New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-01-09
TIE SANITARY CONDITION or
THE CITY.

THE CITY.
TIE report Of Captain Il. G. Lord, Of the
Sanitary Company, and that OF DIR. A. >. jones'
President Of the Police Board of Surgeons
documents accompanying the Police Commits
sioners' Report recently submitted to the Legs
lature-preSent an array Of statistics aud make
suggestions of vital interest and importance TO
every resident of New-York. The death rate OF
the city is appalling. The yearly rate is as to
IS Of the population, and compares unfavorably,
as We have often shown, with that Of other large
cities; as for instance in London, it il TO 10;
in Liverpool, l to "a; in Boston, to Al; In
Philadelphia, to 50. II is instructive to note,
as showing tho effect Of sanitary measures, that
few years since the rate Of yearly mortality in
London was in every 90 of its population; In
Liverpool, in %; in Philadelphia, in ~
Many of the causes of the fearful death-rste here
are Extensively prominent TO the senses. such as
the 173 slaughter houses, situated mainly III
densely populated parts oftl.e town, end sending
streams of blood and focal substance along the
cutters, while animal matter in various stages Of
decomposilion taints the air for great distance
To these disgusting shambes cattle aud swine
are daily, and al every hour, driven through orr
oyer.crowded streets. These are supple
nented by no less than Il fat and bone
boiling establishments. From the latter
noxous gases exhale. which being heated rise
20 a considerable hight are diffuSed in the sur
rounding atmosphere, and on becoming cool de-
posi-, themselves in every portion Of the city,
There are also" s0ys the Surgeons Report,
" yilc places, where the in,estines OF animals
are manipulated and cleaned Tor vs." ~ sausage
cases; and We have found on several occasions,
from fifty 10 one hundred barrels Of putrid ofa
mixed with excrcmentitous matter, awaiting
the cleansing process. Places like these, and
hide houses, whore green hides are kept IN
reeking condition for days. together with numer-
Gus she'd, for swl.fed cattle and compost heaps
help TO swell the aggregate OF nauseous aud
baleful vapors which contaIhinate the air and
carry disease and death Throughout the length
and breadth of the city
Over half million Of people live in 1900
tenement houses, and there il q cellar popula-
ton counted. we believe, by tens OF thousands.
The concomitsnt evils Of large numbers Of tene-
mcnt houses are inadequate ventilation light and
breathing space, DC. Asingle example from sew
eral given in the Report. exhibits their results
when existing in an aggravated forn,. In a tene.
monl house in West Thirty ,hird-s'. arc l6 rooms
containing u families, 3eadults and2 children.
The sinks are all stopped; there Is no water
in the house; there is no sewerage, and no pr-
vste eonveuienccs except open vaults not con-
nected With o sewer "Over twenty eases Of
typhus fever occurred in this house within the
last four months" OF the $1,000 desths or
the,eabout IN this city annually, more than one
half are Of children under tive years OF age. A
largo portion of these deaths the Board OF Sur.
geons assert 70 be occs5sioned ef accelerated by
causes other than those incident 10 the ordinary
yicissitudes of life: bad food sna neglect sharing
the responsibility to great degree, and yitisted
atmosphere q greater still. Not less than
200, 900 asss of svoidable sickness, it i. esti-
mated, occur annually in the city. Tho dis
eases which arse directly from Breathing im-
pure air, ard from the Use OF unwhoiesome
food. are malignant ievors, scrofuia, darrhes,
dysentery, &c. Within the year over 1900
persons have diod in this city ftom the effects
of these diseases. Daring the month Of August,
1864. LOO infants died from cas.los which it is
believed are preycntble."
We might cite statistics stu further to the
same effect, but We believe il needless, as the
deplorablc sanitary condition OF the city is vi
mitted by all intelligent minds. The question
is, what ought to be done to remedy It