The secretary was instructed to give public notice of this action of the Board in advance of the beginning of the next college year, to the end that all students and colleges concerned might be fully advised as to the requirements. Adjourned. EPIDEMIC OF YELLOW FEVER. Office of the State Board of Health, Bowling Green, Ky., December 15, 1897. Hon. William O. Bradley, Governor. Sir: In accordance with the provisions of law I have the honor to submit to you, and through you to the General Assembly, an itemized statement of expenditures made by the Board during the current year, from the "Contingent Fund," in preventing the introduction of yellow fever into the state. Although this fund was set apart by act of the General Assembly in 1893, this is the first time that the Board has found it necessary to ask your consent to use any part of it. The Board has thought proper to append the brief reports made by its inspectors having charge of the quarantine work on the three principal lines of railroad entering the state from the South, in order to give an idea of the methods of the service, as well as for the value of some of the suggestions made. The Executive Committee of the Board met the day following the official announcement of the yellow fever at Ocean Springs, Mississippi, and, having its arrangements always ready for such an emergency, had its inspectors on all trains from the infected districts in time to meet and examine the first refugees coming into the state. All baggage and personal belongings to which suspicion attached were disinfected with formaldehyde gas, the most efficient method known to science, and the names and destinations, including street number, of all persons from infected places, were taken and forwarded to the proper local health authorities, and such persons were pledged to give the local authorities notice of any change of destination or residence. In this way every one coming into the state from infected districts was kept under observation in such a way that he or she could be cared for in case yellow fever developed, with timely and kindly care for the afflicted individual and safety to the community. With these precautions, and the late season at which the disease first appeared in the South, the Board believed that these unfortunate people from our less favorably situated sister states might be received and cared for with perfect safety to our own citizens. Our inspectors were instructed to be most thorough in their disinfection work, and in their search for individuals sick or especially exposed, but their instructions were equally positive as to the uniform kindness and courtesy to be shown to every person fleeing from pestilence coming to our borders, consistent with the proper discharge of their duties. It will be seen that our methods were in striking contrast with those in vogue in many other states, but the Board believes, after nineteen years' experience in this work, that an intelligent inspection service of this kind gives greater security to our people than the harsh and inhuman prohibitions of some of our neighbors. In fact, in all the years of the Board's existence, it has never found it necessary to enforce such quarantine regulations as would impose serious restrictions upon travel and commerce. Another phase of the quarantine question has engaged the serious attention of the Board in the light of this year's experience. Because we received and cared for these refugees the states from which they came, even, as well as others, established absolute non-intercourse quarantines against our state, and refused to modify their regulations after being officially informed that only two or three cases had developed amongst our refugees, and that these cases had been promptly and fully isolated. These quarantines were ruinous to our business interests with this entire section of the Union while they lasted, and totally obstructed travel in that direction. The consequences of shutting people up like rats in an infected town are terrible to contemplate, and this Board has heretofore refused to be a party to such a course, but in view of the insignificance of our business with the small districts actually infected during epidemics, and the vastness of our commerce with the great South and Southwest, from which these senseless quarantines excluded us, it may become necessary for us to consider the question of closing our doors under similar circumstances in the future, however much we may deplore the results. It gives the Board pleasure to bear testimony to the fidelity and intelligence with which our inspectors discharged their duties during the epidemic. They were all medical men and selected with care, and came up to the full measure of our expectations. Lay inspectors were employed in most of the Southern States, and these were to be had at much less expense, but this Board has always only employed medical men to do medical work, the reasons for doing so being so evident as to require no explanation. The duties were very exacting, giving little time for rest or sleep, to say nothing of the element of danger always incident to such work. In conclusion, the statement of expenditures is submitted, and vouchers for each item of expense will be furnished to you or the proper committees of the General Assembly at any time. STATEMENT OF THE STATE BOARD OF HEALTH OF EXPENDITURES FROM THE "CONTINGENT FUND" DURING THE YELLOW FEVER EPIDEMIC OF 1897: State Board of Health, To amount drawn from "Contingent Fund”. To amount refunded by the U. S. Hosp. Service. Total State Board of Health, To payment as per itemized statement To amount to be covered into the treasury of the State. Total. Dr. .$2000 00 5 00 .$2005 00 Cr. $1940 10 63 90 .$2005 00 Itemized Statement. 310 25 284 15 217 50 162 55 130 90 83 75 To Dr. Arch Dixon, Jr., Train Inspector, 25 days and expenses... $317 96 To Postal Telegraph Co.... To Park City Times Pub. Co., printing. Total. 