Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-12-20
OUR SANITARY FOLLIEs.

Surgeon Mcclellan, q. S. A, said In
his remarks at the meeting of Nash
vile physicians, Thursday night: "Over
at the barracks was a large sink used
by the men and pumped out every day
into a covered cesspool- Where did
all the refuse from hotels and private
houses 60? 1t went down into those
springs, and as long as the poor people
of Nashville drank the water that came
from those springs, and cholera would
be brought into the city, they would
have cholera among the people. There
would be no escape from it." He also
spoke of an incubation for twenty-one
days Of the germs of cholera in a per-
son, during which time one might
travel across a continent, or from one
to another, and endorsed the views of
the Sanitary Conference in Vienna,
heretofore noticed in the UNION AND
AMERICAN, to the effect that the seeds
Of cholera die out during the winters
of Europe and North America, and
have to be imported again from India,
where the parasite is indigenous and
perennial.
Our local hot bed for the propaga-
ton of cholera and yellow fever ayails
nothing without the living germs of
those epidemics. It would be nonsense
to talk of inclt5dtiHg a stone or nest
egg made of glass or earthenware. In
cubation implies life; but instead of
taking measures 20 limit and destroy
the life which produces pestilence, we
do much to foster and extend it in a
thousand ways. Why is not all fecal
matter at the barracks and in the city
made into harmless and valuable fer
tilizer? Can any sane man give good
reason? Market gardeners want fer
tilizers in which no insect can live, to
supply the city with cheap vegetables.
Our wisest professional idea in dealing
with city fecal matter and all fertil-
izers, Is to throw them into the Cum
berland river to help the gardening,
farming, and fruit growing interests of
Davidson county Drain them all into
the river, of course, for cities have no
other mission than to desolate the soil
which feeds and clothes their inhab-
itants. When DIR. McClellan's report
is published by Congress, this viii be
its !purport.
1t is forty-two years since Asiatic
cholera first planted its seed in the
United States. In all this time what
have our people learned by experience
in the way ofpreventing this and other
epidemics? Almost nothing at all.
Why? Because it is subject which
concerns the public, which all business
men and citizens should study; and
this they more than half believe they
have no time to do. Hence, expidemics
always find the masses unprepared to
control their invisible germs. Is hu-
manity forever to remain in this help
less condition? We hope not.
The inhabitants of cities may do bet
ter than to transform the elements of
their daily bread and meat into active
poisons, as is now done. Cholera cells
grow in a mans blood. and multiply
in foul water. To deal with infected
persons properly, is a serious and i'm.
portant matter; and no community
should wait till an epidemic breaks out
before deciding what to do IN such a
contingency. To prevent the spread
ing of any disease which is communi-
cable from one to another, in any form,
implies knowledge Of a very useful |
character. 1t IS that kind Of informa.
ton which ought to abound. but does
not. Our hospitals, domestic and hotel |
are exceedingly defec- |
tive, aud viii never be improved until |
public opinion Is more enlightened on |
his subject.