The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-08-18
DIR. SANDERS STATEMENT

Wait to Mississippi Coast, Where
 suspicious Cases Were
 Discovered.
 .sYou may say emphatically that the case of suspicious fever investtgat- ed at Moundville was one distinctly of malarial and not yellow fever.
 This statement was made last night by pr. W. H. Sanders. State Health ot- hcer, a few minutes after his arriVai m Montgomery from Moundsville by way of Birmingham. pr. Sanders connrmeo the report of the death of the patient at MounJvilIe. He said also that an autopsy was performed on the body Of the patient, who was a Syrian and recent visitor to the town. The au- topsy, says Dr. Sanders, established be- vond all eauivocation that the case was not one of yellow fever.
 An Authorised Statement.
 To a representative of The Advertiser Dr. Sanders dictated this statement
 ''The patient at Moundville, whose case was reported yesterday, died this morning about 6 o'clock. Five or six hours thereafter an autopsy was held. Drs. Faulk of Tuscaloosa and Sellers, now on quarantine duty for the State at Meridian, Miss, being present. The findings established beyond all ques- ton that the man had suffered from maiariai fever.
 Had the case proved to be one of yellow fever the remoteness of the To- cation of the station, which is two miles in the country from Moundville and one mile from any residence, would have rendered it wholly unnecessary for any county or municipality to es- tabIish quarantine against Moundville. But since the case turned out to have been one of malarial fever merely. of course, no occasion exists for the es- tablishment of a quarantine.
 Inferred by Doctors.
 .Considerable difficulty was experi- enced in getting the body inferred. 1n- asmuch as 1t was not certainly known what the disease was until the autopsy was held and as 1t was desirable for the body to be inferred immediately after the autopsy was finished. great difYiculty was experienced in securing persons to dig q grave although if was announced that the grave might be dug half a mile away from the location Of the body and that the doctors them selves would attend to the interment of the body.
 Appeals were made to the citizens of Moundville, both white and black, and offers of liberal remuneration for the work, but without avail. Finally one brave negro m11, Wesley Collins, agreed to be the grave-digger, He dug the grave at a distance of about half mile from the location of the body and the doctors themselves attended to the interment, assisted, however, in that part of the work of Collins. who de- serves to be rated & hero.
 Prafxea Physicfanh,
 "Drs. Faulk and Sellers rendered very valuable and arduous services through out, both professional and physical Dr. Mason, Health Officer of Jefferson County, saw the patient yesterday in connection with the other physicians and also rendered very important pro- fessional service"
 When Dr. Sanders reached Montgom- cry last night on the belated Louisville and Nashville Railroad train from Bir- minRham, where he went from Mound vilIe. he had completed a continuous of- fcial trip which began last week out of Montgomery to Meridian and extended from Meridian to Mobile and thence along the whole string of Mississippi coast towns which are under quaran- tine by the State of Alabama. On this trip Dr. Sanders. accompanied by Dr. Mohr, Secretary of the State Board of Health, uncovered seven cases of yell low fever in Mississippi City, Miss, or at least pronounced that many cases suspicious after Dr. Wasdin, the sur geon of the Marine Hospital Service of the United States. in charge of the Mississippi quarantines. had stated there was not a single case of yellow fever In that State.
 Quarantine on Coast.
 Had Dr. Sanders and pr. Mohr found the coast clear in Mississippi they would have recommended that the State Board of Alabama raise the quar- antine against the towns of that State along the Louisville and Nashville Orleans. By the disclosures at Missis- sippi City, however, the quarantine will certainly be continued by Ala bama.
 thorough investigation was made by Alabama's Health Officer and Board Secretary on the visit to the Mississippi coast. They visited Scranton, Ocean City and Bay St. Louis in the order named. Except fin Mississippi City there was not found one suspicious case. Four members of family of five in Mississippi City were found stricken with the fever. The history of the family was certain. They had gone from Carrolton, Miss, about a
 
 visit. They are said to have visited the French market there and must have caught the infection at that time From New Orleans the family went to Mississippi City and one by one four of them went to bed.
 shown COurtesies on COnst.
 We were treated with all the court esy and assistance that we could ex- pect on the trip down the coast, said Dr. Sanders last night. Tn each town the doctors and authorities seemed willing to have everything at our com mand which would help in the inves- tigation of the health conditions of the different places. This was particularly so with Scranton, Ocean Springs. Bi- loxi and Gulfport Tn Gulfport we were royalty received. Dr. Mohr and myself were given au automobile and were driven over to Mississippi City which was one of the very last points we had determined to inspect, It Is Q few miles from Gulfport. Arriving in the little town we were assured by the physicians there that we need not expect to find anything suspicious whatever We told them. however, that we would not be satisfied until we had examined all cases of acute fever then in existence. This led us to the new family who had few days before dropped into town from New
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