Alexandria Gazette

Yellow Fever Commission

New York, Nov. 20.—The report of the yellow fever commission, composed of Drs. Bemis, Cochran and Howard, who, together with Col. T. S. Hardee, sanitary engineer, who have been investigating the epidemic in all the fever stricken cities of the South, states that a sufficient amount of testimony was taken to justify the belief that the first cases in New Orleans, about the month of June, were brought to the city by conveyances as yet unknown; that their investigations and maps show that the fever invariably tends to range itself in groups of cases in marked contrast with the tendency of malarial fever to occur in separate disconnected cases. They say, in respect to the sanitary condition of the towns visited, we have to report the same character of neglect and violation of the laws of health common to all or nearly all the inland towns in the United States. These are neglect of drainage, inattention to deposits of fetid and refuse animal and vegetable matter, and inattention to the purity of drinking water. The commission unanimously agree in stating the following facts in regard to their investigation up to the present time, reserving the right to introduce at any subsequent time such antagonistic facts as may be discovered.

1st. We have not in a solitary instance found a case of yellow fever which we could justifiably consider as of de novo origin or indigenous to its locality.

2nd. In respect to most of the various towns which we visited, and which were points of epidemic prevalence, the testimony showing importation was direct and convincing in its character.

3rd. The transmission of yellow fever between points separated by any considerable distances appeared to be wholly due to human intercourse. In some instances the poison was carried in the clothing or about the persons of people going from infected districts. In other instances it was conveyed in such articles as cotton bagging or other goods of the same description.

4th. The weight of testimony is very pronounced against the further use of disinfectants. Physicians in infected towns almost without exception, state that they are useless agents to arrest the spread of yellow fever, while some of them affirm that their vapors are seriously prejudicial to the sick.

5th. Personal prophylaxis by means of drugs or other therapeutic means has proved a constant failure. A respectable number of physicians think the use of small doses of quinine of some use in prevention.

6th. Quarantine established with such a degree of surveillance and vigor that non-intercourse is the result, has effectually without exception, protected its subjects from attacks of yellow fever.