The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-09-11
THE INNOCENTS.
INTERVIEWS WITH LEADING PHYsE
CLANS ABOUT THE CHaFLDREN's
SCDURe1E.

Macdun-"He has no chiidron-all my pretty
Did you uG Say all? 0, He'll Kite! all?,
What: all my pretty cnlcKenS, ana thelf dam
ut ono fell sWoopF
A careful everyday review Of the death LIST
from yellow fever having brought US to the
ynournful conclusion that children largely
suffer from its ravages- children, whether
native or alien born-we thought that the
opinions Of some Of our leading physj-
clans, as well concerning the causes
which bring the fatal scourge upon the
innocent ones and the means to avert
H. would be Of benefit to the COM
munty, particularly to anxious mothers
whose youthful hairs turn gray from anxiety,
when they see disaster and disease prowling
like midnight wolves about their homes We
thought that some consolation could be
afforded to the stricken, and that by due in
curry hope could be made to shine before the
f4yes Of those who are environed by the dark
ness OF anxious misgivings. There is no
doubt from the statistics that the fell disease
appears TO have printed it's talons upon the
children and fixed upon them as it's prey.
With q view to allaying the anxeties of
those SO deeply interested q DEMOCRAT re-
porter sought utand interviewed some OF our
leading physicians with the following result
The first medical gentleman that the re-
porter happened to meet was
DIR. BoRDE.
whose demise was lately announced by the
Now Orleans E1cGyusc, but who seems to
stand 1t with remarkable energy, for he was
''eaught on the fly as it were, by the report
or and button holed whilst making his daily
rounds After admitting that he had been
captured and surrendering ''rescue or no res
cue" he passively submitted to the inquiries
of the reporter, who spoke as follows
Reporter-I know that you are very busy.
doctor, and have just recovered from severe
attack Of sensational dBtth inflicted
by an esteemed contemporary, but the ques-
tion at hand Is momentous and admits of no
delay, want to know what you think about
80 many children, native born, who are at
tackled with the prevailing disease and sue
cumb under its murderous influence?
DR.. Borde-1n answer, will tell you what
an old and experienced physician, now resid-
that he Is certainly not far from the truth:
In former times we had always at least q
few cases OF yellow fever every year, owing
TO there not being any quarantine. The ships
their cargoes, land their passengers whether
summer air was generally impregnated with
the yellow fever poison. The children would
absorb it as they grew up every year and
ample. In Havana, where yellow fever reigns
c Oh G never have it.. Since Since the the
quarantine has been established and
Strictly adhered to, yellow fever epidemics, |
great or small, have become very
scarce, and it is now eleven years since the |
scourge has visited us in any positive man
ner. 1t is true that since that time there
have often occurred cases of yellow fever in |
the city, but they have always been circum-
soribed within certain limits and located in
certain quarters Of the city, so that the ma
jority Of our children who lived in portions
Of the city free from it, have never breathed
the poison and have not had the benefits Of
acolimation. Thus, as ] understand it, it is
that the children from one to II years old are
most subject now to the prevailing. disease.
Rep.-Then, Doctor, your opinion is that
the disease which now attacks the children Is |
yellow fever?
DR.. B.-Yes undoubtedly.
Rep-What method OF treatment do YOU
adopt?
Dr. B.-I think it is great mistake to give
the same medication alike to strangers who
arrive here with rich European blood or
blood entirely different from our own and to
children born here, who have lived here and
whose parents are more or less aCClimated It
is g. well known fact that parents transmit
to their children the vices and virtues of their
blood, and therefore it is certainly not i'm
probable that acclimated parents should con-
fer at least some OF the benefits OF their expe
riences upon their children.
Rep.-Then you think, doctor, that chill
dren born here, particularly, ought TO be
treated with quinine?
DR.. Yes; at the incipiency of the disease
they must be given uuinfne at high doses. 7
this city, that quinine is an absolute specific
but | am satisfied from practice and eXpe- :
fience, that it is, to say the least, extremely
useful In the prevailing sickness, as it is also
with children in cases of pneumonia, typhoid
fever and even measles and scarlet fever
Rep.-But how is 1t, doctor, that such q ,
large proportion of children die from the dis
ease, II we may believe the reported cases,
and when we look at the death list? !
Or. B.-Certainly, many children die it is :
"a fact that cannot be concealed, but there is
no reliance to be placed upon the reported r
cases and the proportion of children who
have severe cases, and die, compared with Y
those who have mild or moderate cases. and
who recover, is certainly small. AS much as
can judge from my practice, and from
What have heard not one out of fifty sick &
children die. {
DIR. W. H. HoLCoMBE, .
she eminent homeopathic, was taken f
on the wing" at the corner of Canal and
Carondelnt Streets where he had just
slipped from his buggy to, take a glass q
Of sode. TIE doctor appeared to have but +
little superiluous time to dispose Of so we f
made our interview as short and direct as q
possible. After the usual salutation we asked .
Q.-Doctor, how do you account for the r
mortality among children from the 9
prevailing epidemic? +
DR.. Hu1combe-I think the large mortality n
Among children Is due to the treatment to
which they are subjected In the majority of 8
asses. Children cannot stand the vigorous =
the purging and sweating, which
. resorted to in the cases Of adults I do not Il
hink they should be at all trammeled. Let r,
heir mothers take them in their arms and \
Nurse them as In other fevers. They need +
Tery gentle handling and the mildest Of medi- ~
ines. q
GIN your own practice what has been the u
elatve mortality as between children and
dults? n
DR.. HI have been far more successful +,
With children. Out of a large number of Il
hildren | have attended / have lost but a q
cry few-two or three only. The homn-
pathic treatment seems to be peculiarly q
dapted to children, and is more successful v
With them than with adults i,
After giving us permission to publish these a
Jews, the doctor excused himself and babe n