The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-09-16
THE BOARD OF HEALTH.
The CarbOlic Acid Discussion.

Promptly at noon the Board of Health
met Present.: DR.. White, in the chair, and
Drs. LIE Monier, Gaudet, Russell, Smyth,
Finney, and Messrs. E. Heath, G. W. R.
Bailey and w. W. Woodward.
DR.. White read a communication from the
mass meeting held Saturday night, asking
that the distribution of phenol be stopped.
He called the boards attention to the fact
that DR.. Tebault had stated, that he had re-
fsrred to the board as having put a job for
their own personal benefit.
The President asked if the Board would re-
ceive any communication from him.
DR.. Gaudet thought that the question was
whether the phenol should be used.
Mr.. Bailey read the published report of the
mass meeting and repudiated the statements
of DR.. Tebault so far as he himself was con-
cerned He wanted to know how many were
at the mass meeting, and was informed more
than three hundred.
DR.. Finney said that DR.. Tebault was only
put on the committee after he had made his
remarks at the meeting.
Mr.. Bailey-It seems DR.. Tebault has sta
ted that there was job in the use of car
bolic. He wanted to know whether the board
purchased it.
Dr.. White then explained that when it be-
came necessary to use carbolic acid requisition
was made upon City Administrator Mccarthy,
who advertises for the lowest bids. The
board had nothing to do with the purchase of
it, nor in the use of it.
DR.. LIE Monnier said that the question of
the day was the use of carbolic acid and
whether it did any good or not
DR.. Gaudet made crude motion to discon-
tinue disinfection with carbolic acid, IN all
parts of the city, against diseases. He said
that that at present used was most deleterious
to public health.
DR.. White stated that it was the crude car
bolic acid which had been used last Saturday
and Sunday night. The unpleasant smell
came from the napthaline. It was not pure
carbolic acid; there was q considerable per-
centage of crysallic acid The pure was more
pleasant to the smell and had always been
used.
The motion of DR.. Gaudet was taken up, it
having been seconded by DIR. LIE Monnier
Mr.. Bailey said that he was perfectly pre-
pared to vote for the resolution if the city
would always furnish supply of the pure
acid, but if supply could not be had of the
pure acid, he would have to vote against the
resolution.
favorably inclined towards experim entation
He had seen some of the effects of the use Of
crude acid; that several sick people had been
made worse, and well people sick. He cited
the University of Europe as having discussed
the question and decided against it so far as
smail-po is concerned.
In the Charity Hospital it is not used and
the fever does not spread there Referring to
the season when, in 1870, the fever existed in
the Fourth District, and the streets thorough
~ disinfected, lady returned and assembled
the steps of her house, and although there
was powerful smell OF acid, she took the
disease at once.
He said that there could be no question but
what the citizens were kept awake night after
night, and severe headaches followed. He
therefore seconded the motion, and hoped it
would pass. He was satisfied that the pure
acid would not displease the citizens
Mr.. Bailey wanted to know if DR.. lie
Monier had read the reports and data relative
to the use of acid. He said that he, as q
member of the Chamber of Commerce, had
reported favorably upon the use of carbolic
acid.
DR.. Tebault has doubtless made statements
at random about carbolic acid and about jobs
on the board. He has stated, said Mr.. Bal
ley, that there have been fatal cases from the
use of the acid. would like to know about
this case.
Dr.. Lemonier responded to Mr. Bailey. He
said that one exemption from epidemics did
not come from the rise of the acid. Acclima-
ton has lessened its field
The discussion was still going on when
the report closed.
After some further discussion a resolution
was adopted continuing the use of the acid,
but providing that hereafter, whenever it was
possible, the pure acid should be used. and
only in extreme cases should crude acid be
made use Of