The North-Carolinian. [volume] (Fayetteville [N.C.]) 1839-1861, 1855-10-20
tVOLUME XVI-NO. S6S.
Utility Of Pestilence.

! The Philadelphia Ledger .avails itself of the
abatement of the yellow fever in Norfolk and
Portsmouth, to consider some Of the good coli
nccted with such vistations that render them
! eventually not all injury but a blessing to en-
tcrprising communities, such those which
constitute our Atlantic cities
| eff" says the Ledger, "the same number of
| deaths had been spread over longer period,
| nothing particular would have been thought of
them. The place might not have been coAsid-
cred very healthy. but few would have stayed
away who could have made money, and fewer
still have altered any of their habits. Tho
| sudtlenncss and sweepingness of pestilence
| coming year and absent for many, makes it
more useful and effective in calling attention to
the laws of health. Norfolk closely built in
the lower parts of it, with many old wooden
houses, was just the receptacle for the yellow
fever to revcl in, and this notwithstanding the
intelligence and refinement OF large class oil
its citizens, in which it is unsurpassed by any
city in the Union. Amy who has visited
! the place within few years will remember
plenty of places that might from the nucleus OF
ii pestence. Before another season comes I'M
| mense sanitary reforms may be expected, that
| no Que would have dreamed Of if the deaths
that have occurred had only been distributed
over ten Or twelve years.
"The impression on other cities is still moro
important. 1t is true every contiguous city IS
| endangered but have reaped and shall reap
| on the whole, a benefit far greater, in an in
creased attention to regulation for cleanliness
| aud wholesome food. Baltimore, Richmond,
| and all other cities in immediate contignty to
| it, have doubtless derived mnch advantage.
| 1t is probable that so much care of health will
| be taken in Norfo TX, that a scale of ten
years, the health of that city will be improved,
| counting this year of death the first of ten.
Such has always been the effect of cholera and
| of plague in all communities in which social de-
| crepitude has not preceded the physical disease.
W:St
tary laws in London and of much of its present
greatness and bad the Thames is now, tho
bills of mortality show that a great improve
| ment has taken place as whole even III the
last fifty years, by converting it into the pub
lie sewer"
| If the pestilence in Norfolk induces other
cities to Introduce proper sanitary regulations,
it will not he a unmitigatcd evil. But will it
| have this effect? Will not the respite which
the winter will bring quiet the apPrehensons
! which the pestence has reused! Certainly,
it, after such IL terrific warning, the author-
| ties of any city fail to establish the most
| through system Of publication, and thus open
the door for the appalling scourge, they Will
| incur awful responsibility.
AN IMPORTANT SURGICAL OPERATION We
copy the following from the Columbia Is. CO.
Times, of the 5th instant:
'On Wednesday last were shown piece
Of steel weighing some three four ounces,
which had been extracted from the left lung of
u brown boy, aged twenty years. the property
| of &. Neuffer, Esq, who was engaged at the
| machine works of Messrs. Glaze & Boatwright,
| where the accident occurred which forced the
! bit Of steel into the body Of the boy. The facts
are follows:
| "On Tuesday last, whilst the planning machine
| applied by steam in operation, planning
bitt measuring u inches long, of inch
wide, inch thick, and weighing 81 ounces, was
| thrown with such force from its attachment
to enter the body of the boy Goodman, who
was standing some distance off The btt en-
tered the upper third of the arm, posterially,
very near the armpt, and secreted itself i'll the
cavity of the lung, between the third and
fourth ribs. The depth of the wound was about
nine inches to where the bitt was buried partial
between the lung and the intercostal muscle
The instrument was extracted by Dr. j. IL.
Boatwright, by cutting down upon it between
| the third and fourth ribs During the perfor-
nance Of this delicate and highly important
surgical operation but little hcmorrhaye follow
ed. a slight hemorrhaGe and expectoration
from the mouth was discovered during the day,
after the operation, which was frothy and
mixed with blood. At present all hemorrhage
has ceased and we arc pleased to learn the boy
is doing we'll. His fever is slight and the
wounds are healing very finely. His breath
ing Oppressed on the day of the accident,
after its occurrence; but every unpleasant symp-
tom has passed off, and he is now reported III
comfortable condition
1--WE have 10 doubt that the operation per-
formed by Dr. Boatwrght will be properly re-
corded of the most important and skilful
uses of the knife yet entered upon record"
/ SHOCKING AFFAIR AT ST. LOUISA man
named VIM. Ebberling, shoemaker by trade,
in ST. Louis, has for long time, it is stated,
lived unhappily with his wife On Thursday
last, the Democrat of that city says:
/ He was seated on his bench, working at his
! trade, when a dispute arose between them, and
he made sudden spring upon her, catching her
by the throat and inflicted five wounds upon
her with sharp-pointed shoe knife, which he
had in his hand at the time, any one, of which
b.,,-o is