent came from ports
liable to yellow fever, and 2 per cent
from ports infected with cholera or this
number disinfected and Guaranteed, 2s07.
yellow fever appeared subsequent to dis
infection on three only No case OF fever
developed after the third day CDR. c. P.
Wilkinson Report louisiana State Board
OF Health. iS94-1sg5).
There Is one point I also wish to make
here The experience OF our Missssipp!
river quarantine station and OF the deten-
ton camp Is that cases of yellow fever
develop within Ave days after disinfec-
ton. In other words. the experience Of
this station for many years has shown
that yellow fever develops. If It develops
at all, in lese than FIVE days. No case Of
yellow fever has ever developed after
that time. and bear in mind that we
have yellow fever at this station, which is
situated ninety miles from New Orleans.
every year, and during the summer there
Is always some yellow fever down there.
We dlslnfect vessels arriving from infect
ed ports, hold them there until the period
Of incubation OF yellow fever is over. and
have not brought any yellow fever to
New Orleans.
DR.. b. #. Calhoun. Beaumont-What ]
would like to know is the course you
would pursue IN case you had yellow
fever there.
Dr. Arthur Note New orIeans-As soon
as the Louisiana State board Of health.
OF which | am q member, learns OF a case
OF yellow fever, V isolates the case, dis
infects it. and reports It to the public.
We prevent communication with the case
and notify the boards of health OF neigh
boring States Of Its existence. We then
control the spread of the disease as far
as the rest Of our State is concerned hy
enforcing the Revised Atlanta Regula-
tons" You understand We are State
board of health, composed of members
from various sections OF our State.
Dr. j. w. Scott, Houston-Mr. Chair
man and Gentlemen: ] am very sorry that
DIR. Jones is absent this evening. The SUBJ
ject he was to bring up for our considera-
ton is a very important one and one
that every physician, especially from this
section OF the country. should take a deep
interest In whether he does so or not
Because 1t effects not only the health OF
the community In which he lives, bu,
also the business interest There are
some who seem TO think that the business
Interest and public health are always an
tagonistic to each other. They seem to
think that any measure which is helpful
to the business interest must be nee S
sary to that extent harmful to the health
Of the people. I beg leave, gentlemen
to take issue with this view most en-
practically, Why, upon what does the
health Of any city or town depend We all
know that It depends upon paving the
streets. good drainage good drnkinl
water good sewerage and good, modern
sanitary plumbing in houses, both private
and public. aBut these Improvements cos
money. and anvfc'tv whioh puts then In
must be in a good financial condition. II
other wn ds. the business In crest m 81
be fourlshing Il follows as a necessary
consequence that anything which de-
presses the business interest must gwen.
tu"'-- have a bad effect upon the healtt
OF l.e people. Public health Is no doup
public wealth" But we should not for
get The fact, which Is equally true, thai
public wealth is the foundation of publ,
health. So wish 1t to be distinctly un
derstood that when l advocate more lib
eral system Of freight quarantine, ] d.
so, not only because 1t is for the best in
terests of the business world, but ais
because 1 candldly believe that il Is FOL
the interest Of the health of the people
There are few points in connection witt
this matter to which / invite your atten
ton. First we all know that in orde
to stamp out an infectious disease. It f
necessary to have the case reported to tn
proper authorities, and the proper meth
} DDS instituted to kill out each point o
Infection. You can easily see from th
that any quarantine measure which vii
cause physicians to hesitate about report
ing their cases will Interfere materlall
with all efforts to prevent a furthe
spread. I believe that the present quar-
antine system Of this State, the presen
system of completely bottling up larg
commercial center upon the announce
ment Of single case Of yellow fever vii
5 cause physicians to hesitate very lon
/. time before reporting their cases. At an
, rabs, It Is reasonable to suppose that the
would be thousand times more willing
. a thousand times more ready to repAr
Q their cases II they knew that the subse
s uuent quarantine would not be so demon
5 alizing and destructive 30 the business in
1 terests OF the community In which the
r live Self-preservation is the first la
/, of nature. and IT must be taken into con
q sideration in formulating any practice
u system Of quarantine.
: Again. gentlemen. all OF the othe
A States have adopted a system OF classife
: freight quarantine. So when the vello'
:, fever breaks out in New Orleans, TeSa
r must either quarantine against the entir
g country or she will be in direct com
: munication with different points that az
4 receiving freight from New Orleans un
9 der a classified system of quarantine Fo
r instance, last summer we quarantine
against New Orleans. but rema. ned
communication with Shreveport viii
was receiving goods from New orlean
I under the Atlanta regulations. The re
. suit was that freight, which up TO thi
time had gene direct TO Houston, and froi
6 Houston sent to different towns In u
State, was sent TO Shreveport un1er d
Atlanta regulations, and from shreyepo
. was reconsgned to different points
:, Texas. So you see the only resu az
:. complished by the quarantine was d
vert trade from its normal channel
Again, under the Atlanta regulations, y
4 -f..I.f Ia ava ~ IN n