The New Orleans daily Democrat., 1878-11-25
THE FEVER AT NEW ORLEANS.
WHENCE 1T CAME AND WHAT HT COST
us.

Egeunrfs of Eprs Chopin and Austin. Read
Before the American Public Health
Association.
Richmond Dispatch.l
DIR. Chopin, president Of the Board OF
was this year brought from Hayana by the
Steamship Emily B. Souder, on May %. The
history Of the spread of the disease was given
in detail. and the sanitary condition Of the
city ably described
In summing up, the Doctor said
"The experience Of the present year with
regard to the efficacy of strict quarantine
goes to sustain the theory of importation
and portability Of yellow fever. Witness Gal
weston, which has not developed q single
case. Witness Shreveport Monroe, La. and
Natchez Miss, with their shotgun quaran-
tines turning away pestilence; and witness,
again, Mobile, which has certainly escaped
From the statement and facts given In
the accompanying papers which he submit
TED to the association it is an Irresistible
conclusion that yellow fever is not an indigo
nous disease of Louisiana Or any other part
OF the United States, but that the many years
when 1t made its appearance In this country
1t could be traced, either directly or Indirect
Iy, to q foreign source.
we, in Louisiana, operating under quar- |
antine law not absolute in It's restrictions, |
after an earnest effort in executing it, con-
Quoted with all the honesty and energy at our
command, assisted by incorruptible quaran-
Ine officials have utterly failed in prevent
Ing the importation of the pestience, which
mas thrown gloom and sorrow over our whole
Southwestern valley. No conditional u,,aran-
tine can ever be made effective because
first., OF the laxity with which laws are unfor-
Gunately executed in this country; and sec
tondly. because Of the cupidity Of commercial
Heaven and earth tn 1voIa rnt NIL oil
quarantine laws and regulations.
The great object to b6eaimed at is to PIE
vent the germs Or fomites Of this dreaded
pestilence from having access to our people,
and the only certain and sure preventive of c
yellow fever. In my humble opinion, is nbso-
tute non-tnterconrse with ports where yellow t
fever Is indigenous from the 1st Of April to
the 1st Of November Of each year. f
"Once eradicate this disease from the land +
as 1t must necessarily be by our cold winters.
and. gentlemen, mark my word, we will never p
again be visited by the terrible scourge unless +
introduced from abroad"
Dr. Chopin estimates the cost of the vel +
low fever In New Orleans in 1878 as follows: b
Estimated number of cases ............ $4,000
Cost Of ten days sickness of each one !
at s3....:....... ...:.......,, ,,........ s75o.ooo
COST of 1900 funerals at s25 each .....-. 125o0
About two-f1fths Of 4500 victims repre- .
sent each q capital value of $1,000. u
:, amounting to,;,,...;.:.-........,, to-, 1.sooooo e
RemhiulhE tnrets- nuns at 1870 .,.,.... $4,000
Loss of time of half the Industrial il
population-say 10000 people~for il
ninety days. at 20 per day .,....,. 100000 c'
Values destroyed by the epidemic o72 son ,
commercial losses BY interruption of "
intercourse with tho surrounding H.
country and diversion Of trade to o(
other cities. .,....-....... 5000 600 "
Total losses ,s12 o72 500 ~
profits of the summer trade e
with ports whore yellow fever 10
usually prevails observation-disclosures. s., 500 900
The difference between these two sums ca 60
ay $40 572, represents the actual cost of =.
ne epidemic to the material resources of da dt
}eW Orleans. th 10
Moderate IN all particulars, show that trade ha
urlng half the year with certain tropical At,
'Orts, and worth to our city million and a Gu
ALI dollars, Is held at O. risk of more than Kc
DIV fever. An estimate Of tie total losses to
ur country from this epidemic has been
nade by ME- A. B. Farquhar, in O. letter to
n,General WoodWorth, in which he
40 Laces @ them at the enormous sum of $175,-
10000, ')NN - ~A''' Da
EPIDEMIC IN NEW ORLEANS IN 1885, iOl
Dr. W. G. Austin, member of the Board of
[ealth of New Orleans, followed DR.. Choppin. -
nd read O. valuable paper 1t was devoted in
part to the epidemic of 1889, COM
airing it with that of 1873, which it was much
ke and which, he thought, clearly proved - -
uc lloi tC'4 anu dob NJ LpC<t2 ollStH LII
lirtY Ytive years experience in Louisiana and El III
Mississippi, he was satisfied there has never D,1 Dn
zen single case originated there. The O.
ver Is indigenous to tho climate of the West Inc
ldia Islands, the coast of Mexico and South Ko
merca. within the tropics. 1t Is brought to Lax
) in ships in fOmities. Then it spreads until Let
reaches the air Of n cold cimatn whom tho Lo
arms fail and become harmless, for one Of Ne
70 reasons: that The germ has lost its force E Nn
: there is not an adaptation Of the atmos- I'm
here CALCULATED to absorb the poison, 1t is Pitt
y endemic In any Of the Southern States. Shr
DR., Austin proposes that 1878 shall be the st.
st year of yellow fever in New Orleans, IF Sf.t
q shall declare nOn-intc,COansc between oil we
@ ports where yellow fever is endemic and tnl t,sl
ew Orleans from the first day OF May until ~ ~
e first of November. Rar o
Both DR.. Chopin and DR.. Austin spoke in Moi
lndsome terms Of the liberality of the peo- Mo,
Q Of the country to the afflicted of New Or saw
ans. AtIt