New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1853-08-08
MONDAY MORNING, AUGUST 3. 1853.
WING TICKET.
Fer Congress, Second Rep. District
THEODORE G. HUNT.
DIR ncEgBLa,,E .g.-p- THE Ores

his notice Of our article he speaks Of ii as one
(which, from.the self complaeency which char
aoterized it, was, no doubt, considered by its
author exceedingly smart and witty" The
article referred tolconyeys no hint that we con-
sidered it exceedingly smart and witty"
though the Doctor seems SO 10 have considered
it, from his insinuation to that effect.
The learned Doctor, in his reply. still hugs
his novel theory that /" filth, offal and deeom-
possible matter =" have s. had nothing Mt all to
do with the creation or propagation of yellow
fever but, ON the contrary, if it exercised any
influence at all, it was rather calculated to re-
tard it" This is precisely the theory which he
advanced in his earlier communications to the
Delta--it is the theory which We commented on,
and he now comes out and reiterates his faith
in it, and yeti in the same sentence, charges us
with unfairness,' in attributing to him the
maintenance of such a doctrine! Verify ,out
of his own mouth comes his condemnation. His
statements will not bear the test of criticism,
Without any professions Of medical knowledge,
we will take his own arguments, and rely upon
his own facts, for the REPUTATION of his theory
The Doctor, in reference to our notice of him,
says; "None but a most disingenuous writer
would have applied these doctrines to personal
uncleanliness, and made them the basis of
TRADE against clean linenr' Why not, most
learned Physician II, according to your own
language. "flth,n' being collected in masses,
and disseminating its poisonous gasses to the
winds, has nothing at all to do with the crea-
ton or propagation of yellow fever but, on
the contrary, is g rather calculated to retard
it, why should it not have the same effect in a
more collected form If filth disseminated "re-
tards" disease why may not the same proper
ties be conceded to filth condensed If the
fumes exuding from offal in the streets are
such powerful agents in retarding yellow fever,
in their disseminated form, why may not dirty
linen and filthy ourt-yards, by bringing the
foul smells in more direct contact with the OIL
factories, operate more powerfully and have a
better effect Ii an ounce Of preventive he
good, why should not q pound be better
The Doctor in continuation, says:
81 will tell the Crescent something rather
more ridiculous than even my proposition, which
he considers &c so really ridiculous"
In fulfllment of his promise to tell us some
thing rather more ridiculous he,proceeIs to in.
form us what gases enter into the composite on
of water, and how these gases, after being sepa-
rated and reunited become intammabe Tle
Doctor could not have better complied with his
promise to tell us s. something rather more RI
diculous y than by volunteering to instruct us in
what every body knows knowing his facility
in originating ridiculous propositions, we would
be inclined to admit, without argument, that his
exposition of the properties of water was ri
dicuous, but that the truth of sceuce forbids,
and must prevail even against the authority OF
one SO proficient as the Doctor in putting for
ward ridiculous propositions
In his dissection of our article, the Doctor re
fers to sin this wise
"The editor of the Crescent scarcastically
suggests the establishment of n public Labo-
ratory, where all manner OF nauseating fumes
may be chemically evolved, and furnished ID
every citizen to be carried about in nose bag
He smartly asks, 'Ho,c about Mat2'''
swell, Twill tell him how, says the Doctor
and thus proceeds:
Many of the population of New0rleans have
benin the habit of wearing, during the exis-
tenee of an epidemic, a bag secured around
their neeks, containing camphor, ammonia, gar
lie, dsafatida, mark you, sternutatories, as a
protection from disease; tch0 can say they arc
not useful: -
This 'nose-bag :" is just the thing we recon-
mended following out the Doctors theory in
the paragraph which he sneers at-only We dit
Tered with him as to the materials to be put into
IT. The Doctor seems rather to favor the idea
oil wearing the bag around the neck, containing
the ingredients mentioned but demurs to our
proposition recommending the same thing lie
thinks the fumes of filth on the streets very
good Tor health, but objects TO the use Of facli-
ties Tor inhaling them! This is as much as if a
physician should say, 6 Here are my medicines.
they are very good and will cure you; hut yo,,
must not take them from SPOON
But, to follow out DR. McFarlanes argument.
he triumphsntly asks:
But, Will the learned and wise Editor Of the
crescent, instead of pronouneing my opinions
ridiculous, without analyzing lheni, please To-
explain why from the moment the swamp in the
rear Oh New Orleans was laid bare to the heat
OF the sun, by cutting away the trees and drain
ing On the water which formerly covered it, the
whole type of the diseases of New Orleans was
AT once changed; that whereas, in the twenty
YEARS preceding that process, not twenty cases
OF intermittent fever occurred in New Orleans
and that in the six years succeeding that nro.
cess (Vlz: denuding the swamp twenty hundred
cases OF intermittent fever occurred particularly
in the rear of the city, where it had never ec
Cured before ~
In answer to this We must say that if the
statement above quoted is fair sample Of the
Doctors opinions we do not think it neces-
sary to analyze" them They are SELF ana
iyzed, and bear upon their face their own refu-
tation Look at the above statement thar.
IN the twenty years preceding that process
1.-THE cutting the trees and the draining oil the
water from the swamp not twenty cases Of in
termittent occurred and, "that in the SIX
years succeeding that process twenty huudred
cases of intermittent fever occurred This only
shows that increased sickness is the consequence
of accelerated decomposition the very result,
which the Doctor endeayors to disI roye lii
own arguments grapple with bis theory an,
throttle it, lie tells us that :" the moment th
swamp in the rear of New Orleans was laid bar
to the heat of the sun, the whole type of the dis
eases" of the city 'swas at once changed
And how changed From bad to worse, an
from a state of innocuousness to yirulence in
volving fearful mortality from invent
cases of intermittent fever in twenty years
:. twenty hundred cases of intermittent fever il
six years."
And this he deaignatcs as a =" change in tn
type of Diseases What would be the cas-