The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-06-01


The report Of the police surgeons in regard
to the Harlem flats is one of the most remark
able documents ever put forward to delude
the public. There is nothing either in the
official position or the professional qualif-
cations OF these gentlemen 10 demand such
report at their hands, and, on the contrary,
there are many reasons why they should not
have subscribed their names to the stultifying
record they have made for themselves. Had
they been employed by the Board of Health
and charged with the sanitary care Of the city
We might excuse them for their undue zeal in
behalf of the department; but, as it is, they
are merely put forward to deny the evil effects
of the evil deeds of the Police Commissioners.
1t is case where the servant certifes to the
good character of the master in disregard of
the facts, and it requires no great penetration
to perceive that this report Of the subordi-
mates of the department was made in obedi-
ence TO the orders of their official superiors.
No clearer evidence could be adduced Of the
Generalization and subserviency which have
easy to decide whether this report is most dis
graceful to those by whom it was made or
to those who commanded it.
Even a cursory examination Of the report
of the police surgeons reveals its unworthi-
ness While pretending to have made
thorough examination of the effects of the
filing of the Harlem flats we are not SO much
as told when the examination was made. The
residents of Yorkvile and Harlem do not
seem to have been aware of their presence,
and, es was shown in the HERALD yesterday,
many of the clergymen, physicians and drug
gists in these localities bear testimony in
direct conflict with the views of the doctors of
the Police Department. Their inquiry must
have been as incomplete as their indorse-
ment was unqualified. Apparently there were
certain things which they were required to
say and they said them. They fail to give us
the slightest clew as to the methods by which
they arrived at their conclusions, while their
conclusions are of character that could only
be reached after most thorough examination
unless they were taken for granted. That the
whole document is full of haphazard asser-
tons is clear on its face. They deny the IN
healthiness of the filing in the very presence
of miasmatic fevers, which could come from
no other cause. They even fix the percentage
of pure earth and ashes and of garbage, but
we are not told by what means they we're
able to determine the relations Of the pure to
the impure filling. How do they know that
ninety-fve per cent of earth and ashes was
used to five per cent of garbage? Did they
separate the component parts Of the filing
used, even to the extent of one scow load, and
thus arrive at their estimate, or dit they
merely accept the opinion of that eminent
authority on garbage, Mr.. Disbecker, with
whom their views correspond SO exactly? We
can conceive of no more feeble performance,
either on the part Of the Police Commissioners
or the police surgeons, than the manufacture
Of this report, and we hope by this time that
all the persons concerned are heartily ashamed
of it.
None of these people in the Police Depart
ment seem to have the slightest appreciation
of the responsibility they incur in fastening
possible epidemic upon the city. To the con-
tractors, even, few thousand dollars would
be very poor compensation tor the conscious
ness of having destroyed thousands Of lives.
The police surgeons who have made this fool
ish report can expect no share in the profits,
and so their action is all the more unaccounta-
BILE. Such wonderful trifing with the lives
and heath of a great population was never
seen before, and it is time that some action
was taken that will save the people Of New
York from like dangers in the future.