The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-08-22

Ysrk enjoys, ct present, IN immunity nom shoIsrs
and every ether epidemic, We need mob aseribe e~
rafsty to the exsrsiens Of the health sfhesrs, Is
,bere is nowhere to be found . city Of the Same
and Importance whore less precautionary
me s.ures are adopted TO guard against the attacks
Of epdsmics, and ward of disease BY enforcing
condition Of cleanliness in the streets In hes,
there are many quarters Of the city-snd those the
most populous-where no sanitary regulations at all
are ever observei-where tho sesvengsr's broom
and cart never make their appearance, and "here
the streets suffered to remain in state Of filth
pess which would entail disgrace on ConstAn-
tnople. And yet, despite Of the malaria impregaa-
ting the air from all theye hotbeds Of disease, and
despite of the equally psrnicous practice Of slowing
into tenenents number Of men, women, and chill
dreo, six, eight, or ten times than they could
BEAUTIFULLY lodge-And despite Of the various other
influences At work to undermine health, and sap
away the foundation Of life yet, still the mortality
Of the city, during these summer months, has not
attained to any such alarming increase all those
active agents Of death might warrant us to expect
The principal increase in the bills Of mortality in
this city is among the infant population; but this
increase is somewhat alarming, and ought to
awaken the attention Of the community, and those
invested with authority, TO adopt measures necss-
sary to the public health.
Tho causes OF the extraordinary destruction OF
life among children, at this season of the year, are
easily detected. They may be found, first, In the
filthy conditooof the streets and cutters, exhang
a noxious miasma which posons up the springs OF
life in tender infants, and supernduces what medi-
cal men term cholera intantuns. This state Of the
atmosphere alone would cause great mortality
among children; but it is even surpassed in viru-
lence by another co-operator in its death dealing
work. This is the crowded state Of tenements 10
those portions Of the city where the working classes
vegctate, in sort of manner which can hardly be
called living. The houses in these quarters are
built with sole eye to their capacity Of giving
sleeping room to the greatest number-and the
highest rent TO their owner-many persons being fire.
quently shut up in an apartment which could not
supply proper air to one sixth the number. Every
floor is divided into several small rooms, each Of
which is occupied by one and sometimes two fami-
lies; ard in such . condition this, it is utterly
impossible for the weakly constitution children
to resist the poisonous effects of tho impure
air and eflluyia which they condemned to
respire during the night. The consequence Of
these two influences is to be seen in the
very disproportionate amount Of mortality among
children under five years of age, who now swept
away at the rate Of sixty per day, well among
such rs are affected by consumption and pulmonary
complaints.
The latter evil is one, however, which it would
be very difficult, in this city, to find efficient
medy for. The great value of building lots almost
necessates the erection of lofty houses SO planned
as to accommodate the largest number Of families,
and prevents the building Of moro suitable ones Of
small size and Of a moderate rent, such as would
come within the means of ordinary mechanics.
The more humble classes of the community are
thus forced to submit to this landlord scheme Of
herdng together in small n compass as possible,
and hence the effects on health which we observe
But in Liverpool, and other of the Eoglish cities
there is law in operation which compels the owners
Of lodging houses to take out license from the
City Inspector, who causes the house to be exam
ined by competent engineer. The maximum
number of persons which it is capable of accommo.
dating properly is thus fixed, and a certificate given
to that effect copies Of which are kept hung up in
each apartment, and withdrawal Of the license is
the penalty enforced for taking in larger number
than that authorized. Such law might, with
much advantage to health, be introduced into this
city, and other such regulations of similar ten.
dency made, as would operate bene6cially on the
health Of the community.
But while this would be one of the most efficient
modes of reducing the mortality of this city to a
level, at all events, with that of Paris London,
there are other means, at present practicable, by
which vast improvement might be effected. These
consist simply in carrying out the existing laws pro-
yiding for the cleanliness Of the city, and in mprov
ing the sewerage. Why will the streets be suffered
to remain covered with every sort of filth and gar
bsge, and decomposed vegetable and animal matter
The municipal regulations are stringent enough on
this point, but why are they not enforced! The
City Inspector repudiates this as being part of bis
duty the police quite as regardless of public
street nuisances they of that of rowdym, and
street wardens and health officers are too much
engaged in squabbling among themselves to attend
to any other nuisance, and so, between all these
officials, the destroying angel pursues bis mission,
and gathers in mighty harvest of death.
1t is. however, utterly useless and futile to COM
plain of this culpable negligence on the part of
those appointed to the Offices to which We allude
They got the appointments not for the purpose Of
troubling their heads about duties but merely that
they may receive the salaries attached to the berths
and in this view they eyiDce an admirable aacrity
and readiness to perform their part If the city has
not been decimated by epidcmics, it is not their
fault, for they certainly have done nothing what.
ever to prevent it. We are fortunate enough, how
ever to live in city which, in point of natural advan
tages it is to the healthy breezes Of the At
lantic and with two noble rivers washing its aides
lis unsurpassed and unequalled by any other of
equal magnitude or Importance in the civilized
world and it is to its salubrous situation and in
spite of the nadequacy of its police regulations,
that we owe our present immunity from the cpl
demc which, for several weeks past, has been ho-
veriDg around tho northwestern cities Of this State.
But hopeless we know such an appeal is, yet We
reterate our demand on the municipal authorities
Of New York, that they will even now bestir them
selves to introduce sanitary system into this city