Year: 1866

The New Orleans Times gives synopsis of lecture
yellow fever, by Dr. Fenner at the school of med-
cine The following extract will be found interestlng
| Yellow fever had made its appearance among the
medical profession about two hundred years ago 1t
a remarkable fact that there account of the
disease previous to the discovery of America, The
disease eminently belonged to America. Though med


cal writer's had traced it to Siam and the coast of A
ca, there opposition to this theory of its origin
since it disease not heard of before the first voy
ages of the discoverers Extraordinary instances of
its geographical history were known 1t had appeared
in Chester, Pa, and Winchester, Va. and localities
never visited by maarious disease


Norman, in his New Orleans book, had laid down its
first commencement in the year 1865 but no proof
could be reached to establish this statement The lee
turer had examined an old gentleman named Fernan-
dez, an undertaken by profession, who of the
oldest among the old inhabitants of New Orleans
Fernandez able to tell him of many events that
had happened in the city since his arrival but could
tell little regarding the first appearance of yellow fe
YER. This the more remarkable from the fact that
Fernandez undertaken, and hence apt to give
information to the prevalence of disease of which
his subjects died To the best belief of Fernandez
yellow fever first made its appearance in the city in the
year 1856 breaking out atSaughter house point (now


in Agiers He knew it, as he buried the bodies of those
that died The testimony of Others similar Fernan
dez fixed the period of the first appearance in 1885,
go But all details respecting this branch of the sub
ect dependent tradition. The second epidemic
appeared IN New orleans proDaOY ABOUT llS6.


In the appearance in this region yellow fever was
restricted to New Orleans where it became epidemic
every second year until 1917, when it seized hold of
Mobile and Natchez The disease had many vagares


in approach, many unaccOuntable phenomenon in the


locality Of the attack. In 1871 seized Rodney and
Vicksburg, but strange enough ommtted Grand Gulf,


situated between these places. In 1853 the fever
up the Mississippi far Napoleon, Ark, passed up
the Alabama to Montgomery, at the same time paying
short visits Jackson and Greenwood in the State of
Mississippi, and Richmond, in Texas In lS55t seized
Memphis in mild grasp. few cases have appeared


in St. Louis but epidemic. 1t isa false idea of the
public that there has been yellow fever here during


the war. There have been every single year, but
there has been epidemic. All knowledge of the
existence of yellow fever suppressed for obvious
reasons but the testimony Of physicians acquainted
with its type establish the fact that there cases
here during the last four years Since the yellow fever


first made its appearance here there has peen less of
since the broke out than before. The value
and importance of quarantine and local sanitary laws
thus become manifest. He defined the theory of quar-
antne measures to be simply that of isolation Of sani
tary police as cleanliness. The object of quarantine
to off all communication OF sanitary police to
render the localities capable of entertaining fever,
healthy The lecturer held to the theory that the fever
Infectious but not always contagious.