The New York herald., 1870-05-20

thoroughfarcs Our Broadway and our Fifth avenue
are the great arteries Of trade, travel ana fashion,
allowed to remain long there would be hubbub
raised rsI and an an uncomfortable eazzng about about
wrest from him his magnidcently paying con
tract, and he knows 1t. THIS daily cleansing of the
tract onv Ieaures the a. n ses ,"I 10 be-
cleaned but once or twice week. Common sense,
and certainly II net common sense very casual
observation, shows that this is not often enough
lne nlthy streets Of are those mostly lled no
WIN tenement houses, and 1T is Impossible TO keep
them clean unless they are cleaned daily. TINS IL q
thlng that requires no demoHstratiye argument nke
geometrical proposition. 1t Is an axiom, SELF
evident truth Another axiom Is that the public
many OF our streets 10 remain 30 mncn OF the tme
IN the bithy condition they are. The evident CO.
BOARD OF HEALTH SHOULD TAKE CHARGE or STREET
and especially curing the summer months. In the
hands OF the Board Of Health lies the remedy. Our
filthy streets Inc Augean stables and the Board OF
Board has the power 70 enforce the cleaning OF every
street IN the city daily, and II In its view the
ssy q sne paDc @ ~ 70 anna nays e
half million appropriation in the tax levy for this
purpose. The great thing Is the Importance OF not
putting OFF the assumption OF this power too late,
til some fell epidemic has fastened Itself upon the
city. Preventive measures are required, and pre-
cautiOnary remedies against contagious disease
should be applied at once.
EXAMPLES OF WARNING.
During the yellow fever season OF 1882 there was
Board OF Health, and the lack Of proper precau-
tonary measures allowed The contagon 10 come
here and ls fatal course, threatening TO deci
mate our popuaton and bringing sorrow TO thou
sands OF households until the kindly autumn frosts
more potent than physicians and medicines ana bar
rcades stayed It's peslentai progress. The lack of
the same precautionary measures brought the
cholera here IN 1s40 swelling during the period OF
Its soionrn the weekly bills OF mortality frightful
extent The city had no Board OF Health then and all
thai was done TO prevent the spreading or the dis
ease was the establishment OF few special hospitals
Beyond the quarantine regulations which were then
II Is not so now. In 1856 the city finally awoke to
the importance OF having a Beard OF Health whose
sole and special province should be To look after
everything apperalning to the public health The
reappearance OF he cholera this year reused the
pnoic attenron 10 the SUBJECT and thus the act ere
atng the Board OF Heath passed through the State
Legislature. During the summer succeeding the
passage Of the act the streets were kept thoroughly
cleaned anu the consequence was riddng the city
not only OF epitscmcs but OF the danger OF them.
OPERATIONS OF THE OLD BOARDS
II must truhfuy be stated, did not amount to much
great deal OF ak was expended, and there was
no end to profound theorzing upon the causes OF
c0ntagiOn and their remedies, but there was very
little done; no real down earnest Riappiing with
facts and meeting them in the face. We were not
secure against pcStience. Ii IL true last summer
during The unusual prevalence OF smallpox, the
cutters OF the streets in the Fourti and Sixth
that was about ALL Abundant avenues were left
open to the pestilence that waketh In darkness to
Of the anS ae ny
held out the most aliuring invitations to
disease; The Board certainly could have done bet
ter, and doubtless would have done more had the
resources al its command been more extended and
! liberal. We owe 1t not to good management that
kept contagion from our DOORS but to the watchrul
and kind Providence, overseeing all things, alone
can give the thanks. When the present Board gets
ia good working order which, now thar the election
IMPORTANT CHANGES UNDER THE NEW REGIME.
In the first place, Board made Of such men as
phen Smith and DR.. Carnochan cannot, as we have
already stated a to come up to the full measure Of
a1d in sna rnes WIN
changes may be looked for. Not Only do
our streets require at their hands to be
are now In fearfuIy filthy STATE must be looked
| after, and SO the bone boiling nuisances,
slaughter houses and the gas companies who stIIi
insist illing the air in their vicinity with dis
agreeable exhalatiOns. We might dwell at length
upon these last fruitful sources Of unhealthfuness
| and
| MULTIPLIED MINISTER'S OF CoNTAGIoN,
but there is not fact about them the pubic do not
pecuniarly interested in keeping these pestierous
pests Us they ARE who does not earnestly hope and
pray that the new Board Of Health WIZ see that such
proper regard for the public health imperativey de-
| maids. Reforms in sewerage are also needed, and
| something should be done TO prevent the presen,
overcrowdng Of tenement houses and all the cattle
| sheep hogs and calves brought here for consump
ton, and meats and poultry and fruits and vegeta
| bles coming to the market should be looked alter
The field Is q large one and there Is an Immense
amount OF work TO be done and cannot be entered
| upon too quick.
SANITARY AND DlsINFEcr1NG CORPS AT WORK.
Or. Norris the city Sanitary Inspector, who as Il
| well known, has been associated with the Bcart
ever since its first organization, has already corp
OF ten subordinate inspectors employed in maxim,
daily visits OF inspection through every section o
the city, besides disiniecting corps Of four more
IL Is the duty OF the first corps TO report all cases
infectious diseases, and the latter to disipfec
| thoroughly the apartments, bedding and cloth
| ing where such cases exist. And it is here
well enough to state that under the presen
| code of sanitary ordinances it is tht
SPECIAL DUTY OF EVERY PHYSICIAN
to report 10 the Board in writing every OF con
tagi0us disease coming under his practice Within
twentyour hours OF the time Of his becoming cogni
zant OF the fact Noncompliance with this rule i.
punishable with 500 fine. Altogether there ar,
very
| ENCOURAGING PROSPECTS AHEAD,
and as regards the public health, there is summer
before us Notwithstanding the aeness OF the
and the lateness Of the new Board coming into
power, fun of light, encouragement and pieasins
promise. II the Board does its duty promptly anl
thoroughly II Its subordnates do theirs and Ii pri
yate physicians comply faithfully with the require
mens just alluded TO, there need be but little appre
heason Of future vsitatons to city of conagiou
diseases