The New York herald., 1871-11-14
THE EPIDEMIC in THE CITY.
INCREASE OF THE DISEASE
The Board Of Health Crippled for Want Of
Money-Calamitous Eject Of the Sickness
surrounded on All Sides Where the DAN
ger Is-The Hospital on the Island
TIE HEALTH DEPARTMENT.


attained strong roothold in the city, although the
locality Of o large number OF cases is known, yet
are still Q vast amount of sufferers who conceal
their real state from the public In the hope
OF Delng able to get over the sickness with
out any publicity. This is an exceedingly
dangerous state OF things, not only for the people
themselves but for their relatives and all those VINO
may be obliged to come in contact with them during
THE WORST STAGES OF THE DISEASE.
In former years when, smallpox broke out In tins
CITY, almost invariably confined itself to the one or
two localities which It originally started ana was
consequently easily confined to the infected districts
The work OF cnecking the increase OF the
virus was comparatively easy under these
circumstances. but this time 1t has taken
o different shape, ana instead OF limiting itself to
one or two districts the epidemic bursting out all
over the metropolis. First case Is reported down
town. and the authorities no sooner begin cOngrat
uate themselves upon having the ravager IN
thiny populated part Of the city than 1t breaks out
with half dozen cases in the most thckly and
overcrowaed neighborh0ods. The increase last
week was larger than It has been for number Of
years in New York, and 80 far indications 60 for
the present week. 1t promises to become stl greater
LIKE LEPER
this awful disease is breaking out over the entire
surface OF the city, and no one can feel safe for
erfu! poison Is hanging In the air. and Is Just as
likely TO sting the wealthy rolling their carriages
as the poor who shiver In rags For the purpose Of
ascertanng the exact extent OF the disease at pres
ent and to find out what steps were taken to check
It's further progress reporter O the HERALD called
upon Judge Bosworth, President OF the Board OF
Health, yesterday. That gentleman said:-
"Yes sir smallpox is rapidly increasing in the
CITY, and we are without the proper means to
stop It,"
''You mean money, Mr.. Presidenti"
81 do, sirn
'now does 1t happen you are without moneyw
"Well, you see the appropriations made for the
old Metropolitan Board are entirely insufficient
for us.''
"ln what way?"
'srhe Department itself has rily become
more expensive institution as The labor to be per.
formed py 1t increased. As one small part OF It
may point out the number OF bureaus that we have
been compelled to create and the heads Of such de-
partments must necessarily receive larger compen.
sarion tnan ordinary CLERKS"
"3ut are all these bureaus necessary, Mr.. Presi-
dent9n
"No. The Bureau OF Permits, for instance, might
be very well done away with, but the law compes
us to keep it. and we must obey the law.n
1.-THE salaries or the commissioners were also IN.
creased when the old Board went out ~
"fcS from 81 800 10 $1,000 q ycar.V
Sand how much money 90 you suppose is neces-
sary TO supply the wants Of the Board at the present
"About $50, ooon
"That Is good sum- considering the state Of the
city finances at the present time"
stE anatt .t,f u September, aha the people must
The smallpox came upon us last year, just as it has
come now, but we Immediately sent out twenty.
fss ae1gs hos saSns SaS xsRsa RosJ q the large manu-
NEwsBOYs' HOMES
newspaper offices and printing rooms and all other
places where q large number OF persons were EN-.
ploycd. by this means, and also by being able to
keep the disease witnin comprised limit, We were
able to crush IL ont altogether but II has come back
upon US and we are poWerless''
''ls this the course you intend to adopt now in
case you succeed In obtaining The necessary
..I'recisely.n
'sThen you think you can cope with the diseasesv
81 am sure we can; but We must be assisted by
some one. We stamped It out before rs tell you
yellow fever came after that, and we killed it too
upon us hut we crushed that like the Others. These
are the things that have eaten up our money and
lett US without funds to combat the severesi vslta
"wen, but these contingencies are guarded
against, are they notg"
appropriated for tins department is simply for the
running Of the machine. and no account Is ever
(which are serious items in the health OF the
people,"
"rney will nnd thar out If they DO not enable MS
;. II understand tnat the disease Is increasing in
"Tne physicians tell me that Brooklyn ia in
frightful state; Jersey too In facA sur we are
surrounded on all sides by this TERRIBLE pestience.
Tne way is breaking out here IN The city u enough
.Do you think It has come from Philadelphia ~
when cases are reported 70 You DO you have them
sent to the smallpox Hospitalw
mo We do mot II the people are able M to Keep
or In any other place where they viii be away from
.sDo you know anything Mr. President, about the
c0udition OF the smallpox Hospital at presently"
II do not exactly know what Its condition ia, but
am told it Is much better now than 1t was last
year."
.'it would need be-"
$50 have heard. A great many complaints were
very much improved, understand"
HAS it been made any larger do you know"
at was originally built for sixty patients, and for
a long time last year tney had more than hundred
$50 have heard, but It has been recently en-.
larged and improved. The means OF transit to the
ra ,e er s'so ~ ta hvs & OF SIX
patients may be carried over comfortably. good
deal OF objection was also taken to the anbulances
used Tor carrying the people from their homes, so
we had new ones made, In order not TO offend the
feelings OF the poor suferers.u
"Ine Smallpox hospital Is not under your con.
mo- sir; it is notn
"Don't yon think It ought to beY"
health institution, lt should De under the control
OF the Health Department. And another great rea-
son IS, that when neglect or III treatment OF q pa
uent occurs the public ought to know where to lay
the blame."
(Which they do not now,
s"No, indeed; they do no..r
"The system, as IT exists at present ID not very
perfect one, you tDinKf"
Every far from itn
.Dld you not bring bill into the last Legislature
to remedy this, Mr.. Presldentr
eyes, had q bill Introduced asking for power for
the Board OF Health 30 raise sl0o 0OO TO build or huy
hulks that could be put In convenient places In
Diseases"
"well, and what became Of your hin 2,
Health was scratched out and that OF the Comm,a.
sloners OF Cnafitles and Correction substituted /
nave copy Oh the Dill here now, passed exactly as
wrote 1t, with that exception
have you done ANYTHING to raise means to meet
the present expedieDcyf
YES have seen Mr.. Green on the subject: hut
his hands are tied as wen as our own. However he
is golng TO make every effort in hts power TO as