52 YELLOW FEVER PROPHYLAXIS IN NEW ORLEANS 



can be accomplished by modern prophylaxis. The campaign was 

 started under most unfavourable conditions, for it is clear that there 

 was a vast volume of infection in the most difficult district to deal 

 with in New Orleans, containing for the most part non-immunes, who 

 were adverse to medical advice and treatment. There did not even 

 exist an hospital for infectious cases, and the climatic conditions were 

 the worst possible, as the Season was unusually hot and close. The 

 most striking evidence of the extraordinary difference of the results 

 of the prophylactic measures adopted in this campaign as compared 

 with previous epidemics in New Orleans is furnished by comparison 

 with the number of cases on corresponding dates in the previous 

 epidemics. Thus in the epidemic of 1898 two cases are reported on 

 the 24th July; on August 12th there are 31 new cases; on the 14th 

 the new cases were 134; steady increase takes place and on the 31st 

 August the new cases are 234. Increase still takes place, and this, 

 too, in spite of the adoption of all the methods then known to science, 

 and which consisted in most rigid house quarantine ; towards the end 

 of September there is slight decrease, but in the first week in October 

 as many as 305 new cases are reported on the 4th ; the figures then 

 slowly decrease to an average of about 60 new cases in the first week 

 in November and after that the frost brings the fever to a close. The 

 total number of cases were 13,817 with 3,984 deaths, as compared 

 with 3,384 and 443 deaths in 1905. It would be impossible to obtain, 

 more striking figure's of the thorough control which the organised 

 medical forces had over the fever by the end of the first week in 

 August, and solely by adopting one line of attack — the destruction of 

 the Stegomyia fasciata in the houses, prevention of their breeding in 

 the water cisterns and early recognition and screening of the cases. 



IV.— The Press and Educational Campaign. 



From day to day the Press of New Orleans closely followed the 

 progress of events. They were in constant touch with the Authori- 

 ties and shared with the latter to the full the necessity of not alarming 

 the public, but rather of reassuring them, and giving the fullest 

 possible publicity to all sanitary measures issued by those in charge 

 of the campaign. Thus in the commencement of the outbreak, 

 there are no sensational headlines, indeed, the fact of the presence of 



