If derby fever is the disease for which only the Vineyard’s fall fishing contest is the cure, we’re happy to report that unlike many therapies in medicine today, most of the side-effects of this course of treatment are beneficial ones. For the fishermen, the month-long derby brings the experience of communion with nature in all its changing moods, and  the camaraderie of fellow anglers.

All the symptoms suggest that derby fever is approaching epidemic proportions in this second week. Those afflicted should skip the hospital emergency room and proceed directly to the foot of Main street in Edgartown, where the derby clinic — the weigh-in station, if you prefer — opens for business at eight o’clock tomorrow morning. It’s a walk-in clinic, and we suggest you bring your own fish.