Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1873-10-17

house. AS soon us he recovered from
his mishap he sent in his resignation;
but as critical examination had been
made in the meantime, and it trans
pired that as far as the worthy man
was concerned there was not the least
blame, the reGignation was not accept
ed.
FROM the Memphis Appeal.
FEARFUL. DISCLOSURE.
The Character Of the Malignant
Fever at Memphis.
1t is u remarkable fact that the med
ical faculty of Memphis are by 10
means unit as to the nature of the
disease now prevailing in the city
That it is yellow fever is asserted by
some, but that it is nothing more than
virulent type of the common malarlai
fever of the Mississippi bottom is the
opinion of more than one of the best
physicians we have. The fact that it
is contagious, or communicated by
contact with the infected persons,
proves nothing, since science has de-
monstrated that nearly every form of
disease is more or less of contagious
nature. If not yellow fever, then, and
if a malignant type of malarial fever,
why should it be present here III
Memphis at this time? The leading
physicians of New Orleans announced
within the last two or three days that
there was not q single case Of yellow
fever in the Crescent City, the hitherto
supposed hot-bed of that fear-inspiring
malady, and that the city was as healthy
as it has ever been at this season of the
year. We hear of no yellow fever in
Galveston, of none in Charleston,
South Carolina, of none even IN
Havana, one of the original introdu-
GERS of the pestilence into the Amerl-
can continent. Is it not little strange
that, in view of the fearful ravages of
the so-called "yellow fever" in Shreve-
port, Louisiana, and of the highly in
famed condition of the public mind
outside of Memphis, touching the
fatality of that disease in this city.
New Orleans, and the cities Of the
Mexican Gulf-the natural continental
gates of ingress of this tropical pestl-
lence-should be free from the pres
ence of the destroyer It is accepted,
too, we believe, among the medical
profession. as a theoremic truth, CT
postulate, that the negro is not liable
10 be attacked by yellow fever-bis
| tropical blood being, it is assumed,
fortified against a disease indigenous
| to the tropics.
But the prevailing fever has not
respected this right of the colored
man, which the fifteenth amendment
| to the Constitution of the Constitution
of the United States fails to cover or
protect, and our daily mortuary re-
| port shows that black men die of the
| disease as we'll as white. Physicians
of this city tell of cases in their prac-
tice in the Mississippi bottom, charac-
terized by all the symptoms and effects
of the present disease, including the
sscoffee grounds" elections from the
stomac, and the saffron color of the
victim after dissolution, and yet there
was no ''yellow fever"i in the country at
the time, and 10 man dreamed OF
| calling the disease by any other name
| than malarial fever But, leaving the
| calculation of this interesting question
| to our learned friends of the school
Esculapian, we can't avoid the fact that
a disease of malignant type is among
us vigorously plying its mission of
death; nor are we less persuaded that
this fatal fever has its hidden, but
plain, cause here in Memphis. A sub
ject of as much importance as this
dreadful pestilential visitation natur-
ally awakened inquiry, and inquiry
has discovered a condition of things
so appalling as to excite the wonder
that the death dealing breath of pes
| thence has not before this decimated
our population. We have no system
of sewerage in Memphis, and the
necessary consequence is that the
IS les - So1y 6
itself. Our sanitary police consist, for
the most part, of some half dozen OF
the chain gang, who occasionally do
little more than emancipate the con-
fined .odors of the kennels of Main
street, and give wings to imprisoned
effiuvia. Our alleys and obscure
streets are left to the rag pickers, tn
! porcine and canine scayengers, to
| cleanse them of their superfiuous fou:-
ness, and were it not for the rains OF
plying heaven, would of themselves
| give abundant employment to our
I'm ertakers and grave diggers. And
yet these are the least of the objec-
tionable features touching the violation
of the laws of hygiene i'll Memphis
We almost shudder when We consider
| the condition of every private family
! in Memphis i'll the matter of a supply
of pure water. Nearly every family in
the city is dependent upon cistern
for its supply of water; nearly every
cistern i'll the same yard, i'll close prcx-
unity to, and generally in direct geo.
graphical line with. the privy No
Intelligent man need be told of the
/ percolative and absorbent qualities OF
| the earth, and no NIemphian need be
reminded of the difficulty of finding
cistern water i'll the city free from the
inquiries of animalculse induced by de.
composition. The train of evils follow
ing these disagreeable truths suggest
themselves to the intelligent reader
without further elaboration. The
great question with us now is to apply
the remedy, and no time is better than
the present to awaken the comm unity
to proper sense Of the situation.
SaWver,s Only Defect.