The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-10-29
YELLOW FEVER IN RAVANA
MALADY is GREATER THIS YEAR
THAN FOR TWO YEARS
PREVIOUS
HAS GROWN INTO AN EPIDEMIC
Is Not Confined to sIum Districts
Infection in Night Air-GOOd
Equipment of Govern
ment Hospital.

said to be epidemic. The death rate,
however, is small, comparatively, 80 per
cent or less. against so per cent in other
years. During the month of August
there were only forty-nine deaths from
this fever out of 254 patients. With the
exception of the past two years, this is
the smallest number for ten years past.
The largest number was in 1896, when
262 died of yellow fever during August.
To show how fatal the fever has proved
at times, not only to strangers, but to ma
tives, 1 mention the fact that a writer
on the English invasion Q762) says that
SO many died that there was not oppor-
tunity to bury them, so the bodies were
thrown, into the harbor.
More Spaniards have been Ill with yell
low fever this year than Americans or
any other nationality, possibly because
there are more Of them here. Americans
come next; but out of forty in August
there were only six deaths, about Is per
cent. Half dozen other nationalities
appear in the reports It takes a vast
amount of the poison to affect Cubans,
so they seldom have the fever, but when
they do it almost always proves fatal.
Negroes seem immune from almost all
danger in this respect.
Last year the cases were largely in the
yellow fever zone" in the old part of the
city; about the wharves and arsenal, and
in the wholesale district. This year tells
q different tale, and the Prado, the fash
ionable Prado, where on Sunday after
moons all of the world-Havana's world
goes to see and be seen, is the center of
infection, apparently Handsome houses
line both sides of it, but this disease is no
respecter of position, and the occupants
of these houses are stricken down.
Houses in which the sanitation is excel
lent seem to harbor 1t, and theories that
it is caused by unsanitary conditions
must be thrown aside in these cases and
others sought.
Cases are frequently found in first-class
boarding houses.
The Cuban treasury is on the Prado,
and is an infected place. A guard of
American soldiers is kept there constant
ly, and within the past two weeks SOL
diers who were on guard there have been
taken with it. It is thought beyond a
doubt TO have been caused by their sleep
ing in that building during a tour of
guard duty, for in each case the fever
appeared before the end of the fifth day
succeeding the night spent there. The
period of incubation is Eve days.
Las Animas, the yellow fever hospital,
is beautifully situated. on the edge of
the city, and is almost hidden by the
great trees that surround it. An avenue
of $50 yards or more, bordered by trees
whose huge branches meet overhead,
leads to 1t from the main road It is sup
ported by the government. Trained
nurses are employed. and the physician
in charge is a specialist. The nurses are
not necessarily immunes, but a case OF
yellow fever has. never yet developed at
the hospital. No one is forced to go
hut q a
be treated there if he wishes, and the
advantages are pointed out. AS no COM
pulsfon is used. many go of their own
accord who would in all probability re-
bel at force The main building is divid-
ed into wards, each OF which contains
several beds. It is arranged that those
dangerously Ill shall be separated from
those who are not Many who go there
recover.
No payment is expected, but. may be
given if preferred. Visitors are not ex-
cases, = however, exceptions are
made. Those who have received
treatment and recovered are so
grateful for the care given them
that they show their appreciation
in all kinds of ways. One man sent to
New York for large quantity of candy,
which he distributed among the nurses
Another published in the daily papers a
card of thanks for the attention given
All of the district infected last year by
the fever is now being visited by the
''Cuerpo de Sandal" which means SIM
ply the sanitary department, and thor
oughly disinfected. The men doing this
work are immunes. and so run no risk
while engaged in it. This is being done,
although the department realizes that it
is often mere matter of form; however
thoroughly it is done, however thorough
ly the houses are diSinfeeted, it has been
the discouraging experience that new
cases of fever are likely to reappear in
short time in exactly the same places
The American government has done Do11eh
toward cleaning the city, with the stamp
ing out of the fever as one of Its chef
object does not seem in sight. Strange
as 1t may seem, there are exceedingly
few cases of fever in the wretched tene-
ment houses, where it would seem that
not only this, but many other kinds of
ills, might so readily find a home
The sanitary department has a number
OF physicians on its force, most of whose
time is occupied inspecting houses where
there Is or has been yellow fever. In the
office there is a map of the city, and each
time a case of ''fiebre amarillo" Is re-
ported, a mark is made on the map, in
dicating the exact location of the house
at which it is.
Night air seems particularly favorable
for contracting the poison, ard it is
thought that unless one is n an infected
district after nightfall, he viii not take
1t. 1t is also thought that it cannot be
taken from person i'll with it Al the
same time such cases are kept strictly
Isolated, and even the nurse is not allow
ed intercourse with others The house is
placarded with a large sign printed in
glaring yellow letters, telling that there
is yellow fever within.
Although Americans here have all these
things brought constantly to their notice.
very few of them are alarmed about
themselves. Those living in the city give
the matter thought occasionally but
here is mono of the panic that exists IN
breaks out there. Tt never occurs to Gu
bans to run away from home to escane
II, and their CalnnesS Is communicated
to strangers It's constant presence makes
them Indifferent to it. Strangers almost
all come to Havana with the fear of tax
ing 1T, marring In measure the pleasure
the trip here might otherwise give them.
tourists who have been to. the city with
IN the past two years will bear witness
to the statement that if they had slight
touches of climatic fever while here they
We're sure they had yellow fever Amer
leans living in the suburbs feel safe ex-
iseeptlng in Quemados, where cases are
constantly appearing.
Yellow fever is the only disease that the
majority of Americans connect with this
island. They are ignorant that an ex-
| ceedlngly large proportion of deaths are
caused by tuberculosis in some one or
| other of its various forms OF $50 deaths
| IN the month of August, 65 were due to
this disease. Many Cubans are now in
the states or elsewhere, seeking q cI,-
mate that will help them. Some went
! for that purpose, and finding 1t, have re-
| manned. In various mountainous iocali-
| ties Cubans of this class are to be found