New Orleans daily crescent., 1866-11-01


bated the disease after it made its appearance
OF course we do not mean to say that we
approve of every act that was done, or that
we believe that soda water and fish more than
twelve hours old or the refuse Of retinnenes
and distilleries are morbifc agents. AS to
the sanitary aspects of these questions, we can
leave them open without detracting from the
praise which is really due to the board and its
officers for ayerting dreadful epidemic from
this community. The type Of cholera which
has prevailed in this city during the present I
year was of very aggravated kind showing
that the morbifie agency was extremely In
tense. The disease soon spread to all parts
of the city, showing that the same agency was
widely diffused In short time the number
of deaths reached forty-four for one day; but
from this point the mortality rapidly declined
| until it became SO small as almost to escape
observation. If we take into consideration
the total number Of deaths by cholera amount
ing to;about 1900, we might,say that there has
been an epidemic in the city. But certainly
the ravages of the disease have been so small
compared with our apprehensions and it has
been so limited in its range, that popular
opinion would deny to it any epidemical char
acteristics.
To what are we indebted for this immunity?
We believe sincerely that we owe it to the
comparatively thorough system of purifca-
ton which was adopted by the health officers.
1 No fact in medical history is more surely de-
. monstrated than that filth Of all kinds is
favorable to development and propagation
Eof the choleraic influences and that proper
hyg1enic precautions can limit, if not entirely
avert the ravages of the disease. The phe-
i nonlena presented by the cholera Of 1866 in
/ New York and New Orleans will, hereafter. be
| cited in confederation Of this doctrine. It is,
I therefore, with great surprise that we have
seen the action of one branch of the council
on a proposition to rescind that section Of The
] health ordinance which places a working
power in the hands Of the Board Of Health.
/ The cholera, it is true has subsided; but in
order that the subsistence shall be permanent
it is necessary to perseyere in the system
4 which has already been found SO ef6cacious.
There can be no doubt that the morbifc in
Il Huences are still rife around us, and may be-
occur We cannot infer immunity from the ap-
} proach Of winter tits well known that cholera
: is not confnedto the warm season. Indeed, ii
has never before this year prevailed in this
city, as an epidemic except during the
! autumn and winter In 1882, it appeared in
the month Of October, and in 1848, in the
| month Of December. We can be sure OF
To nj,
serve q rigid system Of hygienic precautions
: such as have been hitherto enforced by the
, health officers. If we abandon the system
now, we may pay dearly for it, in a renewed
and more aggravated outburst Of cholera.
But it is not alone to guard against cholera
that the health officers are needed. 1t is
their duty to establish general sanitary regu-
| lations, looking to the preservation of the
! public health That duty might possibly be
} performed by the ordinary municipal officers,
/ but it never has been satisfactorily performed
by such persons. The health officers are men
of scientific education and attainments men
whose profession it is to know what is injuri-
GUS to health and what is innocuous. Whilst
they are capable Of ascertaining what is really
deleterious, they are not apt to fall into the
mistake of supposing every disagreeable
| thing to be a sanitary nuisance, and there.
upon to interfere with and embarrass the
legitimate business and industry Of the com
t muaity. In short it is proper that super
vision Of the public health should be intrusted
: to just such men, and that it should not be
imposed on men who have enough to do tc
: attend to their regular municipal duties For
these reasons we hope that the council Will
: not repeal the ordinance providing for health
} officers,