After Syphilitic Contact and Yet Syphilis Developed in Due Complicated

1175 adduces a case in which he excised a tiny wound 10 hours Anti-spitting Movement in 2Ve?v York City. after syphilitic contact and yet syphilis developed in due The Public Health Department of New York City have course. other cases can be referred to, such as those Many ow for several years issued regulations as to promiscuous recorded by Mamiac Gibier, Lang, Leloir, Wolf, Berkeley xpectoration. The fact is generally recognised that the Hill, Havas, and others. Only in exceptional cases, such as abit is not only extremely filthy and disgusting but that which are acute or those accompanied by very symptoms nder certain circumstances it may be attended with serious complicated by iritis or rapidly increasing ulceration, can he anger to the health of the entire community. The afore- recommend mercurial treatment in the first Dr. stage. aid regulations apply to public buildings and conveyances, Heuss is to chronic intermittent treatment of opposed ,nd the infringement thereof renders the offender liable to a, for as recommended Fournier, as it acts syphilis years by ieavy fine or a term of imprisonment or both. Latterly detrimentally on the general health and does not prevent mall heed has been paid to these orders, and owing to the recurrence or He advocates either tertiary symptoms. aw not been enforced those them mercurial treatment in the second having against breaking energetic symptomatic hey have fallen into disrepute. The consequence of this of the to be if recur. stage disease, repeated symptoms axness on the part of the authorities has resulted in a Bacillus Coli Gommnnis in the Throat. ecrudescence of the spitting habit in public places, and Dr. Joh. Seitz of Zürich has published a full description specially in the street cars, to the great detriment of a case of diphtheritic sore throat terminating fatally and md annoyance of all decent persons. Now, however, an due to infection with bacillus coli communis. The illness Ifficial crusade is being waged against individuals who, commenced with a rigor and a temperature of 103° F. Next :areless of the comfort and health of others, deposit their day the temperature was from 103° to 104° and there was putum upon the floors of public buildings and vehicles. By redness of the pharynx and tonsils. On the third day a the order of the President of the Board of Health a number white adherent thin membrane developed on one tonsil and )f policemen from the sanitary squad, attired in plain clothes, spread to the other one, the temperature falling to 99° and are detailed to ride up and down Greater New York in the the pulse rising to 102. The subjective symptoms were ilevated trains and street-cars for the purpose of detecting those of quinsy rather than of diphtheria, whereas the md taking into custody any person of whatever age or sex clinical symptoms corresponded to diphtheria. The glands ’ound expectorating in such conveyances. On the first day were scarcely enlarged; the irritation in the throat with when policemen were detached for this duty no less than 19 salivation and retching was great. The patient was very rest- arrests were made, all of those arrested when brought before less and the case terminated in syncope and sudden death. a magistrate being heavily fined. The President of the New The bacteriological evidence pointed to bacillus coli communis York City Board of Health declares it to be his intention to as the cause of this fatal case of tonsillitis, no diphtheria keep the entire sanitary squad at work in enforcing the bacilli developing in the numerous cultures that were made ; expectoration section of the sanitary code until the people of unfortunately no post-mortem examination could be obtained. New York become definitely convinced that sanitary laws Dr. Seitz has never observed a similar case, though he has were made to be enforced. examined bacteriologically some 400 throat, nose, and ear Plag7le in San Francisco. cases. The assistant at the of the bacteriological laboratory At last the as to whether has and is who makes all the examinations of question plague been, University presumed still, in San Francisco appears to be decided once ’cases said that the occurrence of abundant present diphtheritic and for all. For a long time-in fact, from the time the coli communis was rare in the 6000 cases which bacillus very disease first broke out in San Francisco told in a former he has The drains in the house of the (as examined. patient, letter)-there has been friction between the United States whose bedroom adjoined the water-closet, were out of repair Marine Hospital Service officials and the State and municipal and nauseous smells were often observed in the bedroom-a authorities. The Governor of California has consistently, fact which throws on the of the illness. light etiology denied that the findings of Dr. Kinyoun and coadjutors were Preeautions against Plague. correct with regard to their assertions that plague was Following the example of the German authorities the present in the Chinese quarter of San Francisco and he has Swiss Federal Council has summoned to Berne such of the made use of his position to place obstacles in the way of a professors of hygiene and bacteriology and their assistants thorough cleansing and disinfection of that unsavoury quarter. as can be spared for the purpose of attending a course of Unfortunately, too, his contentions have been supported by lectures and demonstrations. Hygienists of note consider one of the principal medical journals of the State. Now, that there is great probability of a spread of plague to however, an explicit statement setting forth the exact condi- Europe during the ensuing summer, and are of opinion that tions of the plague situation in San Francisco has been pre- the European Governments should do all in their power to pared for the official public health bulletin in which it is promote prompt diagnosis of the first cases of the disease in shown that there have been 10 deaths from bubonic plague order that measures of isolation may be adopted. in San Francisco between Jan. lst and March 15th. The April 13th. statement says that of the cases reported in February ________________ six cases and deaths between Feb. 5th and 12th were reported by the special commissioner appointed by the NEW YORK. Secretary of the Treasury to examine into the conditions (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) regarding the plague in San Francisco. This commission consisted of Professor Simon Flexner of the University of Pennsylvania (chairman), Professor F. G. Novy of the Emergency Hospital at the Buffalo Exposition. University of Michigan, and Professor L. S. Barker of the A HOSPITAL has been erected in the grounds of the University of Chicago (recorder). Plague has been reported Exposition which is to be opened in Buffalo in May. The in San Francisco officially in the public health reports since building has been constructed for the purpose of treating March 6th, 1900, 32 cases (all fatal) having been reported any person who may be injured or taken ill while at and published in the previous minutes of the public the Exhibition, and it is besides a picturesque feature health reports, and the facts were reported in the in itself and is in harmony with the general plan of annual report to Congress of the Secretary of the architecture followed by the designers of the Exposition. Treasury dated Dec. 4th, 1900. On the return of this It is after the style of an adobe mission-house; it has committee to San Francisco Surgeon White wired on a frontage of 90 feet and the main wing has a depth March 22nd that they had agreed to raise funds for imme- of 38 feet, with a height of but one storey except in the diate work to disinfect all infected houses, to provide hos- centre where is placed a square tower with a rounded top. pitals for suspects, a detention house, and a morgue, and for A rear wing one storey high runs back from the centre the general disinfection of Chinatown, with betterment of portion to a distance of 56 feet with a width of 32 feet. light-space and air-space. Subsequent telegrams show that The first floor front contains in the extreme western the work is being organised. The disease has been confined wing two male wards with seven cots each. The eastern almost exclusively to the Chinese population, and an wing contains a female ward large enough to hold a dozen examination of the mortuary records of the latter for the cots. The upper storey is intended for the use of the past four years shows that there has been no time during resident physician and attendants. The building throughout that period when it has increased to such an extent as in is equipped with the latest scientific and sanitary appliances itself to cause alarm. It is well that the National Govern- and water, gas, and electricity are carried to every p’J.rt of ment has interfered in the matter, and it seems somewhat the building. Dr. Roswell Park is the director. of a mistake that this step was not taken sooner. If the 1176 ,extirpation of plague in San Francisco means the purifica- masterly contributions." His ardent wish was to help tion of Ohinatown the disease will after all have proved on the regeneration of young Italy, first physically, "a blessing in disguise." With the drastic measures then morally, inspired as he was by D’Azeglio’s say- recommended from Washington it may be anticipated with ing : 11 We have made Italy; we have now to make Italians." - confidence that plague will soon be driven out of San With this object he laboured hard with Celli and others to Francisco.

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