The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-09-09
A JUMP IN
 NEW CASES More Shown in the New Orleans Record. DEATH RATE STILL LOW Sugar Planters Troubled
 About Labor. Dr. Berge Prosecuted and Fined for Failure to Report Three Cases -Report of Infection in
DEATH RATE STILL LOW

New Orleans. Sept. S.-Ohcial report to ?. m. Friday:
 New cases, A; total to date, 2,22l: deaths. 4; total deaths to date. sos: new foci 12; cases under treatment, 306; cases discharged, 1907.
 There is no acounting for the jump in the record Friday, except possibly the fact that physicians have lately been reporting more positive cases and less suspicious cases. Among the cases is Sister of the Mount Carmel Con- vent on Bayou Road and St. Claude, which is near the original infected dis- trict A case was taken to the Marine Hospital from the steamship Westoyer. which plys between New Orleans and Tampa, Fla, but she had been in port long enough for the man to have con tracted the illness ashore.
 Of the deaths one was an Italian who was found dead and his case diagnosed by the coroner. Another died at the Emergency Hospital One of the deaths was patient of pr. Philip Berge, the physician who was prosecuted and fined today for failing to report three cases of fever in that house.
 Owing to the determination to close the detention camps. the sugar plant ers who will soon need labor badly for their plantations, as the sugar season opens in October, have besought Dr. White to devise some plan whereby la borers can be sent from this city to
 
 are in demand, and it Is very likely that a conference of sugar planters will be held at which 1t will be decided to establish a detention camp for labor, under the auspices of the Marine Hos pital service.
 The only new point of infection in the country reported today was by Dr. Brady, who discovered a nest of twelve cases on Woodlawn plantation, twenty miles below New Orleans, and another
 al A Ns~Ea tion in Plaquemine Parish has been eradicated.
 Other country reports were: Jeffer- son Parish: Kenner. 5 cases; Hanson City, cases; Bayou Nicholas. in Bara- taria couztry. 1 case. St. Bernard Par ish: Near Slaughterlonses J.csse; Terre aux Boeuf, 1 case. St. Mary Parish: Patterson, Il new cases, death; Bayou Boeuf. cases. Riverside plantation has had 180 cases to date and deaths. Tallulah, eases: Lake Providence, cases St. Charles Parish: St. Rose. deaths; Patterson plantation, case. Mississippi-Gulfport, new cases; Nat chez. new cases: Anguilla, near Roll ing Fork, l new case. -@,".
 Dr. Berge's Trial.
 Interest among the yellow fever fighters centered today to the trial before Recorder Marmouget of Dr. Philip Berge. who was arrested week ago on a charge of failing to report cases of yellow fever. pr. Berge is of excellent repute in the medical frater- nifty and no feeling exists towards him, but Dr. White and his colleagues de- sired a prosecution of the case in or der to set an example to doctors who were unwilling to cooperate with the authorities. Dr. White, some of .he members of his staff and a number of physicians attended the trial, which was a prolonged affair and developed hat lawyers. pr. Berges defen9n as to the Chartres Street cases was that he re- ported them by telephone to the Emergency Hospital when his diagnosis of them was complete. It was shown that all physicians were given notice to report direct to Dr. Whites headquar- ters. While on the stand Dr. Berge intimated that he was not required to report suspicious cases and that a diag- nosis of yellow fever was impossible before the expiration of twenty four hours. Before the trial was completed Dr. Berge decided that he would plead guilty to one of the three charges against him on condition that the other two would be dismissed. He did so and paid fine of $25.
 Sensational rumors were afoat on the streets today to the effect that the steamship Excelsior from Havana had been held at quarantine and that four passengers had been taken off suffering with yellow fever. The State Health Board was in communication with Quarantine Officer Thomas and learned that one of the crew of the vessel was i'll in his bunk, apparently suffering with malarial fever, and was taken of as a precaution. The vessel will pro- ceed to New Orleans. In order to run no risks the Southern Pacific ten days ago decided to put physician on each of its steamers to take the tempera- ture of every one on board periodically. There IS no danger, therefore. that the steamers of the line will carry infec- tion into either Havana or New Orleans.
 Italians Reluctant.
 In spite of all that has been done to reassure them, isolated instances con- tinue to appear wherein Italians show their reluctance to give the physicf ms knowledge of sickness among them. The latest case Is that of Giacono La naneosso, who was staying at the home of friend in an unfrequentei neigh borhood He was taken i'll and no doc tor was called When he died his friend was compelled to notify the coroner, who discovered that tbe caoa was one of actual yellow fever. The great danger In cases like this is that with no precautions taken mosauitoes are almost certain to be infected and the disease thereby spread to innocent persons. and 1t is because of such evasions of the law that the authorities find it difficult to set date when every case will have been wiped out.
 The more intelligent Italians realize that the ignorant and superstitious members of the race are largely blam- able for the conditions that have de- veloped here and they promise to CO., operate with the municipal authorf- ties in an effort to enforce better san itary regulations in the congested dis tricts of the city. Chairman Patorno ralf faF
 discussed the matter with Mayor Behrman, calling his attention to the fact that in some of the cheap lodging houses Italians are crowded to the ex- tent of fifteen or twenty in a sin gle room. Mir. Patorno wants an or dinance passed which shall restraint the number of persons allowed to occupy A single room and the mayor has prom tsed to take the matter up and have the necessary legislation passed, not