Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1865-05-08


De- Alexander Pope, the great pOet-mOralist Of
England, declared that Health, Peace and
Competence" together, composed sll the
6lessedness which man, as merely an inhShl-
tant Of this world, could desire. Peace will
soon be ours at least in the sense Of the ces-
sstion Of war, the stoppage Of bloOdshed and
the disbandmeut ct armies. Competence viii
be secured by the cultivation Of the soil, the
encouragement Of art and the pursuits Of IN
dustry safe from the desolation which always
follows in the track Of hostile legions. How
va shall obtain and preserve the remaining
blessing Of Heath is a question deeply inter
ssting TO ALL for without this, riches can bring
10 enjoyment and life itself is burthen.
The observations Of men who have closely
watched the statistics on the subject, have
shown hat the average duration Of human life
has varied considerably even within few CEN
turies past. In the closing half OF the eigh-
teen,h century, war, disease and poverty ope
rating in Europe on a rapidly increasing popu-
alton, are thought TO have brought down the
average Of life 10 a period of about thirty
siEht,years. But within the halt century just
past, the average has increased until period
Of forty-three wears was considered in the Uni
ted States to be a fair representative Of the
statistical result.
This Improvement has been wrought by The
wonderful development of science and art in
Increasing the supply Of nltricious food for
4. II rhnea rtraWanffVa
measures Of cleanliness, ventilation and disin-
lection which drive Od the ROXiOus powers
that produce disease. In large cities and man
nfact0ring districts, the hygienic improvement
mas been marvellous. Accommodations Of filth
and sewerage, with their carbonic acid and
sulphurated hydrogen gases, have not been
permitted 10 taint the blood OF the thousands
exposed TO theIn, and thus health has been
preserved and Lille prolonged.
Among the Advantages which the people Of
the South, and especially those living in cities,
yin derive from the preservation of the IA
tional element aud power among Us, will be
greater attention % this all-important matter
ofPublic health Il cannot be- denied that the
Northern people have been long accustomed
20 the use Of means for this end which have
produced the happiest results.
After the national forces occupied New
Orleans in May, 1862, &c was confidently pre-
dicted BY those who then upheld disunion, that
the yellow fever aud kindred maladiss would
arrive ont the United States troops as soon as
the heats Of summer bad reached their height.
Similar predictions were made about Fernan-
dina, Port Royal, Beaufort, and other places
N the Cotton States.
And il is true that for many years hardly a
sumner has passed without a visit Of yellow
lever 20 these places, aud often the prevalence
Of disease has amounted to pestience. But
the astonishing fact has appeared that since
the re-estsbiishment Of the nat ionsl authority
10 these ports, very few cases Of contagious
disease have occurred, and nothing that Rp-
preached the condition Of plague has been ex-
PerieBced. Superstition might lind in this
fact a special Providence, bordering on the
miraculous, but the rational explanation is
that the strict measures for cleanliness, ven
r1lation aud prevention required by sagacious
officers and enforced By military power have
osDished the causes.of disease from these To-
Cslities.
Oar citizens will have reason for gratitude
70 the military rulers now controlling our po-
lice, # the measures they require tor cleans
ing sDi purifying the yards, streets and alleys,
and for nsutrslizng the susceptibility to dis
esse BY vaccination, shall result in a manner
as favorable as in New Orleans and Beaufort.
With the return ST peace and the invigora-
tion Of science and art, We may hope 10 see
wonders in hygiene, which will give Us practi-
cal exemption from contagious maladies and
greatly prolong human life.