The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-07-25
CITY CEMETERIES.
WHAT OUR PHYSICIANS THINK OFIN'
TERMURAL BURIAL I'M THECKLY
EWbDA4AHEW WHfJ H&HGHAS

In the course of his peregrinations reporter
OF the DEMOCRAT happened to pass down Clai-
borne street and past the ST. Louis Cemetery
No. O. and when there came an odor from the
walls Of a row Of vaults backing on the Sidewalk
that was so oppressive and so surely came from
decomposition that it was thought the health of
the surrounding houses could not but be i'm
paired. The following physicians were visited
In order to secure their opinions on the subject.
A DEMOCRAT reporter yesterday visited the
Charity Hospital TO see DIR. Geo. FL. Pratt the
surgeon In charge, relative to harm said to be
caused by crowded cemeteries located in the
| heart Of the city On arriving there he found
the Doctor absent at dinner, but In a short
while returned and saluted the reporter with:
Good morning, Mr.. DEMOCRAT; In search of
| items?"
Reporter-Good morning. Doctor. Yes; am
In search of an item, but in a way you little ex-
pect. want to interview you.
DR.. Pratt-You do, oh well sit down. Now,
what do you want to know?
Rsp.-I called to learn all you know about the
| i'll effects OF burial In the city.
| DR.. P.-l do not know much on the subject;
you SOC it Is matter that does not take long to
Rep.-Do. you think the system # burial In
| the heart Of 8 crowded city Injurious to health
Or. P;-l do; indeed; / belieye i to be most
Gfrod, Claiborne and St. Louis cemeteries
should be done away with as places of burial.
,Rep.m1aHow do you think this could be accom-
DriP.-Of course the cemeteries themselves
could not well be removed. but law ,uld be
passed prohibiting the burial VI bodies In those
places after a certain time.
| best mode of burial.
| DR.. P.-I think interment
In THE EARTH
Is decidedly the best for health When people
are buried in the ground. 1t does not do much
harm to those above, but when they are buried
| in vaults 1t Is very heleteFinus.
Rep.-Why Is it tha' there Is such Inference
Ia the results to health in the two ways of bu-
| DR.. P-The gases resulting from the decom-
position of bodies inferred in vaults escape into
| the air and do great deal OF harm, while the
gases cannot escape from those bodies buried in
| the earth to the air.
Rep.-Does the sometime dsagreeable odor
which is observed in the vicinity of cemeteries
| DIR, P-Yes. Those odors come directly from
| the deeomposition Of the bodies.
Rep.-D0 you think the malarial diseases
which abound in this city are in any way due
| to these OdOrs?
| DR.. P-I will not say positively that these
odOrs breed disease, but they
vITIATE THE ATMOSPHERE
and deplete the constitution.
Rep.-Then youn do not believe in our present
system of burial?
moved. No such thing as intermural burial
Rep-Do you think that Potter's Field Is In
any way conducive to ill-health?
DR.. P.-Potter's Field Is out on the Metairie
Ridge. and is so far from the city that 1t cannot
there es are b buried II he or ground. and in conse
| quence the dec0mUosed matter and fluid mixed,
is thorouely filtered through the earth, and
| does not effect the atmosphere. Now, il we'll
water was used in this section. 1t would be hurt
| ful In great degree
RepID you think closing these cemeteries
would have o good effect2
Dr. P-Yes. sir; all Of them should be closed
They are fall to overdoWing now. 1 have seen
the bones Of one man showed aside, to make
| room for fresh body In an overcrowded vault.
Rep:-Are there not other odors arising In
than those we have been speaking Off
DR.. P-I know Of none, sir. Why there has
| been great talk about the ammonia works and
| about the smell from that being liable to cause
sickness. The odors arising from decaying
bodies is ten times as dangerous.
| Rep.-It has been stated that persons passing
have seen fluid oozine down the side OF vaults.
| Is this rain water. or what
| DR.. P-During decsm mDOsition the several
parts Of the body separate into fluids and gases,
| Rep.-Where do you think would be the best
place to remove the burial grounds to2
moved to the Metaire Ridge; [ do not agree
with them, for this reason. In the future the
city will extend that far, II not farther. and
then there VIII be the same trouble there is now
Rep-Doctor what do you think
s OF CREMATION
as a means Of disDosing of the dead2
| DF. FL tnlnK IL an 6XC8ll5nt 1Qea, 1t would
be great deal better to cremate than to CON
tinue the present mode Of burial. / think it Is
the best way ever devised by science Tor the dis"
| DOSal of bodies.
Rep.-Do you think cremation would ever be-
come popular in this community?
| Dr. P.-I do not think 80. 1t would be almost
| impossible to make 1t take here. do NOT be-
| leve that Grant and all his army could make
the people Of thl4 city resort to It, You see there
them to ever adopt an idea that seems 80 heart.
| less although it really is not So
Rep Is there not q class Of subjects who
have no means of burial and nofriends g grieve
or get sentimental over them who could be used
| to tart this experiment here.
DR.. P.-Any number, who have no homes, no
| friends. nor any means OF burial, and as o gem
| eral thing they are buried
| IN THE PoTTER's FIELD
at the expense of the city-those Of them, that
is, VINO are not used in the medical college for
| remnants OF the dissecting rooms.
| Rep.-Do you think that the odors arising
from decomposing bodies tend to breed pesti-
DR.. 'P.-I do think the odors spoken of
| fruitful source for the perDetuation OF small
pox. and It is possible yellow fever may be per-
Rep.-Do you think that after body has been
laid away some time disease could come from
| DR.. P.-The germs of these diseases can sur
viVe any length Of time. The opening Of q
vault may result in spreading contagious
ReD,-You say that the gases escape from the
vaults, DO you remember ever to have seen q
vault opened, and whether any odor was per-
ceptible?
| DR.. P.-I have seen vaults opened eighteen
months after a corpse had been inferred and
nothing was to be seen but the bleached bones.
The atmos Dhere Of the vault was perfectly pure,
which proves that the gases had escaped into
the air.
Rep.-Doctor, thank you for the patience
with which you have answered my questions.
Good morning.
| DR.. P.-Good morning. sir; | am always ready
to give any information in my power.
DR.. Miles, who was present at the time, said
he concurred in all that DR.. Pratt had said.
DR.. Samuel Logan was found in his office,
and answered our reporters interrogatories.
| Rep.-Doctor, what are your views about our
city cemeteries. / refer to burials In the st.
J Louis. Washington and Girod street places OF
interment2
Dr. Logan-I have always been opposed to In
termural burial. 1t is deleterious to health and
, should be stopped.
Rep.-What method would you suggest as
prac icable to discontinue burials within the
| probfbik ,1nFf