Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-12-16
OUR HEALTH PROSPECTS.
An Outsider TO whom They Look Dis
tressingly Blue.

| To the Union and American
A few DAYS since noticed in the pro-
ceedings of your City Council that a bill
had been introduced to abolish the Board
of Health. This with the well-wishers Of
your city IN the outer-world has produced a
mingled feeling ofsurprise and resret-sur-
prise because the intelligence Of your CON-
munity, which is everywhere concluded,
was expected to be reflected in some de-
gree, at least, in the membership Of your
city legislature, and because no town on
the continent has greater need of a Santa
" Board than Nashville. At what point,
please tell me, have epidemic
diseases held such high carnival,
and death reaped so rich harvest, in pro-
portion to the population, as at Nashville?
And why? Because of the system Of sew
erage; or rather, should say, the want Of
either system or sewerage In your citiy's
drainage; the character of privy and vaults
which exist throughout the length and
breadth Of your town; the impure water
supplied your citizens; the filthy alleys,
streets and low lands, which are to be seen
on every hand and which, at once, strike
the stranger so unfayorably; the many
other minor causes combining to produce
condition which not only propogates
the disease germs once introduced
into your city, but which will
actually produce the germs of disease
themselves; in a word, because Of the ut
ter disregard by your municipal authorities
of all those sanitary laws which alone con-
duce to the good of the public health.
Is it not then, would ask, to just such a
field that Board of Health is essentially
necessary? Is it not to just such problems
that they address themselves exclusively,
directing the hand of Legislation in an in
telligent manner, and thus securing the
passage of laws, the enforcement Of which
gives cleanliness where filth abounds; gives
health where disease and death hold swayi
Nashville is fast gaining the reputation
of being focal centre for cholera, so much
so that at this time the name of Nashville
suggests to many cholera and rice cerS0.
With such facts, then, staring you in the
face, would inquire can your city afford,
will your people sanction OF permit, such
step upon the part of the municipal au-
thorities as the abolition of the Board of
Health?
l dare say your business men will tell
you that the commercial interests alone Of
Nashville suffered, at q low estimate,
between three and five million dollars by
the one single visitation Of cholera
which ragged with such violence
in your community but sixteen
months ago, the effects of which still lin
ger, and which will continue TO be felt for
some time to come by the commercial in
terests of your town. Your educational
interests are now coming most prominently
to the front, and justly may you feel that
pride, their character and magnitude de-
serve; but what will become of them if
the idea becomes noised abroad that, in
and around your city, there are causes
silently but forever at work, producing a
condition mist favorable to the spread and
development of disease, and yet no effort is
being made to abate such causes or in any
way TO mitigate their blighting
and death dealing effects; that
on the contrary, there exists profound in
difference, if not ignorance, on the IT of
your city authorities in all matters pertain
ing to sanitary science, as IS clearly evil
denced, l think, in this effort to abolish a
beard which is In every way most compe-
ten. and willing to undertake the work.
Let no backward step be taken, but press
forward, leaving no stone untGrned until |
this idea OF your being disease-cen.Fe is |
entirely eradicated from the public mind, |
and your mortuary reports shall show a |
minimum of death rate. Then will immi- |
grafton foY in strong stream to your
borders; capital, always timid, viii pour in
abundantly, your town will he built p,and
viii smile upon every home.
YIsITOR-