New-York tribune., 1871-06-14

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SO perfected lts dryme process az In the opnlon oi
the chemist 10 b. no 9nEer nusancg te prescnt
wear the Roord has maintained an efficient usinecutht
corps" which, under the general direcuoh oi ipe m ,y M
nuriaeation OF premises where contagious dssases pre-
vailed and rendering nocuous a , nnS % v d a.
sat,as no removed. The Yafue OF ulsiicc-
t"n having been fully established by different sanitary
Authorities and the kinds OF disniectanis oe5t val s
to The various forms Of putrescen matter anu Ior o
purgcatlon Of clothing and dwchnes nayiiY ,et me
clded upon after making tne proper an yen1ions for
dsnfectants and to encourage thelr ptIal uso, h
cutters the & use hnsu made part Of
the duty of night scayengers TO disiniect an @ anu @
The contents thereof at the time such contents are re-
d Tn the treatment OF contagious diseases
dsnfectants have seen employed by the 0 ,
Roard with the most satisfactory results , u
houses where such diseases prevailed nave Deen iui
gated when necessary, the clothing ana Dedulg hV9
been cleansed and disnfected, and all discharges anu
oroes ~ toni carnations about the sick have been ds
Injected or destroyed And the Board IS tuy eonHnee
th liberal nae of dslnecants most valuable aux
iares in preserving the public health ana preventing o
o. care Of Contagious DiseasesIn addition TO the
use Of dsniectans in the care OF CONTAGIOUS diseases az a.
above referred to, the policy OF the Board hs oetn S as
far as possbe 10 isolate the sick by their removal 10 e
hospitals unless they can be properly cnfed ior h so
lated nj home. In Of cholera, smallpox, reapSIg
typhus typhoid and yellow feyers unless provided wleh
good homes and proper care the PaehIs hro tver
nrevais uniformly among the very INDECENT and the
homeless and the removal Of the patients Is positive
Hoard 6y the Commissioners OF Charities and Correc;
tion, who have provided ample accommodations anu
suitable facilities for that purpose. Resistance IL Iaiy
made TO such removal and ia generally overcome 10y the
persuasion of the Health Inspector In lew cases an
INC the past year. when the health and lives OF inmates
of large tenementhOuses were endahgeied uIo W, Sr1
Sanitary Inspector was Obliged to compel Lhe
OF smallpox patients The Board has proviueu
ambuances for the removal OF patients I'D suen 80
and in all circumstances where for any reaSo Ie
CommissiCners Of Charities and Correction are not
called upon TO act. In smallpox cases, the vaccination
and revaccnation OF all persons IN th9 Duus anu i
mediate vicinity Is the practice OF the Board o. -,
The failure of physicians TO report promptly eaTs 1
the spread of contagon before Its existence known 10
the officers OF the Board. This neglect is to be ailD
scans many OF whom fail to appreciate the Importance
OF preventive and tho value OF the ald OF san
spread OF contagion Whenever physicians are hnoWn @
have violated the sanitary code IN TINS M LA te
atty That the physicians Of the city may not be gnqr
city SANITARY Inspector TO forward TO them printed
notices containing the sections Of the sanitary code re,
iatine TO ibis subject and defining what considered
TO be contagious diseases by this department. ~
The experience OF the Board In ts enorts TO control
the spread OF contagious diseases during the prevalence
of reapsing fever and smallpox, not having proved
satisfactory, sanitary Committee was instructed on
the 6h OF March, 10 examine the methods at present
employed, and the location, capacity ana management
the hospitals devoted to this class OF inc SICK ana re-
work more effective Tie committee reported (see Ap-
pendx that the methods pursued by the Board against
the spread of contagious diseases were OF he most aP
proved character, and, when the measures were Iuy
were serious obstacles TO the thorough application OF
preventive and these must be overcome before
obstacle mentioned was the inefficient sanitary OF
those sick persons allowed to remain at home
in the care OF friends and attending physician The
committee dd think that in the present state OF
popular enlightenment as to the nature Of the poison OF
Contagious diseases and the value OF preventive
measures the Board could enforce any more stringent
regulations against this class OF persoAs. -,
The second obstacle noticed the imperfect control
which the Board had OF the sick poor who were proper
subjects for hospital care mnen 3. removed @ tme
OF Public Charities and Correction and placed In hos
pitas under their charge These hospitals when in
y,
seriously defective in sanitary appliances and pecau
tionary measures. both their external and internal
management In view Of these facts the Committee
concluded that the interests Of the public heah required
that the Board Of Health should nave the exclusive CON
troll Of all persons sicf OF contagious diseases VINO are
sent to hospital and recommended that the Board take
the necessary steps to enable It to provide hospital ac-
commodations for this class.
