The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1905-08-03
CONCERNING YELLOW FEVER.

Yellow fever is epidemic in New Orleans,
and what is said of the disease, the method
of its transmission and the means of its
prevention is specially interesting to the
writer, who was in New Orleans during the
epidemic of 1857 and made daily clippings
from the newspapers, with notes from per-
sonal observations, and collected much other
literature on the subject. In the 38 years
That have elapsed great advance has been
made in sanitation, and new methods may
have been discovered for treating and con-
trolling this dread disease of: the tropics :;
out we find it hard to credit some of the
statements made concerning the present
epidemic in the Crescent City For example
one paper says:
Inc danger of an epidemic such as that
Wnlch occurred in New Orleans and Mem
pms IN 1878, when 5000 people died from
thls disease, has been to great extent re-
moved nc py the discovery that yellow fever is
oI !he mosquitoes and the disease will
vanish. VIII
Ii yellow fever can only be eradicated by
the extinction of the mosquitoes it would
seem probable that many more epidemics
VIII De reported. The same paper SAYS
that the new outbreak is traced to Papa
ma'-which is no doubt true-but did the
mosquitoes bring it from there TO New
orleans? That question hardly need he
answered. The disease was brought in the
usual way by person afflicted with the
disease Or by infected clothing. Then as to
the mosquitoes. A mosquito bar is an in
dlspensable appendage of every bed in New
orleans and there is no occasion for expos
Ing yellow fever patient to mosouito
bites; and if this is not done. how can the
mosquitoes transmit the disease? Another
paper says that "yellow fever is not a con-
tag lous disease in the sense that we regard
small pox and scarlet fever'' That. if true
would also conflict, with the MOSQUITO
theory. But if it is true now it was not
true 3S years ago and in the earlier epi-
denies. In the epidemic of 1867 the disease
was brought from Central America to a
Texan port, and when it began to manifest
itself panic ensued and the people fled to
the interior towns, carrying the disease
with them. The mortality was fearful be-
cause there were no experienced physicians
or nurses to care for the sick. The follow
ing clipping from Texas paper of that
date testifies 10 the value of quarantine in
such cases:
Gonzales, on the Guadalupe, and Rich
mond on the BraZos, and Brownsville, on
the Rlo Grande, have kept the fever from
their respective towns by the enforcement
OF rigid quarantine.
From Texas the disease was carried to
an interior town in Louisiana, and from
there to New Orleans. When the disease
manifested Itself in that city quarantines
were established, causing a practical sus-
pension of business, and for nearly three
months Yellow Jack, or Bronze John. ruled
the Crescent City. The story of ones per-
s0nal experience during this time might be
interesting but would be out of place in the
present article. New Orleans was then a
very dirty city, and perhaps necessarily so.
1t was lower than the river in front and
than Lake Ponchitrain in the rear. and
depended upon surface drainage. The gut
ters were supposed to flow into drainage
canals leading to the lake shore, where
steam pumps discharged the fowage into
the lake. AS the streets were nearly level.
III many places water stood in the cutters
until stagnant and covered with green
scum. When Gen. Butler was in command
at New Orleans he had the city thoroughly
cleaned and as there was no yellow fever
at that time it was assumed that cleanliness
was safeguard against the disease. In
this connection we quote from recent ar
ticle in the Boston Globe
Yellow fever primarily is due to the
presence OF an animal parasite which i'm.
! fects certain localities. The causes which
create this infection are essentially un-
sanitary conditions in region of prolonged
nigh temperature with moisture. Cold
weather Immediately stops the disease
This may be true, but despite the un-
sanitary conditions which have prevailed
| there it cannot be shown that yellow fever
ever originated in New Orleans. The facts
concerning the epidemic of 1867 go to show
That yellow fever is an imported and not
native disease and that it NAV be kent ont
| by strict quarantine.
"Cold weather Immediately stops the dis
ease." Does it? DR.. Charles DELAY. in A
pamphlet published in 1868, declares the
| ldea that a white frost puts an end to
yellow fever to be entirely erroneous. The
geneIally accepted opinion in New Orleans,
Dased upon the epidemic of 1867 and those
preceding, was that the fever runs for 12
weeks, four weeks on the increase, four
weeks at the maximum, and gradually dies
out in the last four weeks, regardless of
temperature. While sudden fall of tenn
perature may have tendency to check the
disease it is usually fatal to many already
afflicted with it,
Yellow fever is no worse than many other
diseases and requires only simple treat
ment. A physician is not needed if you can
have an experienced nurse. The great NOR
tality from this disease is due to not under
going treatment when the first symptoms
appear and to imprudence when Gonzales
cent, thus bringing on relapse from which
the patient rarely RECEIVERS. We recall one
instance where newspaper man who boast
ed of his defiance of Yellow Jack survived
two relapses only to die year or two LATER
OF consumption.