The New York herald., 1870-02-22
POISON IN THE AIR." ("
DR.. Harris Report to the Board Of Health-Rs-
lapHing Fever Contagious but Restricted
The Number Of Patients in the City
The Proposed Hospitals and the
Present Temporary Hospital

The Board OF Health is close corporation in moro
senses than one II Affects the business style OF
autocratic governmental bureaus insists on keeping
its most important public proceedings secret and -
successful IN being eminenty ridiculous. Matters
OF tine highest interest to the public have been In
the knowledge OF the Board for some time, but
owing to the cranky perverseness OF certain mem.
bers extraordinary care was taken to prevent the
press, and, consequently the. community from
knowing anything of them. In the estimation OF
the members OF the Board the Board Ii the master
OF the situation and the people their servants It
Ii fine position TO hold, though II Is not quite an
easy one to maintain. II these ssfsumciepr
doctors do wrong nothing ia heard OF IL,
II they do right care Is taken to notify
the press. dig job can be concealed.
an instance OF of1cial virtue chroniced. But how
ever much the members Of the Board OF Health may
desire that perfect secrecy should enveop their pro-
ceedings they are not always successful. Those
who try to muzze the press must expect 70 bs
bitten.
DR.. Harris the superintendent OF the Board OF
HEALTH made report TO the Board some time stnce,
when was supposed to be OF 80 much importance to
the public that 1t was considered IN secret session
and all knowledge Of Its contents was carefully
concealed from the reporters or the press. 1t
might contain highly important Information neces-
sary for the public TO know, or be stuffed with
medical bosh, Of no account whatever. But II was
"secret" and, therefore, OF some little consequence
and the delighted members Of the Board pigeon
holed 1t and onuckled spasmodicaiiy. Perhaps III
they had not chuckled quite SO much the HERALD
would not nave taken the trouble 60 obtain posses
sion Of II. ef8
Or. Harris special report relapsng fever In tho
city states that he has himself examined Mt y.four
patients who are down with the disease; that ne
finds this peculiar fever TO prevail in the low dens
and tenement houses Of the city; that II is SUPER
added TO paupersm and that 1t Is CONTAGIOUS. The
nrst case that came under his notice was that Of
II characteristics different from any before encoun-
tered and called to his assistance DR.. Aolnzo Clark
and other eminent consulting physicians; These
and recommended the Board OF Health TO establish
hospitals at once for the treatment Of those who
were taken with IL, as It was understood that the
Commissioners OF Charities and Correction could do
| nothing. In accordance win these recommenda-
tons the Board OF Health established at No. 1z8
Worth street a temporary hospital for the
accommodation Of patents affected with the fever.
II can accommodate 1000 persons, and Is supposed
TO be well adapted Tor the purpose. The regula-
tons OF the hospital are stated To be perfect. Re
apsng fever attacks people who do not have
proper nourishment, and In the cases that have
come under the notice OF the Superintendent 1t
found tnat the patents had not eaten meat OF any
sort Tor length OF time. Those now at hospital
| gwen plenty OF mutton aud beef soup, which Is
| provided by charitable persons. The mortality
among the patients down with the lever u only
but II Is true, that the per centage OF deaths among
children from wnooping cough IS as heavy as this,
wh0oping cough hospitals. Ceanly people do not
suffer from relapsng fever because there Is no
'p0son In the air'' apout them, and they can sing
''ShOo Flyn win a clean face and conscience the
disease Ii considered contagious because 1t Is sup
OF Brotherly Love by . diseased hummer some
/ weeks ago. The number OF persons suffering from
relapsing fever IN the city at present Is oo0accord
fne foregoing tremendous information was sub
mitted to the Board OF Health by the learned aud
before stated, the Board chucked Now. In the con-
Guiding passage In the report cholera prevention
communicated to tue Board by Or. Harris, M. D..
| &C., &c., In 1867, occurs the following passage:--
Added TO all that the sanitary authorities did ordered
be done against caolera mus. not forget to give
,sa .SgsS y " under !ss
ing, and d:lisssoa. Popular nselIssass .nd. pepas
|" ss :.sn:s a s
.Afesuards against The epidemic. Medicine had faie
OF Cholera pos.on Because Of the failure q
and in ylsw of the fearful Of hi
solved s ,S &c, solve the Problem Of preventing the sy
has Al last been solved '"'' p'''A
s % ss: g: 20 s sss As
panic to know and prepare for hs danger Indeed
peril VIII wise apply the mean: Of safety
II IN the opinion Of DR.. Harris there Is danger from
"pestilenc@e @ ana panic" Just now, would u not b
the danger ~ But then 1t is an obvious fact that
the Board OF Health Is much more interested in the
| panic" than the public. for the excellent reason
that u "pesttlencer does not exist.
The following letter from correspondent Is added
as an opportune commentary on Dr. Harris re
port
/ To THE EDITOR OF HERALD:-
desire to state few words corroboraou OF the
mert valuable paper Of the Goth inst 10 regard
Or. Harss statement OF relapsng fever in Mulberry
Cherry streets
am resident of Mulberry street. and know that such
thing fever existed In that locality, although he
compelled several Easements be vacated by tho
aeron that fever Infected them really
IN the viciHy therefore believe him to be
od humbug trying TO raise sensation and seskng
method public OF the necessity
OF Health well to induce the Governor 10 ssue
ciamation declaring the reapsing fever pesence and
derng hospital for It's which he tDr. Harrin cou
enrich himself, though the Board receives It's death blow
The doctors evidently IL, awhile live
| ONCE AN ARIsToCRAT, But NOW A POOR LoDGER