49TH CONGRESS, 1 HOUSE OF

1st Session. j REPRESENTATIVES., REPBOUT

No. 375.

YELLOW FEVER CASE4"S.

FinitUAhY 9, 1886J.-Rieferred to the Hotiis Calend1(ar anid ordered to be printed.

Mr. R. T. DAVIS,, croin- the Commriittee On CoMm11erce, submittedithe fol-

loWing
IEPOR
E It T:
[To accormip.ny bill H. R. 5542.1
Tthe
Comminittee on Conmmerce, to whom Ws8 referred House bill 5542, beg
leave to sub)mnit the fitoving report:
The ace-om psiilyinig bill p)r\vjides 1forselilthg an ex1)rtt coin missioner
to AMe(Xico, and if' necessary to Buazil, [Flavaia, an(d the Central Alneri-
cmn Suttes, for the purpose of imestigating t4ej merits of the rimethods
pursued byi),V's. Fre^ire IndI Carm' fr tim preventiOn of yellow fever
by in-oeulation, anmd of Obtainiig all othei' information relative to that
disease which may be ae(lilred by ex~erilrneultsor otherwise. The mnan-
uIer of p.weparinmg tihe 'irns of these two physicians is dissimilar. Dr-
Freire is following Imiore closely the systemin of Pasttur, mhhich. consists
of rejwated in octIlation of tihe iiferior animals until, the virus becomes
attelnlutei andl mnodifie(d, Whlle it is introdlliced inlto the human body.
Dr. Crinoiia employs theminicro-organisrn which hie has eliminated from
one of the secretions of a p)erson stiffering fromim yellow fever, The es-
sential principle of each process is thle Same, viz the introduction into
the animal circulation of a specific virus, which will produce in an ex-
tremiely nild and rnodified form symptomns arlul conditions similar to
those existing in yellow fever, and the effect of which is to protect the
person from an access of that disease. It is claimed that successful re.
sults have attended this preventive treatment, which certain statistical
statements would appear to prove.
Dr. Carmona states that in one series of observations, during the prev-
alence of yellow fever of 380 persons protected by inoculation, less than
3 per cent. of the number contracted the disease, while under the same
circumstances, of 175 i8ersons not inoculated 32 per cent. were seized
with it. He also states that 76 inoculated soldiers marching from Vera
Cruq to Acayncan were joined by a soldier who had not been inoculated.
Upon their arrival at the latter place the unprotected soldier was seized
with yellow fever and died, while no case of the disease occurred among
his 76 comrades.
Other fscts of a similar character are related' by: Drs. Carmuona and
Freire, which certainly tend very strongly to show the success Of this
'preventive treat muent.
Medical investigations in recent tim:es,
%and particularly the brilliant
discoveries.: of Pasteur, have proved thateertaiftdiseases in meu and ani-
mals which result from a specific edntatninatioti of the blood 'Can b::
2 YE1,LOW FEVER CASES.
prevented by inoculation with tile gerill whlielh propagates the disease
an( givs >it.its pecul lax' charllacter. Thle more, closely the symptoms
artificially prodle(ld reseiillible t hose ol) tlhe original disease, tile greater
5 the0 pro;ailit y that protectioni will be derived from th em,) While
tle results of the in(stigtiois utirSued ald t pe dprevenlti v.6 treatmllent
adopted iil M cxi(io nd11(1 BIrazil Iare e xtir'emely satisfactory, they are riot
abs(laitely concllsi ye.
It is, therefore imupol)orttait tillhat P'tflihe scit'lititie obse'vations and ex.
perinielnts should be iistitut&ed ill order to establish beyonId controversy
tile ftet;3s relating to thls subiject so vital to thle, interests of sanitary
science, comii Iimr, aid 11111n alli ty.
IL order that accurate res ilts Canll be o)tallied, it. will he necessary
that thre methods )urtirued shall be obsei'ed during the prevalence of
the (diSe,'e lsy thololl gil,^+yskill(d (exlperts .lnd l4hsusie:ian,. The micro.
eopic appearances of' thle blood(. anld swvetionis should be noted. The
form of' thle specific gepniin~al principle should be, observed and identi.
fled ; its constant presence inl all forms of the disease shoul(l be deter-
mined ; aidl it may be necessary to tJanslplant, and( reproduce it ill the
lower forms of animal life. It should be carefully eliminated fromt all
other microscoplic organismns existing in the fluids of the body, so that
the results of its actioii upIoi thle functions aiid-4st*ses of the lhumlan
body and animals, when introdiue(l by inoculations, may be clearly as-
ertaiued.
Every elhange connecte(l with its lpresenlce under various conditions
should be preserved by phmotograpxhic illustrations carefully, andl accu-
rately execute(l.
Themi the symptoms and essential charaotexr of' the natural and arti.
facial dlisease should 1e caref'illy observed by physicians of ability anld
experience, and the actual value of this treatment established. This
should be done in advance of' the occurrence of aix epidemic of yellow
fever hit our own country, in order that we may profit by the knowledge
thus obtained to stay its ravages, avert the panic which always accom-
panlies its invasion, and save our business interests from the enormous
injury it inflicts.
Should the Ol)iniOlls of D)rs. Carmonia and Freire be justified by thor.
ough and continued observation, their Iml)ortance to the inhabitanlts of
the tropical arid semi-tropical regions clhietly afflicte(d by this disease
calnot easily be exaggerated. Yellow fever is on:de of the three ixmost
formidaIble diseases which afflict, the ihman race. One of' these hap-
pily occurs at rare intervals ; another has been since; the commecee-
nineut of' tile cl.nlttiury successfully clntrolle(l by that, Form oft' p'evemtive
treatment it is now proposed to in vestigate.
if a similar (controlling pri ncil)le Canl be alplied to yellow fever it will
confer a 1b)o01 nponi thle people of ouirSouthern Atlantttic andG(Jlf'(,coa;sts,
and of' the great MissiSSsl)pi Valley", hardly second to that which tle
humane geius of) Jenntier has given to mnankind. Ill it~s hlighest aspects
tbis question concerns humanity, Wit. for tle statesman the conmercial
considerations involved are of the first importance. The relweate(d in-
vasion8 of this grave disease Ilave been a serious obstacles to thle pi'os-
perity and progress o f the states bordering uponi the Gulf'and Lower
Mississippi.
It has repeatedly p)aralyzed their industries, impoverished their Iweo
pie, an(l ill several instalnces reduced their cities to bankruptcy. The
evil has not been confiled to the imme(Iiate area visited by thedisease;
fso close are the bonilda of commercial ilitercourse and so inltimately
blended are the reciprocal currents of trade and business of the inter.
 YELLOW FEVER CASES. 8
change of raw and manufactured products between all portions of our
common country, that whatever seriously affects the prosperity of any
section i8 speedily felt by all.
Every invasion of yellow fever has seriously affected the business in-
terests of the Eastern, Middle, and Northern States, and every rep-
resentative of these interests should be equally concerned with the
members from the Southern and Southwestern States in the support of
every judicious measure for the prevention of this disease.
For the reasons above stated, your committee recommend the passage
of the bill.

VIEWS OF THE MINORITY:

We do not concur in this report.
CHARLES F. CRISP,
ANDREW J. CALDWELL.