The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1873-09-11
Sanitary Value of Flowers and Slrubbery.

1t seems that the New York Hygiene has
been investigating the sanitary value of flowers,
and has elected responses from persons of ex-
perience in the malarious regions of South
Carolina, which we find copied into, the Sep
tember number Of the Rural CaroInian. AS a
matter of interest to our readers, now per-
picked and disturbed by the appearance of ma
larious diseases in sections hitherto exempt, we
make the following extracts from the articles
referred to. The first emanates from DR.. VIM.
NJ. shuler, whose labors and observations have
been entirely confined to Col|eton County,
which is emphatically the malarious region of
the State. He, says: -. ..e....,.
Popular opinion here is in favor of the
healthfulness of the odor of many plants; in
some instances, even those of well known
poisonous properties, whose flowers emit an
agreeable odor, as the jessamine, poppy, etc.,
are regarded benefcent purifiers of the atmos-
phere, while those like the jamestown weed,
which possess an offensive perfume, are avoided
and considered dangerous. -
1t is confidently believed that the odor of the
pine, bay, dogwood, cherry, gardenia, sunfower,
mock orange cotton-poplar and cedar exerts an
influence destructive in it's effects upon that
form of malaria which produces remittent and
intermittent fevers. -: 49,.
I am not convinced that tho cultivation of
flowers independent of other hygienic meas
ures, does exempt an individual or community
from the effects of malaria; but am satisfied
that the proximity of plants and flowers, to
ones residence, as an auxiliary to drainage,
ventilation, cleanliness, pure water and whole
some food, is measure of such weighty I'M
portance that it should never be neglected in
any instance where the object is the protec-
tion of the health, either of the family or COM
munity.
I have under my care several private resi-
dences, surrounded by long leaf pines and
few gardenias, mock oranges, ETC., where the
families, for the last twenty years, have enjoyed
almost entire immunity from maarious dis
eases; hence it is my opinion, that even here
in Colleton County, were we to locate our gar
den near the house, and exercise prudence with
regard to diet, water, etc., as indicated above,
our climate would be as free from disease as
the valley of the Yadkin, or the peaks of the
Blue Ridge.
Another correspondent, writing from Charles
ton, gives the result of his experience in the
cultivation of flowers and shrubbery as pre-
yentive against fevers:
In August, 1866, bonght small house in
the upper part of Charleston, in a locality
where fevers were of a frequent occurrence /
at once set to work, drained as much as pos
sible the lands around the house, and laid
OUT the grounds for flower garden. My
friends warned me, and predicted that before
the end of the year would leave the locality
on account of the prevailing fever did not
mind them, but kept steadily improving my
property .,
During the winter I had planted great
many rose bushes, oleanders, shrubs, ETC., as
also a few fig and peach trees. In the spring,
1 planted great many summer flowers, as
we'll as lavender, mint, etc., and wherever
small space was left planted sunfowers. The
consequence was, that although several of my
neighbors were down with fever, escaped
with my family entirely, and have not had
fever to this day. Several Of my neighbors
have followed my plan, and the locality is now
almost entirely healthy. .-..-
Here I would also state, that to escape from
fever in the coast regions of South Carolina,
it is also necessary to abstain entirely from
pork or bacon. Hog meat does not suit for a
hot climate like ours, and the less we eat of it,
the healthier we shall be.