%. Spall-Ioz.-This disease exhibited marked ten
dency to become epidemic in NewYork during the year
Notwithstanding the very thorough vaccination that
house Districts the year 1870 opened with large in
cases especially in the h 17th 18TH and 18th
corps of inspectors the Board caused notices to he
Vaccination might be obtained at the different dis
pensaries, and giving information as TO their location
and the hours of attendance The number vaccinated
thereby largely increased and the progress of the
epidemic was, for the time arrested But meantime
eonstaS eos WR Many o
the seaport towns Of Europe suffered severe and
quently arrived in this port with cases of smallpox on
board During the latter part OF the year 1870 and the
early part OF lo smallpox appears to have attained an
almost worldwide prevalence. II not only became ep
pean cities bat IN many cities and provinces OF ASA and
South America, and ia the islands OF the Pachc, ana 1t
prevailed with great ana unusual severity Toward the
close OF the year the epidemic tendency OF smallpox be
gan to be- exhibited again in NewYoIS. The cases re-
ported widely scattered but sufficiently numerous
10 prove the necessity OF vigorous measures to keepU
under control. The number Of inspectors was largely
increased and every was promptly isolated, either
at home or ia hospital and vaccination was again prac
tced throughout the tenement houses The epidemic at
time assumed such alarming proportions as in many
other cities, and toward the close OF the first quarter Of
1871 began TO decline rapidly.
HNtT In
parts OF the globe, especially In countries where vac
cnatOn has long been efficiently practced its
n its most fatal form in persons who gave evidences of
having been well vaccnated and the remarkable suscep
tibty OF people OF all ages successful rcyaccina0D
are new facts the history this pcsence which must
lead a reinvestigaon Of the whole subject OF vaccna
ton, and OF its claims protecting agent. There can
be no doubt that there is growing skepticsn in the
public mind 10 the real value OF vaccination, and this
skeptcsm has been much strengthened by the repeated
OF smallpox during the past year. in persons
who presumed to have been properly yaecinated
But the medical profession, and especially the ad
vanced students of contagious diseases, hold firmly to
the faith Of Jenner that vaccination is preventive
Of smallpox when the individual is brought completely
under it's influence.
limits Of this city during the summer and FAN OF 1870
This was Its first appearance in NewYork since l522
the troops aud residents OF Governors Island, In the
early part Of August The island has long been mill
the United States. Its total population the time OF
the outbreak upward OF 500 consisting OF troops and
erofnd and makes returns Of sickness deaths to
the Health Department of Eew-York. No knowledge OF
the Board Of Health pl september when three deaths
occurred NeWY0rk, In succession, among persons VINO
had attended wake and funeral upon the ISLAND u
but one OF these eases was an autopsy made, ana hat
imperfectly returned to lead to no positive
results The deaths regarded probably due to
poisoning and inquiry instituted by the CITY
Sanitary Inspector O ascertain the circumstances attend
ing these deaths. II then ascertained that there
had been considerable sickness among the residents OF
the Island for month previous, which was regarded by
the surgeon Of the post as severe form OF inter
ment and remttent fever The history Of this sickness
was not definitely obtained by the inspectors who
visited the island rs TO render the diagnosis certain,
though the question OF the possibility of its being yell
low fever raised Another occurring after