El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-09-22
BUBONIC
PLAGUE
Described by DR.. Villas, Agent
of Chamber of Commerce.
QUARAN TiNt NO GOOD
So Far q Protection From Disease
Is Concerned, but Is an EffeC-
Business

tive Obstacle to Legitimate
Business,
A meeting of the chamber of COM
merce wss held At half past four o'clock
yesterday afternoon, to hear the report
OF DR.. Villas, who has just returne d
from San Francisco where he went
under the direction of the chamber, to
Investigate the plague situation the, e,
was, or had been in that city. This
in nvestigation was for the purpose of
determining whether the state board
of health was justified in maintaining
in Texas a quarantine against San
Francisco.
D.. Villas reported that there had
been since March sixteen cases Of
bubonic plague in San Francisco, in all
OF which cs-es the patients died. The
last case was FIVE weeks ago. 1t was
made clear at the meeting that the
quarantine was farcical In it's Inc feet
iveness.
The rooms of the board OF trade we're
almost completely flied yesterday
evening when DR.. Villas began his re-
marks on the result of his inves.i-
cations. DR.. Villas gave a clear and
complete statement of The facts as
they exist in San Francisco.
81 reached San Francisco" said be.
.'at particularly bad time for my pur-
poses. The stale was celebrating the
anniversary of its statehood. and Sar
Francisco was filed with people from
all over the state. The celebration
continued for three days, during which
all business was suspended.
ST have to report ths: 1 visited many
of the prominent business men railroad
magnstes, and others with large inter
ests In San Francisco, to discover just
exactly what the plague situation is
1 may add that 1 found In San Francis
CO two factions, one lsughing to scorp
the idea that the plague had ever beer
present in San Francisco, ,sud the other
giving proof that there had been.
81 will. attempt to give you imparsi-
ally both sides OF the que tion, and LEI
you Judge for yourselves.
"The people of San Francisco are
paying no attention whatever TO the
plague. They acs ss though they die
not believe in it's existence There Is
no quarantine in the city against
Chinatown, where all of the cases OF
plague which are known were found,
and Intercourse is free to any part Of
| the city, and state.
"The United States government has
| cisco during the time that the cases OF
| bubon:c plague were prevalent, but 60
far as 1 know there were no cases dis
covered among the men. The soldiers
were not confined to any part OF the
city"
D.. Villas read to the chamber the
| report of the city board of health
San Francisco, giving the re cords OF
| the deaths OF the city for the period
| mentioned. Sixteen deaths In San
Francisco from March until Eve weeks
| ago were accredited to bubonic plague.
Post mortem examination of the
patients revealed the presence of the
oooobAS PAosoO kSiAh ~ hihiaAs Al
| oculsted with the virus died in from
| two'to twenty four hours. Among the
sixteen who died OF the buhonic
plague, all we're Cinnamon with the
exception of one white man whom DR.
Villas stated was worse then q China
man as he lived In Q cellar, scarcely
ever coming out, was filthy, and o
opium fiend.
DR.. Villas then resd the re port CT An
able medical journal published in San
Francisco, 10 which the presence Of
the disease was recognized. 10 addi-
| Ion to this proof DE-. Villas read the
| report Of the surgeon general of the
U oited States army on the question. 1t
gave sixteen cases of the plague since
March. The government surgeons who
| made this report were not sllo we'd to
take their Information a. secood hand,
out we're obliged to make a thorouR h
and personal investig gativn of the
disease.
d.. Villas also read an editorial
| from San Francisco newspaper in
| which the disease was treated has be-
log fact, and in which the w hesl.h
department was ccisizea sfor neglect
| TO take precautionary measures in
regard to the cleansing of Chinatown.
| DR.. Villas Stats6 that he had pai3 m