Omaha daily bee., 1905-08-14
DECREASE IN FEVER CASES
Death List at New Orleans is Larger,
However, Than it Has Been.
CHANGES IN PLAN OF ORGANIZATION
surgeon General IL Seeking 70 Secure
More Prompt Screening of Pa
tienta and Infection Breed
ing Places.
NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 1S.-Following is
the offcial record up to D. M:

/ NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 1S.-FoIlowing is
the ofhcial record up to p. m:
New cases %
Iotai cases
Deaths II
Total sub-foci .202
Cases under treatment ................''...S4 .S4S
!
The heavy increase in the number of
cases which began four or five days ago is
/ beginning to manifest itself in the death
! list, which can be expected to grow stead
/ lily for the next few days The number Of
new cases today seems small in comparison
with yesterdays record but is really nine-
teen short, as that number of cases were
turned in by an inspector just after the
hour for closing the report. These will
figure in tomorrow's report.
| Among the cases today is Louis Cueullu,
jr., cashier of the Peoples bank, who re-
sides far out on North Johnson street.
Another case is Maurice Kenny, ex-coun-
Gilman and ex-member of the Legislature.
Two Of Kenny's daughters were stricken
yesterday Only five of the new foci are
above Canal street.
Surgeon General White today made
change in his organization by which he
hopes to accomplish results much quicker
The fumigation and screening work was all
done by a central department under Dr.
Gessner which sent squads on notification
of cases by physicians DR.. White this
afternoon assembled all his subordinates in
conference and decided TO put the screen
ing and examination work under the diff
| ferent headquarters. The work will be d.
vided up among the district surgeons, and
Dr. Gessner will be given charge of one of
the districts.
Conditions In AIgiers.
Assistant Surgeon Corrupt has concluded
a pretty thorough Investigation of condi-
tions in Algiers that portion of New Or
leans on the wet bank Of the Mississippi
river. There had been two cases in AL
giers since the outbreak of fever and DIR.
White determined to ascertain by house
/ to house canvass if there had been any
spread among them. DR.. Corput reported
today that he had not found a single sus-
piclous case, which indicates that the
prompt steps taken to screen and fumigate
the original cases have been effective in
preventing a spread.
Dr. White says that If he could learn
! of every case in the city and apply the
proper methods Immediately he is conf
: dent he could stamp out the disease here
r in short time.
The great cause for the spread of the
I disease has been the concealment of cases
> and the change of residence of people who
, have been infected. Dozens of cases are
on record which show conclusively that the
people moved away from house where in
fection had existed. This DR.. White pro-
poses to stop and while no drastic measures
] are being taken he is enforcing his author
ity. The effectiveness of the district head
quarters which are making close investiga-
tions of the seventeen districts, is re-
. sponsible for the large number of the new
cases which have been reported in the last
few days and as the efficiency of that
force increases, an increase in the number
of cases daily can be expected. Physicians
, who have failed TO report cases discovered
| are given time to correct their omission,
= but a second offense will result in prosecu-
out a large number of cases that were
, under cover
At other Points.
, Patterson, which is the largest center
of infection outside OF the city, reports
three new cases today and the first death.
The victim is a young woman. She died
this morning and this has naturally de-
n pressed the spirits of the people. They have
4 | had thirty nine cases there far. They
: have opened emergency hospital, which
@ now has seven patients.
At Bon Ami, in Calcasieu parish, there
: is only one case of yellow fever with no
S new cases and no suspicious cases.
n At the detention camp near Talulah, in
IS Madison parish, there are two cases, one
of which is in a serious condition.
q State Health officer Sanders of Alabama
Il and Quarantine Officer Moore of Mobile
are making an inspection of the Mississippi
q coast towns for the purpose of determining
:, whether it would be wise to lift the
r Alabama embargo against the Mississippi
a coast. They reached Gulf Port tonight
) without having struck any suspicious cases
r at any points visited up to then.
l. Growing Less Malignant.
l. While the mortality rate in the early
u stages of the visitation indicated that the
ID type of yellow fever was particularly ma.
,e lignant II is now apparent that 1t is moi
r much worse than the fever In 1897 The
-e death rate according to the official record
1t which shows 963 cases and l54 deaths, il
10 Just 16 per cent. During the last two
le weeks in July the death rate appeared tC
le be 25 or so per cent. The falling off /!
< due to two things. One is that nearly
s. all the cases are being reported now anC
IS the other is that many of the Italiani
I'd are being given proper care and treat
ment Yellow fever requires careful nurs
ing and very little medicine and absolut,
Y abstention from solid food for a weel
or more.
m A large proportion OF the deaths are du
to patients who have practically recovere,
indulging in solid food before the stomach
is prepared for IT, One case occurred to
day. An Italian had been discharged from
=. the emergency hospital as cured an,
,s warned to abstain from solid food 70
aI several days. He went of, but yielded L
ad his hunger and was found dead a few hour
,v after in a garret.