322 



FEVER, YELLOW. 



a malarial disease that is, it is not the off- 

 spring of that marsh miasra which produces 

 paludal or periodic fever, and the Board knows 

 of no facts which warrant the conclusion that 

 malarial influences contribute toward the dis- 

 semination and mortality of yellow fever in 

 any other way or to any greater extent than 

 they contribute toward the dissemination and 

 mortality of any other epidemic disease. In 

 all the countries outside of the "West Indies 

 which have been visited by it, yellow fever is 

 an exotic disease, and in all of them its intro- 

 duction can be traced either directly or indi- 

 rectly to the West Indies. In some of them it 

 seems to have established itself permanently, 

 and to have become endemic, as, for example, 

 in the Brazils. In most of them it has failed 

 of naturalization, and successive epidemics can 

 be traced to successive importations. Yellow 

 fever has invaded the present territorial limits 

 of the United States, according to the testi- 

 mony of existing records, in 88 different years. 

 For 77 out of these 88 years we have evidences 

 more or less complete of importation, and in 

 71 out of these 77 the evidence points to the 

 West Indies as the source of the infection. 

 Four times, namely, in 1839, 1844, 1847, and 

 1867, the infection has been traced to Mexico, 

 but in 1867 it was also traced to the West In- 

 dies. They also recommended further investi- 

 gations and presented the outlines of a system 

 of quarantine for protection against the intro- 

 duction and spread of epidemic infectious dis- 

 eases. 



In accordance with this recommendation 

 the Yellow Fever Committee of the United 

 States Senate on February 7, 1879, submitted 

 their report. They say that from the testi- 

 mony of eminent medical men and the con- 

 clusions arrived at, after full and careful inves- 

 tigation by the board of scientific experts, they 

 strongly incline to the opinion that neither 

 yellow fever nor cholera is indigenous to any 

 part of the United States, and that the great 

 majority, if not all, of the epidemics of these 

 diseases, with which this country has suffered, 

 have resulted from importation. The Com- 

 mittee believes that the best and only certain 

 means of preventing the introduction of these 

 diseases is absolute non-intercourse with ports 

 where they exist in epidemic form during the 

 time they so exist, and that the next best 

 means is a well-regulated national quarantine, 

 strict in its requirements as to the observance 

 of all proper sanitary measures at the port of 

 departure by all vessels sailing .from infected 

 ports, and equally strict in requirement and 

 enforcement of all necessary inspections of 

 such vessels, their cargoes, passengers, and 

 crews, and the thorough disinfection of the 

 same when necessary at the quarantine station 

 before being allowed to enter any port of the 

 United States. 



The subject of quarantine was discussed in 

 several of the Legislatures of the Southern 

 States. 



FINANCES OF THE UNITED STATES. 



FINANCES OF THE UNITED STATES. 

 Financial affairs in the United States have been 

 steadily though slowly improving during the 

 year. The reduction of indebtedness has con- 

 tinued in all quarters, and the Federal Govern- 

 ment and many of the States and municipal 

 corporations have resorted to refunding mea- 

 sures at a lower rate of interest, with very gen- 

 eral success. 



In the annual report of the Secretary of the 

 Treasury made in December, 1877, there was 

 presented a statement of the receipts and ex- 

 penditures of the Government for the first 

 quarter of the fiscal year ending June 30, 1878, 

 and an estimate of the same for the remaining 

 three quarters, as follows : 



The expenditures for the same period, actual 

 and estimated, were : 



EXPENDITURES. 



For civil and miscellaneous 

 expenses, including pub- 

 lic buildings, lighthouses, 

 and collect'g the revenue. 



For Indians 



For pensions 



For military establishment, 

 including fortifications, 

 and river and harbor im- 

 provements, and arsenals. 



For naval establishment, in- 

 cluding vessels and ma- 

 chinery, and improve- 

 ments at navy yards 



For interest on the public 

 debt. . . 



Total ordinary expen- 

 ditures 



For the quarter | For the remaining 

 ending September three quarters of the 

 3C, 1877. year. 



$15.221,876 05 

 1,658,572 96 

 7,416,783 59 



2,072,037 48 



8,895,545 51 

 40,466,589 96 



$70,730,905 55 



$36,198,628 95 

 3,191,427 04 

 21,083,216 41 



85,927,962 52 



12,604,454 49 

 52,694,053 76 



$161,699,788 IT 



From the actual receipts for the first quarter 

 of the fiscal year and the estimates of the re- 

 maining three quarters based upon existing 

 laws, it was expected that the total revenues 

 for the fiscal year would yield the sum of 

 $265,500,000, and that the expenditures would 





