The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-07-20
How to Prevent Yellow Fever,

oonorai BuTrEn, whose administration In Now
Orleans kept tho yellow feyor out of That cty has
Just written tho following letter to Governor
FLANDERS. Of Louisiana:
WAsnINoToN, d. c., juno &C. 1867.
Ihs ETce'ency d. T.. Flanders, Governor Of
My DEAR sIn-The telegraph informs mo that
tho yellow fever has broken out in Now OrIcanu
remembering Tint in 1869 I discussed tho qucs-
ton OF itS prevention with yon verbally and hop
ing may do something to nl the niifhorities IN
Kidding your beautiful city of that scourgo, know
So s, 10 WHICH e. mEs s v give
oneo with tho disease, rather with tho inc of IL
in tho summer Of 1862.
Tower in any city, NJ un oplouliu which is vsitod
by the frost ovcry Year, and especially in Now Or
leans, which is cit5 whore it can be most easily
ontrulled of my ut considerable size in tho United
States because in that city there arc no undcr-
ground draiiIH cellnrs ccs,pOols wlIcro nlcptic
gases, poisoning tho ntmosphorc, and forming, Bu
10 speak, bed Tor tho propagation of yellow fever,
cnn be cngendcrct. Your city hus fbc peculiar
advantage that all ts Drainage is above ground,
Gpt[,g n int" tS rbls and through lG bayoga
had nlnIe control nf tho level Of tile mko ihun lin
tides, changing the level by abuuL two fcot. A
Tho Matcr out Of tho lake into Tho gull through ihe
risolets, or shafts, connecting tho ako' with tho
guilt took advantage Of sucli state of water,
into tho lake from tho water. orks was onabicI
to get rid OF all Ito foul Nater. A south wind
would. Of course return the salt water Of the gulf
into tho hike. filling up tho canals, and drains and
marshes with fresh salt water, if that would not be
sn 1rishism. Tho very heavy showers w.,ich fall
tho surface of the city would leave it thereupo,,
perfectly clear OF tho surface filth, minglinR IL
with tho salt waters Of the Lake, which, by tho next
with puro wator. Tho advantage your CITY fms i'm
not having drains and Bewors whcro filthy water,
nson mGso of m ess s siaGnan cngondors gases which
~ oycrostmated. II tho atmosphere III not in n
suitable tab condition to promote tho yellow fercr,
indigenous wlicro its seeds arc killed by tho frost
but Ike tho sngar-canc, which can only be propn-
gated by cuttings: Now tho scods OF yellow fever
frosts during tho WINTER and, finding an ntmos-
phero suitable for its propagation, will become
epidemic. II it finds no such atmosphere, but q
sporadic, whothor tucy result from the contnnioi
which has becn preserved in woolon garments or
by Other means from the cold. or by being brought
from warmer climate through tho vohicics of
commerce. Therefore, Two things arc necessary
to tho extinction Of the yellow lever First, that
therS shonld Dc no impure atmosphere TO- foster
secondly, n rigorous quarantine OF not lcss thar
thirty days iom tho infection, TO prevent cases
sporadic only if tho atmosphere in puro.
MY theories may bc wrong but tho practice
under thcm in 1862 and 1864, St New Orleans and
brought into New Orleans IN 1864 by tho rascalily
OF captain or steamer bringing pms, enger
tainted with tho disease from Nnssai But tho city
being clean, and tho nimoa bcre pure tho fever
did not sprcad, but diod ont with the victim
had tho disease continually during tho summer at
tho quarantine station, seventy miles beloS tho
city, nrt it noyor reached Now Orleaus because no
vessel arriving from infected port, or tainted
with it,, was allowed 10 come up for thlrty days
after nll vestigo of tho disease was orndicatod.
30 nt Norfolk, which city had over been visited
ny tho yellow foyor whom it was on tho coast
anywhere, in n greetcr or lcss degree, aud
in one instance, as wo Remember. with unexampled
n I,T.. ..DIn,
cd, although occupied by body OF troops very
liable to such disease, and in constant commuut-
cation with Eowbcrn, where the disease ragged
fearfully, still during that soaIon Norfolk had not
single case OF yellow fcvcr, although every city
OH tho coast, from Portsmouth, N. H., to Now Or
lcans had isolntcd or epidemic cases.
believing fully that IT depends solely on tho
action Of your State and city whether Now Orleans
has yollow fevGr or not aud desiring aid as much
as may in preventing its rayagcs, which fall aiike
on tho just ard the unjust, hayo vcnturcl to
throw together hastily these observations in tho
hope that thoy may bo OF profit.
AM, my dear sir, very truly your friend and
Hcry1nt, BENZ. Il. HIpTTER