The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-12-01
fermentation stops, or Is of a greatly dimin.

| nHbuihl ptoHlctS consumed, and furthermore
In order to be in accord with economical prin-
ciples, 1t Is also the dearest relatively In
iact the nsttution established to supply the
city with water cannot fill the wants Of our
population. Whole sections and populous
| wards are remaining without the liver water
Hence comes the necessity of procuring and
storing rain water, which in epidemic years e
| certainly very poor. In this manner a
great many people have to conform them
selves with using cistern water, a water little
| renewed and containing all sorts Of impurities
accumulated on the roofs during the dry
season and such is the water which our fami-
| lies are drinking. Even when absorbed, with
| Ice In It, that water retains in most houses the
| characteristic Odor Of rotten eggs that Is the
different sulphydrates and sulphydric acid
| in liberty. ! am not at all disposed to estab-
| fish that this Is the cause of yellow fever. |
cannot say. But said rain water is q cause
Of debilitation and Of poisoning, which may
| give rise to many and various pathological
disorders, and thereby complicating any and
| all diseases.
| In my opinion that first condition 81 public
hygiene must be studied in the most serious
manner In order to reach the following two
| results: |. That in each and every house
| river water should be everywhere distributed
| and ready at hand, from the yard to the high
| est story, thus aboishing Cistern water as q
| drink Q, That the city should have free and
unlimited use Of the river water and that the
| administration should use 1t In as large guam
tity as 1t would be required to wash daily our
drainage canals, so intensely Infected at all
times and also to flow our cutters where the
dirty waters running from each house are
kept perpetually stagnant by the want OF de
CliVity of our streets.
To realize such progress In our hygenic
water arrangements, 1t would be well to set
to work along our river bank, fronting the
city, series OF steam pumps. which continu-
ally, or as often during the day as 1t would
be found useful, would be employed to throw
the river water into our cutters, thus causing
n constant running stream in our back canals,
and those eternal focuses of corruption
would effectualy be dsiniected
10 complete the system, convenient NUM-
Der Of draining machines should be employed
and renifg be set to work to facilitate the
course of these waters into the lake Should
n portion Of the Mississippi water be brought
to the Gulf by first entering Lake Pontchar-
train, or should It be carried by It's natural
channel, the results are the same and imma-
terial, except that public healtSl il partcu-
lar as well rs in general. would be benefited
by this course,
To accomplish my second proposition it
would be necessary IT, substitute for the pres
ent system Of wateisTorks something more
effective and worthier Of large city, har-
monous with the advanced civilization of
our days and Of our great country.
We need, we ought IT, have and we certainly
shall have. sooner or later. more extensive
and modern waterworks to supply the entire
population with river water, perfectly filtered
by means Of some Of the numerous improved
appliances i'll al the other great centres.
Let MS all have water, plenty Of it, and the
very best that science and engineering can
proclItsls ! will say here that the Missis-
sippi water Is the best the purcst and the
most potable Of all waters known.
Since we have entered the domicles to
examine the poor quality and small quantity
Of water there consumed, We may as well stop
a moment to consider how offensive is the
system Of prives, and the badly established
irrigation Of the yards, with the refuse waters
coming from each floor Of the houses.
The above considerations may be condensed
In the following terms A great deal of water in
the canals and cutters Of the city, and great
deal Of water in the residences engines to give
us water. and draining machines to turn this
water of into the lake. In these consists the
entire hygienic system required in New Or
leans.
have stated already that the public by
giene remains in its infancy to the present
day. | will not leave you under the impress
sion that have put forth an opinion without
any proof.
have heard or read in some Of the daily
papers something relative to II committee in
vestigating certain irregular practices carried
on by some employees Of the Public Works
Department.
Ialso remember having read a number Of
protests from citizens OF different wards
against the usage of filling and raising streets
and lots with all kinds Of garbage q
But am able to assure you that have
seen at the end Of last spring, or rather at the
commencement of last summer Hospital |
street, from Galvez to Broad street, raised |
about one foot and a half on that whole |
length with the worst imaginable garbage |
which was brought there by the city carts by |
the order Of the administration. There are |
no words to describe the pestilential odors |
from those cart loads Of putrefed |
matters Shortly afterwards saw they were |
filling, IN the same manner and with the same |
kind Of infected stuff, that part Of Galvez |
street com priSed between ESplanadn and st |
Philip or Dumaine.
! was thinking at the time what would |
become Of that neighborhoOd when the heat |
Of summer would have commenced to act on
that mass of already decayed animal and |
matters.
noticed one morning that q gree number
Of dogs, cats and hogs were congregated in
the middle of Hospital street buslIy en- +
gagged in digging and pulling out from the
garbage, 10 feed themselves on, a great many |
fresh carcassns Of dead dogs, chickens, etc.
Those poor starving animals were giving -
lesson of public hygiene, accepting willingly |
TO be instrumental to the transformation of |
those cadavnrous remains into living matter.
1t may also be seen in the lower parts of |
the city, sometimes in more central portions,
and often in private yards, that holes are |
filled by piling in entirely fresh oyster shells
A very few days Of dampness, and heat after
wards aiding, it cannot be imagined how in
fectant this gross concrete becomes.
But we have shown enough with the preCed-
Ing examples.
In the present stateVf science, would not |
pronounce entirely against quarantine regu-
atiOns. 1t is a positive fact that all kiptlS of
diseases are apt to create a focus Of Infection,
and an infected centre may soon engender an
other and SO on. But | will affirm unhesi-
titingly that the best mode Of avoiding the
Of any such foci Of infection is oh
tanned by the dissemination Of all the inhabit-
ants of the primitive infected circle. The de-
sired result is not attained by isolating the
of an infection, and still more so in
the case Of yellow fever and even In that Of
all other endemic fevers, as it is perfectly
that said diseases are not in
the least contagious, notwithstanding contra
Be possessed Of less faith in the acknowledged
general and particular prophylaxy than in
5hn problematic effectiveness Of guarantees.
The prevailing epidemic points in the most
emphatic manner TO the fact thSs yellow and
Dthec fevers have spread over an immense
irea OF the country in spite of quarantine
regulations and precautions.
The causes having been general it il evil