The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1905-08-09

PfahabiY the FINAL Great Battle That
VIM Have 70 pc Fousht With
yeiow Fever Now on.

Ia The present epidemic at New
Orleans yellow fever is making per-
1Ars rs last serious demonstration
on Ansrican soil Stricken with pes.
ticneo and harnssed on all sides by
~ IGNORANT and british fright of her
neEghhors the misfortune of New Or.
leans Is indeed ~deplorable. Yet 1t is
mt mkind to say that, II nothing less
ihan a great object lesson viii quell
kAe stupid panic and to prove the suf-
lrzency Of modern knowledge con-
.sarning yellow fever, New Orleans is
fbe best place for that demonstration,
zsys American Medicine. The test
might have been made where the les
zua Is more needed than in New Or.
leans. but hardly any city in the
South would put the business through
10 wen.
Most OF the weaknesses of Ameri-
ran sanitary organization are exem:
zaiiied in New Orleans. The most cru
q havoc has been wrought in times
pazt by yellow fever on that city. Ply
steal conditions are today as favor
zhIe as yer for a great epidemic; the
PRESENT outbreak has the advantage
q: a good start: and yet we do not
rrzsct a great epidemic. The sufi.
dsHt armament OF New Orleans in
me present emergency is in the will
md ability OF her people to apply
modern medical knowledge to the
suppression Of yellow fever. 1t is In
m enlightened public opinion that
New Orleans will. in delivering her
seI from present danger. give the
American people a convincing lesson
In the prophyiaxis Of yellow fever.
Quarantine regulations Of the most
stringent sort have been aimed at
New Orleans. To prevent all travel
TO sndStrom New Orleans is not near.
u enough to satisfy some Of the neigh.
Boring towns. They will have no
irris from New Orleans, no drygoods,
no dressed meats. In some places
Freight ears must be f~umigated be.
fure the doors are opened.
Tho present outbreak caught New
pricans without an effective notifica.
tiun law The first haf dozen or more
czses vent their several ways un.
known 70 other persons, and physi-
cians among them, who saw their duty
zHd did' 1t not. In this way many foci
10 lrfecdon were established before
sHe authorities were Informed.
stmong large cities in this country
at mnHt are better of than New
ORLEANS i'm respect to notification of
EEecfiiurs diseases. There are plenty
q paper defenses. but few substan.
~ safeguards.
Governor vardaman of Mississippi
charges the authorities with conceal
rasnr of the facts. They did, indeed,
salt for autopsy findings before in
fuEming other health authorities, but
since the FIRST case notified was al
ready fatal this delay was probably
n little consequence. Prevarication
n conceaIment are not unknown in
The past history of yellow fever at
Ssw Orleans. but there is no evil
eznce whatever of bad faith in con.
znction with the present epidemic.
ey912itfssA ------ -
In 1862 General BENJAMIN F. But
lsr gave New Orleans such a clean
ug up as the city never had before
nor since. Like the Cuban insur-
gents the people of New Orleans re-
ned upon Generals JUNO. Julio and
Agostos to put their foes to rout, and
Z was in preparation for these adver-
Faries that Butler removed fabulous
amounts of filth. OF his claims to ad.
tniratfon there were few which But
Nr himself admired more than his
sanitary operations in New Orleans.
II is not certain that he ever saw
ease Of yellow fever, but he pro-
fsssed TO have been a profound stu
dent of the disease. The parasitic
fieory of infectious diseases confirm
ed 70 a nicely his views of the origin
zrd transmission of yellow fever, and
IN 1888 he Considered II his dirty tn