Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1914-06-05
SAVING DISEASE
PERILED REFUGEES
Wonderful Work Of Quarantine
Station In the Mississippi
IS LARGEST IN THE WORLD.

VUV0Vo w SVtVO0So VvOTSS
Feared F&asues and Fevers Furnish
Striking Illustration Of the Achieve.
me,ts Of Modern Seience-Unique
Map an Aid to Doctors.
One result Of the taking and occu
patton Of the port Of Vera Cruz. Mex
leo, by the American forces has been
to draw attention to the fact that the
United States has the most complete
and largest quarantine station, Of any
country in the world. 1t is located ia
the Mississippi river and is known as
the New Orleans quarantine station.
although 1t Is In fact ninety one miles
below New Orleans. II is described
by Wingrove Bathon In the Washing
ton Star.
Here there is plant estimated by
Surgeon G. NJ. Corrupt, United States
public health service. who Is In charge.
to be worth about $2OO.OOO
Over the desk Of Surgeon Corrupt In
the administration building of the sta.
ton there is a huge map of the world.
showing every port. and into the
spaces indicated by the names Of
these ports on this great map are
stuck pins with colored heads. each
indicating one Of the terrible diseases
which modern science has learned to
prevent and in many cases to conquer.
There Is pin Of one color for cholera,
another for leprosy. another for
plague. another for smallpox. another
for typhus fever and still another for
yellow fever The latter. yellow
Jack" as 1t was formerly styled in
whispers in and around New Orleans,
no longer carries with 1t to the men of
the public health service the fear its
name once aroused. for. as Surgeon
Corrupt put it. yellow fever in the
temperate zones does not brighten us
much"
Why Yellow Fever Kills So Many.
IF can get hold Of yellow fever the
first day." he said. II can save all but
about 2 per cent Of the cases. Neglect
has always been the cause of most OF
the deaths in yellow fever cases."
At Aguascalientes. Mexico. several
years ago there were at one time &c.
600 cases Of smallpox out Of a popu.
lation OF about 10000. Deaths were
ut the rate of GOO or 700 day.
In recent months there have been no
great outbreaks Of this or any other
quarantinable disease in these Mexi.
can cities. so far as reported. but in
these cities there are always sporadic
cases. In Vera Cruz when the CORE.
spondent left that port numbers Of pa.
tents were being taken to the hos.
pitfalls each day suffering with small.
pox. The Mexican peon thinks no
more Of having smallpox than the
American at home does Of being laid
up with heavy cold.
The Idea Of the quarantine station
of course. is to met" passengers com.
ing up from South and Central Ameri.
ca or Cuba with any Of these quaran
Unable diseases. to isolate them. to
cure them and. above all. to prevent
them from communicating their dis.
ease to other passengers on the ships
or from taking 1t into the United
States.
Except for the want Of something to
do to occupy the time the Mississippi
river quarantine station Is a pleasant
enough place. at least during the day.
At night life is more exciting. for then
begins struggle for existence. which
resolves itself into a battle royal be.
tween mosquitoes (Which some people
say are Of the size Of canary birds)
and human beings. which often literal
~ leaves the humans gasping for
breath after their exertions.
Mosquito Proof Tents.
This mosquito pest has made neces-
sary the building ut the quarantine sta
ton during the rush Of refugees Of
what are called burglar proof tents. y
These tents are completely screened
with wire from their wooden floors tU
their canvas tops Entrance Is through
a screen door. The tents are laid out
in company Streets" as at military
encampment. and water has been
piped to the end Of each short street.
Each tent is equipped with four cots.
wash bowls and pitchers and stools. A
family consisting Of mother. father
and two or three children is giveo a
tent to itself. II there are four young
men, not otherwise attached. they are
given n tent to themselves. or If there
are four unattached women or girls
they are given ii tent to themselves.
There IS male and II female section.
The New Orleans quarantine station
was established mt its present site by
the state Of Louisiana in 1883 and was
then known as the Mississippi river
quarantine station In 1910 title passed
to the United States.