New Orleans Republican., 1875-10-02
NEW ORLEANS, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2 1875

volume at the end of the war. The cause
! OF This diminished trade was the opening of
other quite IS at the eastern Atlantic ports,
and the conduct of travel and transporta-
tion by rail and telegraph. This transfer
OF trade has been So enormous that, accord
ing to the report of the Senate Committee
| OF transportation, not more than one ton of
western produce out OF twenty five reaches
the ocean through this outlet. Before this
diversion OF trade, business men, with the
popnl ttlon tncumltant upon busint ss
sought New Orleans for the immense and
profitable commerce of which it held the
geographical and physic j monopoly. They
took the I1sk of what WAS then deemed an
established .pifemic. 1t was an item of
insurance ana exp n.e whicn paid well if
the advtn'urer lived. Hence, we see the
extraordinary increase OF reputation under
the fatal epidemics OF the decade lS50-60.
1t is very natural that this business
migration should have accompani d the
trade, and that the balance of health being
III business op'ni n II favor of the new
trada ] ma and e, ntres should CT n >rihute
TO determine population to those eel tres.
There is valuable division of the " est
ern trade, however, which still legitimately
belongs to this city. 1t is tho trade in tropi-
Cal goods. Much of this has bee n diverted
To Eastern ports, and the legal necessity for
| quarantine of infected tropical ports has
contributed to lengrhen the voyage and en-
barrass the travel by this route as to place
| New Orleans under IA disadvantage.
The dilemm was this: If New Orleans
repealed the quarantine she risked the in
production of yellow fever; if she main
tanned quarantine she excluded her legiti.
mate trade.
meeting of physicians expressed the
opinion that quarantine was unn .cessary
1t was replied that the law required it.
To provide tor dispensing with ouaran
W "a nm ,Itay naI
so prepare and protect the city that infec-
ton would be impossible. Since that period
the sy stem of disinfectants has been es tab
lished The maps and reports illustrating
these results are open to professit VI inspec-
tlon. 1t appears that during this period
Yellow fever has not prevailed as an epi-
denic in the city.
Without expressing any opinion upon the
merits of this particular prev, ntive. | have
no hesitation in saying that any specific
which will give to New Orleans as good
health reputation as is enjoyed by St..Louis
won d be hey ond the pos of pecuuiary
| compensation. To deod orize the city sewers
with the best cologne water would be an
uncommonly cheap bargain for such bless
ing.
Any chemical substitute for this acid. SO
Objectionable to some ot our citizens, would
answer as well, for no one could u ish to
annoy the must sensitive person.
Now, If one set OF ply sicians prescribe
| quarantine, and another forbid the onty
system which proposes to dispense with
precautlon, what are the sanitary authuri-
ties to do!
1t is probable that upon consultation
with tAe compliments taey may suggest
some substitute for the disiuieetant to
which they object. Tney are not 10 be un
derstood to protest aga .Dst the idea and ef.
1nit to dlslnfect but against the special
agent emp pluy ed to effect it.
With these views, were Ipresent would
vote to lntrust the presid. ~ of the Board
OF Heal h with a discretion to use discon-
| tlnue or locaize as to him might seem hest.
the Use OF carbolic acid or any other disiu-
fectant, and II IL be the pleasure and prac.
tlce of this board to allow Vote to be Cast
by proxy, will take my al are of respon,i
sility by authorizing Mr.. Heath or Mr..
Woodward, men bers of the board, to Cast
my vo as stated.
Very respe cttully,
WILLIAM NJ BURWELL.
At the conclusion of the regular meeting
Dr. LeMonnier stated he should Ike To
make few remarks on the subject of car
bolic acid, IA he had differed with the ma
jori;y of the board. He read an excellent
essay, from his standpoint, on the facts as
he had gathered them. Crude carbolic
acid was heterogeneous compound from
coal, and contained twenty five per cent of
napthaiine, composed Of hydrogen and
carbon CarbIrretted hydrogen was an
impure gas, unfit for inhalation. The crude
acid would not dissolve in water must be
distributed on the streets to be burned up
by the sun, where the gases generated give
headaches and affect the stomach. To the
pure carbolic acid used with fifty parts of
water he did not object. The crude he
onsidered violent poison. 1t would kill
the germinat ton of interior animals. Given
internally to dogs sixty to eighty grains
threw them into convulsions, 100 to l5O
grains killed them. He did not think il
killed inferior vegetation. 1t made the
sick worse and the well sick. Since 1923
there had been twenty five years with vel
low fever, but DO epidemic. Six OF these
years only carbolic acid was used. He con
sidered it of no value as checking an epi-
demic.
After some further discussion the board
Il