The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1878-09-25
The Cause and Prevention of Epidemics.
September 26, 1873

EDITORS CLARION: The following extract
from an interesting article on The Causes
aud Prevention of Epidemics," volume XIV
H2rper's Magazine for 1857 may be found
profitable readiny for the tunes:
From what has been said, we think il
clear that yellow fever is greatly depend
eut upon local causes tor its development
/ that filth. dam pness, heat, aud over-crowd-
ing, always aggravate il, always favor its
invasion. and often produce IT. But we De-
lieve it to be equally clear that yellow fever
NAV be and has been imported; may be
and has been Transmitted from man To man.
! We see nothing unphiloSophical in suca
/ conclusion. Ii purifying amin al and veg
| table matter. Spoiled meat rotten shavings,
| foul water, can induce the disease, why
may it not be reproduced by the emanations
| from bodies affected with denominations
! which are purifying more rapidly than the
| meat, the shavings or the water? To say
/ that it is not always transmitted in this way,
| is only TO say that the circumstances of it,
/ development are not always present. We
1 know. for example, that many patients left
/ Norfolk for Baltimore during the epidemic
/ of lS55,and that no instance of the propaga-
/ ton OF The disease in the latter city occur
red but also know that no sooner had
/ the inhabitants OF an infected district in
/ Portsmouth. crossed over tn a filthy crowd
/ ed row in Norfolk, than yellow fever broke
out in that row. The germ of the disease,
! the ferment, the infectiOn--call it what you
will--lound suitable soil in one place, but
| did not in the other. So the spores of a
fungus may be waited by the wind, and de-
posted on the hard rock, or the plowed
field, or the dusty road, without germinat-
ing or reproducing the species; but let them
reach the rich, black mould OF decaying
log, lying in the shade of a forest, which
shuts out the sun by its mnItitudinOus
leaves, and preserves perpetual dampness
beneath its sheltering boughS, and immedi-
ately hosts of little caps. mounted on their
heshy stalks, over-top the green moses that
hide the crumbling wood. This tever-germ
whatever it may be, requires conditions for
lis full development; but who is sufficient
ly acquainted with the arcana of pestilence,
to be able to say. at any given time of any
given place, that those conditions are not
present?
1t is always absurd to argue In favor of
any particular theory which requires facts,
not opinions, for its support, by citing the
number of illustrious names which are
found among its advocates; for single
hostile fact will outweigh any amount OF
friendly authorities. Yet the line is
often adopted by those who deny the
possibility of importation, and we are favor
ed by formidable catalogue OF illustrious
physicians who have been converted TO the
doctrines OF non contagiOn. 1t is rcmarka-
bic that they have not seen how easily this
argument could be turned against them. Ii
there is "A city on the continent which is I'M
willing to tolerate the slightest interference
with its trade, that city is New York. Yet
in that great commercial metropolis, with
every mercantile indurement to disbeieve
the doctrine of lm pOrtatiOn, we find that the
majority OF the leading physicians are fully
convinced Of its truth.
The sanitary measures to be adopted in
view of an approaching pestilence are in
volved in what has been already said of the
causes of epidemics. OF course, man is
pOwerlCSS over the mutations OF the seasons.
TIE bontires, the fumigations, the cOmbus-
lions of tar, are worse than useless. All
experience has shown that they are OF no
value whatever; and attentions bestowed
on them only divertS the public mind from
those sanitary measures which have real
efficacy. We have no reason to believe that
the meteorological conditions alone can
produce any particular form of pestilence
They must be conjOined with those impuri-
ties of soil and water, that crowding and
that bad ventilation so common in all large
cities. These certainly are under the con-
troll of man, and if they are removed we
have no reason to apprehend the spontane-
Gus Outburst of a pestilence. Its impor-
tatlon Is easily guarded against by proper
system of QuArantine-a method of protec-
ton which should not be set aside without
grave reasons.
DIR. Dugas. of Augusta, has pointed out
the necessity of extending quarantine reg
ulatlons TO other transports besides ships. |
up navigable rivers, and railroad cars trans
ported it to inland towns, he recommends
a sealing of the hatchway of steam boats, or
prohibition of their approach within fixed
limits. AS for rail way cars, experimenting
Justly the possibility of the transportation
of infected air in close vehicles, he advises |
the authorities ''to prevent from entering |
the city any box car or any closed car OF
any kind, whether containing me chandise,
baggage or The mails, which may come
from an infected district. 1t will be with
the railroad companies to determine wheth- |
er they will put their freight upon open
trucks in Charleston, or do so at a point
nearer Augusta-but this should not be less |
than three miles"
After an epidemic has broken out there is
but one public measure of any avail. The |
infected district should be Immediately
evacuated, a Gordon thrown around it, all |
intercourse with it prohibited, and its
inhabitants removed to a purer air. The |
beneficial effects of this course have
been more than once clearly proved. !
We need only reier our readers to
the accounts we have given of the ener
getic action of the authorities of New
York, aud recall to their memories the sue
cess of the encampment system to convince
them Of the prOpriety of the measure.
The belief in the power of man to control |
these deadly plagues-the wholesale slaugh- !
terers of our race-is daily gaining ground |
among those who have investigated the /
phenomena of epidemics. The i'm portsnce |
of the subject certainly demands for it the |
attention of the public.