80 35 74 65 49 45 60 00 81 44 32 60 42 40 10 15 3 00 $1940 10 Dear Sir: Beginning September 13, 1897, and including October 7, 1897, all north-bound passenger trains were carefully inspected at station for suspicious and developed cases of yellow fever. In order to make the work more complete, and, at the same time, to enable the authorities to keep track of all passengers from infected points, whose destination was any point within the state, on September 18, the names of all such passengers, where they were from, and their address at point of destination were taken, and the list of same reported daily to Dr. W. P. White, health officer of Louisville, or other local authority. On the same date the disinfection of all baggage from infected towns, that had a Kentucky point for its destination, was begun. This was accomplished with formaldehyde gas. After the baggage to be disinfected had been put into a separate car, the trunks, bags, etc., all opened wide so the gas could reach each garment, the apparatus was started, the car tightly closed, and kept closed until it reached Louisville. At the same time the disinfection was started, an effort was made to still further perfect the work by having all north-bound trains stop at Fulton, transfer all passengers to cars that had been disinfectedleaving the cars thus made empty at Fulton to be disinfected and used afterwards. This would have prevented the entrance into Kentucky of all baggage and cars from infected points that had not been disinfected, and would have left only the clothes that were on the passengers as the means of conveying the contagion. This was found, how ever, not to be practical on account of the great number of cars it would have required, and, in lieu of this, the railroad agreed not to run a car into the state that had been south of Memphis. No cases of yellow fever or that were even suspicious were found during the period of inspection. The number of passengers from infected towns coming into Kentucky after September 17th can be obtained from my daily reports to Dr. White, and now on file at the health office in Louisville. The only suggestion I would make in regard to such work as was performed at Fulton, in the event that yellow fever should break out in the South another season, would be to insist on the road furnishing a sufficient number of cars for it to be practical to have only those that had been disinfected come into the state, and to have all passengers from infected towns occupy separate cars from those from non-infected districts. Henderson, Ky., October 10th, 1894. REPORT ON INSPECTION AND DISINFECTION ON CINCINNATI SOUTHERN R. R. Dr. J. N. McCormack, By B W. Smock, M. D. Secretary State Board of Health. Dear Sir: The inspection of passengers and disinfection of baggage was begun on this line September 13th, 1897. All baggage from infected districts to points in Kentucky was placed in tight cars and disinfected by formaldehyde gas, being held at Junction City for that purpose, and forwarded to its destination on next train. All sleeping cars from New Orleans were fumigated at Somerset, this being deemed necessary, as they remained on the Kentucky side of the river opposite Cincinnati from twelve to twenty-four hours. I, together with Dr. W. W. Smith of Louisville, who assisted me for a week, boarded each and every train on the C., N. O. & T. P. R. R. from New Orleans. We would ascertain from the train and sleeping car conductors the names of passengers ticketed from or near any infected points. We would then interrogate such passengers as to the point from which they took passage, and as to their destination, and whether or not they had clean bills of health. We asked them for their former addresses as well as their addresses for the next 12 or 15 days. After securing this information we made memoranda of the checks for baggage, and ordered it off at Junction City for fumigation. Then I telegraphed the city, town, or county health officer of their coming and the expected time of their arrival. We were instructed to take any suspicious cases to Louisville, where an emergency hospital had been erected by that city for the reception of any sick of the fever. I am glad to inform you that it was not my office to accompany any one there. The railroad officials, especially Mr. Griggs, Supt. at Somerset, were mcst courteous to us in all matters pertaining to our work. In making a suggestion as to the best method of dealing with this pestilence, should we be called upon to battle with it next summer, I believe with Dr. Luke P. Blackburn, one of our great practical authorities, that the greatest safety lies in absolute quarantine. We know that yellow fever has gained a foothold in this state in the past, and has prevailed as an epidemic as far north as Quebec, and, with the rapid facilities for travel, our danger will always be great during the prevalence of the scourge in the South, the danger being greater the earlier in the season it appears. Louisville, Ky., October 10, 1897. REPORT ON INSPECTION AND DISINFECTION ON THE L. & N. R. R. Dr. J. N. McCormack, By A. T. McCormack, M. D. Secretary of the State Board of Health. Dear Sir: On receipt of instructions from you I began the inspection of all trains from the South arriving in the Bowling Green depot September 12, 1897. During the first three days the number of refugees was small, and I was able to inspect each of the seven trains thoroughly. On the 15th travel from infected points became. greater, and it became necessary to place Dr. Hall on duty with me. On the 16th all trains on this road from south of Montgomery were discontinued except a special refugee train from New Orleans, which stopped at all infected points in Mississippi and Alabama. Although this was the only really dangerous train on this system, it was deemed best to continue the inspection of all regular trains, as some stragglers were usually found on them, and you placed Dr. Wathen on duty. Drs. Hall and Wathen inspected all trains between Gallatin and Bowling Green, and between Guthrie and Bowling Green on the Memphis branch. The refugee train was composed of a baggage car, coach and sleeper. Most of the baggage had been subjected to an alleged "fumigation" by the agents of the U. S. Marine Hospital Service. Their inefficient work was the more dangerous because it bore the stamp of national authority. We found it necessary to have all baggage opened and thoroughly disinfected. Passengers were transferred to clean coaches at Memphis Junction, and the infected coaches were subjected to twenty-four hours' fumigation with formaldehyde gas. The baggage cars were filled with the gas and sent on through to Louisville. None of the refugees objected to these precautions, as they were sensible people as a rule, and recognized their protective value to themselves as well as the public. This inspection and disinfection of the refugee cars and baggage was continued until the first of October. At that time I went to Cincinnati and found that these cars were thoroughly disinfected by the most approved methods under the direction of Dr. Pollard, of the Montgomery, Ala., Board of Health. The disinfection of baggage for all points in Kentucky was continued until October 7th, when cold weather made further precautions unnecessary. Much of the credit for the thoroughness of our work was due to the intelligence and zeal of my assistants, Drs. Hall, Wathen and Douglass. The work was made lighter and its results much more valuable owing to the assistance given by Mr. George H. Thompson, the general agent of the road at this place. |