New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1877-05-12

Board of Health.
The regular meeting of the Board OF
Health was held Friday evening at seven
o'clock.
Present-Dr. Chopin, president; DIR.
Taylor, secretary, and Drs. Loeber, Aus.
tin, Chaille and fancy and Mr.. Mott.
DIR. Chaille offered series of resolu-
tons which were adopted, directing the
secretary to codify the ordinances of the
board; to keep his accounts to show,
separately, the expenses of the chief off.
GERS, quarantine stations, and receipts
and expenses of registration of births,
marriages. and deaths; to prepare the an.
nual mortality statistics; to furnish, after
June 30, 1877, the same statistics for each
race separately; to divide the seven dis.
trlcts into sub-districts and show the com.
parative health of each; to prepare state
ments showing the extent of malarial and
swamp fevers; to disseminate knowledge
OF the measures for rectifyng such evils
by drainage, and that all officers of the
board intrusted with State property fur.
nish semi-annual reports.
DR.. Chaille also offered the following:
WHEREAS, To protect this city from yell
low fever any reasonable experiment is
justifiable which neither impairs health
nor involves an extravaganza expenditure
of the public funds; therefore, be it
ReSoLCed, That the attempt to control
yellow fever by dislnfection, with carbolic
acid, sulphuric acid, gas, or other like
agents, of infected houses together with
the premises and streets Immediately ad.
jacent thereto, shall be continued, pro-
vided that any such disinfectants be 50
employed that they shall not infict in
jury on the living, nor impose an ex-
penditure exceeding $4,000 per annum.
DR.. Austin submitted statement on
yellow fever statistics. He said he based
his conclusions on the reports of the
board from 1869 to 1876 on his own OBJ
servation, and referred to the comparison
of the number of epidemics: From Is 2 to
1888, 10; from 1888 to 1855, IS, and from
1855 to 1876, which was only 3.
The first use of carbolic acid as dis
infectant was fifteen years after the estab-
lishment of the board-that is, in 1870.
1t was then used in q systematic way by
DIR. Albers, and confined the disease to a
certain district. At No. 230 Charities
street was house with 1873 occupants,
forty-four of whom took the fever before
distinction, and but two afterward. The
acid was again used in 1871, when the
fever was imported from Havana in Au-
gust, with good results, the total number
of cases beng 144, of which fifty-fve were
fatal.
In 1872 the disease made its appearance
on the outskirts OF the infected district
alter mild winter. There were eighty
three cases and thirty-nine deaths, but
the disease was checked by disinfection.
In 1873 it was brought by the ship Val
paraiso from Havana, which was anchored
at the head of Second street, Fourth Dis
trict. The energetic application of car
bolic acid confined the disease TO the dis
trict. There were 3SS cases, of which
226 were fatal. A more virulent fever has
not occurred since 1858. The fever was
the same year and made sad havoc from
the want of carbolic acid disinfection.
In Memphis it was only employed after
the disease was epidemic.
DR.. Austin called attention to the bene-
fetal results of systematic disinfection by
DIR. Peete in Galveston the same year.
The absence of an epidemic in 1874, 1875
and 1876, he attributed to disinfection.
DR.. Chaille dissented to some of DR.,
Austin's conclusions, and considered the
fact that at some seasons, when no car.
bolic acid had been used, there had been
no epidemic an argument against its use.
The question was argued at some length,
the president, DR.. Chopin, advocating
the thorough use of disiniectants.
The resolution was adopted.
The accounts of DR.. Southworth were
received, and the secretary authorized to
receive and receipt for the vouchers he
was prepared to turn over.
A resolution was adopted, on motion OF
DR.. Loeber, authorizing DA Austin to
confer with any board of health on the
Mississippi Sound and at Mobile, and to
report such measures as he may deem
necessary for the better protection of this
city.
The board adjourned to June l.