The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1901-05-01
YELLOW FEVER GERMS.
Doctors Positive Mosquitoes. Garry Yellow
Plague.
washington Past.

at Columbia University, with largely
increased audiences. Several papers
OF interest were read and discussed.
Health" was the general subject,
and it was treated in its widely diver
sifed branches. Nutrition, factory
hygiene. hcalti fads, and the social
effect of insanitation in dwellings were
the subjects Of the morning discus
sions and papers.
Transmission vi Yellow Fever by
the Mosquito,' the subject Of an ad :
dress by Surgeon General George NJ.
Stcrnbcrg, U. S. A., which opened
the evening session, proved the most
interesting Of the day. Gen. Stern
berg rccited series of experiments
made by army surgeons in Cuba within
the past year, which, by process of
elimination, as well as by direct re-
suits, he regarded as establishing con-
clusivcly that the yellow fever germ
infects the blood; that it may be
transmitted by infusion, or by the
bite Of particular species of mosquito
after the insect has filled itself with
the blood Of person suffering from
yellow fever.
a feature Of the conclusions drawn
by the surgeon general was that the
fumigation Of clothing, bedding, etc., +,
which has been exposed to supposed
contagion by contact with infected
persons, is absolutely valuclcss, un-
necessary, and without any scientific
basis.
Considerable discussion Of yellow
fever took place at the conclusion of
Gen. Stcrnbcrg's address, but his
statements as to transmission Of yell
low fever by mosquito bite was not
challenged. The talk was directed en-
tirely to corrclatvc issues
The evening session was opened
by President Kingsbury, who an
Mounccd that the association was cx-
trcmcly gratiied by the large attend
ance at its meeting, and had decided
to hold its annaul convention here
next year in the early spring. This
announcement was greeted with ap-
plauso. President Kingsbury then
introduced Gen. Sternberg, who spoke
extempore, and excused himself for
not having paper prepared.
Gen. S:e-ahs7s Hrst reviewed the
history and described the characters
tics of yellow fever. Several theories
as to lbs original transplanting to the
West Indies existed, he said-ono
that it was brought from Africa by
slave ships. Habana, he said, had
suffered a severe epidemic of the dis
ease in the early history of the city,
and then for more than hundred
years had been entirely free from the
disease. Rio de Janeiro never knew
yellow fever until 1849, when it was
carried to the Brazilian city by an in
fected vessel from Habaua. From
this, Gen. Sternbcrg argued that yell
low fever does not originate from oil
matte conditions, and in support Of
this view recalled that for years there
was annually an epidemic of the dis.
ease in New Orleans, 30 that the peo-
pie believed that it was necessary
concomitant of warm weather. For
many years past, Gen. Sternberg said,
there had been no yellow fever in
New Orleans Of an epidemic character.
He also stated that at Vera Cruz,
Mexico, yellow fever Is epidemic every
year as it is at Rio de Janeiro. Per.
sons from the City of Mexico go to
Vera Cruz, contract the disease, re.
turn and often die Of it in Mexico
City, but no one there had ever been
known to catch it from diseased per-
son, and it never occurs there. This
vas likewise true of Pedropolis su-
burb Of Rio de Janeiro, which, like
the City of Mexico, is at a considcra-
BILE elevation above the sea level.
Other features of the disease, as dc
scribed by Gen. Sternberg, were the
need of an elevated temperature and
of moisture for its development. It's
developer eot, he said, depends upon
climate conditions, but is not caused
by them. In general, he asserted, it
is known that every outbreak of tbc
disease can be traced to the arrival of
infected persons in the community in
which it occurs. 1t is carried by ships
from infected ports, and when it
breaks out in city travels from block
to block and through channels that arc
directly in contact with the infected
area. High stone walls about build