The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-08-07
Academy OF Medicine.


IN BRO0KLYN AND NEW YORK IN 1866.
An interesting monthly meeting Of the New York AGA
denny Of Medicine was held on Wednesday night In the
chapel Of the University Of New York The meeting
largely attended Dr. Valentine Mott the President Of the
Academy, occupied the chair.
Tho nrst thing done amer the organ the read
Ing Of printed report by Dr. vsndervoo Of the discus
sion OF the Philadelphia College Of Physicians regarding
the cause Of tho washin ton hotel epidemic The oonclu
SIGN arrived at was that the disease was caused BY the
respiration Of foul air. which penetrated and permeaed
ths hotel from . foul and obsiructed sewer.
At the conclusion Of the reading tf this paper,
Dr. GRroom - chairman Of the section Public Health
and Legal Medicines, then presented and read . very
lengthy and ntereetpg report emeuang from that
mittee on the subject Of yellow fever The report staes
that by reference to the report the subject OF yellow
fever presented to the Academy Of Medicine in Octo
Der last record given Of the different attacks which
had been experienced to the ls22he date of its
last appearance in the city, prior to ls56-whi h owing 10
recent at the peri h of that report was
deemed advisable leave for future The
epprt then proceeds 10 speak or the different ad
vanceo by various medical writer's in the different por
cns OF the c0putfy, NJ - the probable cause Of the ap
Of the yellow fever In che several aes aud
ines where 1t has most frequently ocourred-and then
proceeded t. speak OF the different timer in which has
visited New York ssys-From the years 1871 10 1907
inclusive this city experienced eleven attacks Of yellow
ever did not appear again until 1917 AND al Of THESE
the vicinity Of the wherves Of the East river Besides
these 1907 IL broke on. in Brooklyn Destroying be-
to well defined Of about 200 yards semi diameter,
the centre Of which q vessel from Havana, board
Of which the frft Gaze occurred ga not then extend
various theories, the particular localities or the yellow
fever, is tendency to spread and It's contagious eect
the report proceeds TO add- must be borne In mind
that the parts of the city In which the foyer appeared
in tie vicinity Of the place whore vevel lei from
affected ports furthermore should rot be forgotten
Yc "A
peousy with the adoption OF the new quarantine laws AMI
rgua ions The report next proceeded to consider more
1866, and Its progress. The total nanSer of
the genuine yellow fever fatal casesduriDg that
nit In that year between the 2ls and Soh of July the
wind was continually south west, while the temperature
mspondrs degree q humidity Of The ssmospbsrs Oar
ing the hole Of that epidemic toe infected district con-
tinued smosi entirely in direct line with the infected
vesses Gravesend bay Fort Hamilton The report
here inc udes letter from Dr. f. Harris 10 DR.. Grsc0m,
giving the particulars attending the Gaze Of the Lucy Hay
from GonAives the tst vessel deaI cd OF Segunes
Point this summer, having board the yellow fever.
This LITTER states that during the pass age OF the vessel
from AVS 70 tina port her captain h" .na Two OF
raniined seaman from Bangor Maine, who was employ
ed ~ shipmasier took the seUe from her, and died In
IL days th black vomit The committee next procee cd
to Discus tie theories advanced by the New Orleans
commission Of 1885, respecting the terrene and meteoroo
civ So for az the CITY of New York Is concerned the
report clearly estab shed the fact that the disease In every
visitation for the past nifty years, must have been from
imported sources. there not having been attack Of
since 1922, notwithstanding the immense amount Of up
turning Of soil from laying down 26b miles or water pipe,
$50 miles of sewers, unnumbered miles OF street paving,
and he digging CT thousands of liars cserps and
pool which, according 70 the Ney Orleans theory, pre-
tba, the soil af New Orleans OF different kind from tnai
OF Mes York, but We claim the palm for nlthy streets
and for IDENTITY OF population with ali their oopoomitant
evils The eommi tee next proceed 70 consider that pOr-
ton Of the theory advanced In New Orleans 10 the pro-
liable amount OF atmospheric influence exerted over
and sdds and We have 10 perform the agreeable
duty Of giving assent 10 that part OF the doctrine
r = our ooservaaon OF \, ss enables
with d. Barton, Of New Orleans, visited Fort Hamilton
ass year. and made examination OF the meteorological
record kept at that station They found remarkable
respondtnce between the condition Of the atmosphere
there and that recorded existing New Orleans during
taeks with which that CITY has been visited occurred in
1862 when $40 died OF the epidemic and about 964 OF
r.f;Ss endemic disorder In turning % the record g
deg do Of evaporation 76 l6 deg; giving for drypo,s
372 deg The average temperature Of the air in
degrees Of sia Let us now examine sne record
kept Fort Hamilton during the epidemic Of yellow fever
the air July % degrees do evaporatioe ~ 50 de-
grees Of dryness 47o The average temperature for
air in Augwt was Is CO degrees; do evaporation 1908
degreef degrees OF dryness, GO. fhe question then
arlses TO how that this city, with It's teemng 9th
and Introduction OF at least my OF yellow fever from
Without escaped The Tavages OF the disease which rod
closely uIon is southern borders. Was possible that
there could be sufficient difference In he condition Of the
Air betxeen tbe i've locsItIesS n VAS well rememhered
tbs, The sene,sl Of Juv and AuSnst Of is
wear IN this civ was upusuav cool and comforsbe for
The seasop and the or iegree of
bamnesr ana n was matter Of rreouen, remark that the
of The RI the dsesse we're from
ccum,sr ces veyy ,lIgbt But such evdenoss we've in
spneient 40 base onclp,on uuon AMI N vs. noa un,,
some mortbs sfterwsrd that record Of the ve.,hsr
kept on the eastern aide of the civ fall under our
obseryat,on in which we found Insic.tiops OF the
deessd ds,enoe in The ao,nberss M he t,o oc.b,s.
sufcieul n h believed 10 Account for tho exemnnn Of
hi, CITY, " ~
The next IN oons,der The n,o.,
mode Of prevenilrg The ex,enson OF The eode,c and
Adds ,bst ,houd M ever again hreaen ma Ard snne.r
among u.s. by there means which were described -e
misht 4, ceyei, ca.o. ana nnaar cars,n
prs.ept decided check to The prcvsepce Of yellow feye
controlled beth In extent violence these proven.
uv.s osen Escorted 70 - ume Alter some further 70
The epgepdene Of All sinds OF erdemics tho repoS con.
eudes by considering the necessity Of thorough cleansing