The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1849-04-09
The Health Of The oity.

The Health Of the Oily.
There is no though the papers are Al
dumb on the subject as dead dogs that the
cholera is now raging in New Orleans ten fold
worse than at any time during its former careers
there. This time, we would advise all to KEEP
AWAY from that city for the present The plague
appears to be more fatal and more contagious
than usual 1t is spreading in every direction
"alOng the water courses-nOt boat passes Red
River that does not have from one to q hundred
ceases on board. We speak not from personal OBJ
"servaton, but from good authority nevertheless
"We see neither sense justice in trying TO keer
the people in the dark on matters of this kind
Persons living in healthy regions, going to New
Orleans at such time as this, run great risk Of
being snatched off; whereas, if they were in.
. formed of the dangers before them and would re.
. main quietly at home, there would be not the
least danger"
The above paragraph, from the Minden Iris, a
paper published in the parish of Claiborne, is bul
one of dozens of like paragraphs circulating in the
country papers. These statements are put forth by
those who, like the writer of the above, "speak
not from personal observation" but give currency
to vague and unfounded rumors to frighten the
timid and deceive the credulous That the papers
of this city do not say any thing about the terrible
ravages of the cholera, is not for the purpose Of
keeping people in the dark" but because there
is nothing extraordinarysto say any thing about
That there is sickness, bowel complaints, cholera,
ifyou will in New Orleans, no one has attempted
to conceal or deny. 1t has been here since Deem
Der last and as we strongly suspect for years be,
fore, but that there is any alarming sickness preva
lent here, any general or very fatal disease, any
thing like what may be called an epidemic, is
simply untrue. For three or four weeks, owing to
the peculiar state of the weather than to any
thing else, the cholera was very severely felt in this
city. From the middle of Dec. till some time in
JAM, it was regarded by the medical faculty as an
epidemic. The people were very generally figh-
tened, and New Orleans was represented abroad as
something between one vast hospital and burial
place. At that time, we regarded the alarm as I'M
necessary and foolish the stories in circulation as
gnorantyOr malicously false; and we took the most
effectual way of putting end to the fright, and
correcting the misrepresentation. We published a
daily list of the names of all the persons inferred in
the different burial places We continued to do
this until the effect which we had foreseen was
produced. The people saw that there was no cause
for panic, and returned to their senses and bust
ness. The Cholera ceased to be regarded with ap-
prehension and we discontinued the publica ton of
the daily list We have not resumed il, because
there has been no reason in the facts OF the sick
ness to do so. The insinuation or assertion, that
the press of this city silent on the subject of the
sickness from any intention to keep people in the
dark" is wantonly and gratuitously unjust. If it
had any such desire the object could not be effected
The official report of the board of health is pub
lished weekly, and is open to the examination of
all the world, and gives information were there any
wish to withhold it on the part of others, or cor
reefs errors if any attempt be made to deceive. 1t
is a pity that gentlemen who " do not speak from
their own observation would not consult this Off
cial record before they give credence to their own
good' but nameless authorities, and put forth &C
counts which, they are not true, do no good,
and which may work incalculable mischief
We have said this much, because we thought it
to correct the exaggerated accounts which
are published abroad of disease and death raging in
our city, but Of which we who live in its midst
hear or know nothing. There is no epidemic in
New Orleans. There is no sickness of which
prudent and temperate man need entertain any fear
There is no sickness which our citizens are alarmed
at There is no talk here of any serious disease
except occasionally by nervous gentleman from
the country, or now and then by this, that, or the
other knot of idiers who have been reading
country newspaper, or listening to the tale of some
lnlucky doctor who accounts for the loss of pa
lent by laying his death upon the universal scape-
Cholera