The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-07-31


 New foci, 4
 ' Total foci 4
 %>~<<%%%%<%%%< New Orleans, July 30.-Though this was Sunday, the work of sanitation, fumiga- ton, oiling and screening went on just the same, and will continue daily until the city has been thoroughly screened and made mosquito proof. The record for today shows little change from that of yesterday, except in the reduction of the number of deaths
 The number of new foci is also again a source of encoura cement, showing that the spread is becoming slower and slower. A new comnlication was disclosed today when Supei ltendent Curran of the New Orleans and Northeastern railroad an- nounced that two passengers who had re- mained the required length of time in the slidell detention camp, and sought ad- mission into Mississippi, had been turn ed back. If the Mississippi health author tiles now refuse admission to holders of certificates of detention issued by the | marine hospital service, 1t will result in | the government abandoning those camps, and then travellers will have to either stay here or go to points in the north and east and spend ten days before tkey can return to Mississippi.
 Troops Doing Guard Duty.
 The location of the Louisville and Nash-
 vile camp has not yet been fixed, but
 Dr. Guiteras hopes to get In communities I tion with Adiutant Generad Fridge of Mississippi. who Is in charge of the state quarantine on the gulf coast and finally arrange the matter. The Mississippi troops are now doing guard duty on the coast. | City Health Officer Kohnke, who is in immediate charge of the situation in the 1 city. and who has been subjected to some criticism from various sources, at | request today gave out the following 1 statement which shows how the authori- ties handled the infection as soon as it l was discovered:
 Tells of Discovery of Cases.
 "rhe first intimation of yellow fever in New Orleans was had on July 13, when 1 two physicians reported two cases of ill-
 ness resembling in their judgment vel l loW ltNtif WHICH CdctS were to the president of the state board of health at his office. The health officer of the city was summoned Immediately, and the cases reported, one being already dead 1 at the time, were by him considered for | sanitary purposes, actual yellow fever. and the premises were treated according ly, that is, the disinfecting methods em- | ployed were those against yellow fever l infection. The diagnosis of these cases be- 4...- z alton, the health officer immediately in- stituted an investigation of the neighbor- hood suspected of infection, and this in vestigaton disclosed evidence pointing to prior cases in the same neighborhood. "All measures were employed against l yellow fever infection wherever suspicion | pointed In a few days it was learned that several squares were infected ap- parently to a degree justifying the fumi- gation of every house for the possibly existing infected mosquito. The neigh | borhood operated on, Is almost wholly inhabited by an Italian population. many of whom are intimately connected with the handling of bananas and the unload 1 ing of such cargoes from fruit ships arriving from Central American ports. Every means was employed from soft
 persuasion to brutal force to reach in- fected places. and the wholesale fumi- | gation was in progress during period | of ten days or more, during which period an autopsy demonstrated the nature of | the disease which must have begun at some time during the second half of May.
 Removed Their DomiciIes.
 | From the infected neighborhood at varying times residents removed their dom- iciles to other sections of the city, and in this way cases of the disease develop f.-a- tricts, but residing in other districts at the time of the appearance of the first symptom Today there are a few cases in persons not connected in any known way with the infected district and all cases of the disease known to exist are isolated, and subjected to the proper measures of prevention based on the mos quito law of yellow fever transmission.
 "The spread of the disease has not been as great as was at first feared. and hope is entertained that it may be controlled. Besides the sanitary work done by the authorities in neighborhoods containing cases of the disease, the citizens general ly are enthusiastically engaged in riddins this city of the yellow fever mosquito by the oiling of water surfaces, and the fum- igation of dwellings, the object of this being to render barren for yellow fever infection the sections of the city con taining at present no cases of the dis ease. Quarantine measures against fruit vessels have been made more stringent to prevent the introduction from Central America and the fruit ports generally of additional yellow fever infection.
 "A fund of money of practically unlim- ited amount has been guaranteed. and is being furnished to the health authorities who are assisted by officers of the public health and marine hospital service. rep resentative members of the medical so- ciety, and representatives of the monied interests. The situation is recognized as one offering an opportunity for the people of New Orleans to demonstrate their willingness. determination and ability to 1 care for yellow fever after it's introduce tion. and no effect of energy or expendi- ture of money is spared to attain sue cessful results. So far as is now known,