The Planters' banner. [volume] (Franklin, Attakapas Co., Lou.) 1849-1872, 1853-09-22
Yellow FeVer-Its Consequences, &c.

tAC ACdiCdi idCuitJ Va I've" OiiOolS3
and which until recently were gene
rally acquiesced in by the people of
this city, leave US without vestige of
hope Of relief from its visitations.-
These opinions affirm the belief, that
the malady originates amongst US, its
causes being putrescent animal and
vegetable matter, with the filthiness of
the city, and its proximity to swamps,
all acted upon by high temperature; /;
that it is not imported hither; that it is
not contagious, or catching; and that
the most stringent quarantine regula-
tions would be Intellectual in securing
rs against its appearance incur midst
as heretofo e.
Il may be remarked here, that no.
thing is known of the nature of this
disease, save what has been gathered
from its effects. Did | conceive the
above views to be fair deductions from
these effects as they have presented
themselves during a long series of
years, | should quietly acquiesce in
their correctness, and endeavor pa
tiently to endure an evil against which,
it appeared, human wisdom furnished
spect and authority with which the
opinions Of the Faculty of this city on
this subject are naturally invested,
these effects have, for many years
back, been very differently interpreted
by large proportion of our people
Time, and the opportunities for further
Investigating the subject which it af-
forded, have at length brought the
great mass of our citizens to conclu-
sions regarding it. the very reverse of
those promulgated by many medical
men. It is now the prevailing belief
among the people of New Orleans, that
yellow fever does not originate in this
city or lis vicinity They now believe
that II is malady almost peculiar to
the SeapoFts and towns of the West
Indies and on the American coasts
within the tropics. They believe that
it is in a remarkable degree conta-
gious: that is 10 say, that 1t is suscepti-
bic of being very actively comInuni-
Gated 10 person in good health, by
person laboring under its influence, or
by house, vessel, OF package of
merchandise, charged with its pesti-
lential miasm. They believe that its
appearance here at present, as on for
lner occasions, is owing entirely to our
unrestricted intercourse with Havana,
St. Thomas, Vera Cruz Rio Janeiro,
and other intertropical ports and places
where the disease admittedly originates
and belongs, and with other ports TO
which the disease has been imported,
and thence transmitted abroad, in The
same manner that New Orleans COM
municates it TO the towns in the interi-
or. They believe that, were we 10 fol-
low the example which is set for u.s. in
almost every important commercial
city in the world, and establish and en-
force what is understood by quaran-
tine upon all vessels arriving here from
injected ports, the city of New Orleans
would enjoy as complete an exemption
from yellow fever as has been enjoyed |
by New York for the last 81 years, and |
by Natchez for the last Is years.
For the little that is known on this |
important subject, we are chiefly IN
.debted to the controversies which. from
time TO time, during the last 40 years,
have arisen between the medical men of |
New York, Philadelphia, Charleston t
and New Orleans, regarding the expe-
dieney of establishing quarantines at
these ports respectively. The facts
thus furnished, and cleaned from his
tory and personal observation, have
been arranged and admirably illus
trated by argument in two works the
one entitled Observations ON the YeI-
tcxx, 19 Nc ID f NI
west" published in 1912, by the late
DR.. ]. w. Monette, of Washington,
Miss. the other entitled "Sketches
from the History of Yellow Fever, etc.,
published in 1874, by the late DR.. w.
M. Carpenter, of New Orleans. When
the ports of the southwest shall here
after be guarded, as they assuredly will
be, from the approach of this as we'll as
other contagious maladles of foreign
origin by APPROPRIATE sanitary restric-
1ions on our inward commerce, and
when the result will prove the correct
ness of the opinions put forth and so
ably sustained by these gentlemen.
that yellow fever does not originate in
New Orleans. that it is always imported
hither, and that it is eminently trans
missible, the credit viii justly attach to
their memory, and their claims to a
grateful recollection will be fully ac-
knnwledged by generations yet unborn.
With the data furnished BY these two
works, and the few facts which have
been enabled to gather in relation to
the epidemics of the last few years, !
proceed to addHce the arguments in ia
voF of the opinion that yellow fever
has not local origin in this city or its
vicinity.
DR.. Rush, remarks Monette, ais
the great father of the doctrine of the
local origin of yellow fever, from pu-
crescent matters, and city filth. The
doctrine taught by Dr. Rush on this SUBJ {
ject, enforced and promulgated as it ,
was by his popularity and talents, has,
been the destruction of thou
sands. Had it not been for his inf1u- {
sh1 1o,,, i