The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-12-01
THE YELLOW FEVER.
LETTER TO THE YELLw FEVER COW.
MISSION.
NEW ORLEANS. October. 1s1

tihNt itSttu iie HbSlS Oh your HtlEIS III Tic
investigation committed to your care relative
to the genealogy Of yellow fever, causes Of
that disease, influences and conditions from
which 1t takes BIRTH etc, are all ques-
tions connected with studies exceedingly pro-
found and arduous, but In the solution Of
which personal appreciations are too often, II
not unavoidably, tempted to take tho place of
inneybe actual observations.
The method Of study adopted and.foIlowed
by me will not permit me to answer, even
approximately. In the order Of the interroga-
tories set forth In the programme presented
to the consideration of our professional
brethren.
Nevertheless science does moi remain en-
tirely voiceless upon matters directly or In
directly touching the acknowledgement of
those problems in general manner. retrac-
ing them afterwards to the pondefation Of
particular and specified facts.
First In line we have before us the question
OF the importation Of yellow fever: In this
we must start with the premise and Ihave the
honor to affirm it-that yellow fever is pecu-
llarly endemic to Now Orleans, tho same as
1t Is to the whole littora encirclng the Gulf
Of Mexico, the focus from which the yellow
fever irradiates over the world.
II Is not an easy task to have Idany to par
tlcipate in this idea, when it is considered that
we are situated 100 miles from the Ilouth Of
the river. But we must not forgei, in order to
be convinced that Lake PontEhartrain is
nothing but an arm of the GulS of Mexico,
which advances 50 far as to wash tie entire
back suburbs of the city, and even large ex-
tent Of our productive fields as we'll as several
other towns in this State, 1t wil:bc well also
to remember that it has always. been along
9 the borders of the lakes and seas. os points
4 OF altitude and longitude as Those which I'M
fortunately mark tho site Of Now Orleans,
where yellow fever has been senn 80 cause
epidemica ravages from time ttStfme without
the necessity Of the pretended ct,ntngion by
direct importation from Havana, Vera Cruz
or other infected ports.
A city like ours, which Il tho year round in
daily contact with the named poeJs autl others |
where yellow fever reigns nearly without |
intermission ut all seasons ought 10 he ir !
Temssfhly doomed, on account efSeOttinuouS |
importation, toa perpetual epidcinc5
Well, now, this dups not happen far New
Orleans no more than Tor Vera Cruz oil |
Havana. nor again Tor any other Eouistry, no |
matter what the. disease may 10 watch s
studied in its origin
Cholera and pest-those two great Oriental |
endemcs- become epidemicin theY own birth |
place, IHe same as 60 HNSfHIhfY GHnE levers |
in general i'm our inter-tropcal climate
Why Is 1t that there are years when. yellow |
fever remains perfectly endemic2s. Ard why |
Is 1t that, here as well as elsewhere, 1t takes
the character Of epidemic from time to timer |
There is the question to he solved. The fact
is well known by experience, and independ-
emily OF all causes looked for, a. 1t lis also
known that diseases reignng In the shape Of
epidemics are emineDtly OF more serious
type, without creating the impression that
they have in the least degree changed their
nature.
HYGIENE rules and regulations 10 be- estab-
lished In city where public hygiene does not
exist, and even Is so feehy advocated and I'M
derstood, could not Mt all save our centre from
the monsters visit under the form OF the
much dreaded yellow fever. and the no less
destructive paludal fevers, dysentery,
cholera, or Of any other presidential Diseases.
But undoubtedly those hygienic rules, well OBJ
served, would place our population improper
condition TO receive the disastrous visItatiODs
and would arm us with better elensents of
success In combating the enemy. 4 That is to
say. those epidenlics would be great deal
less murderous, they would not be compli
Gated and aggravated, through the general
effects resulting from the unquestSonable bad
hygienic conditions surrounding us
Typhoid fever exists In Paris, notwithstand-
ing all the practical advantages IT civilization
enjoyed in that great capital. Bus this par
tcuar disease will become less and lass de
structive as the hygienic conditions which
naturally springs from abundance and pros
creaSng ameiOraton OF life
The bad conditions Of our New Grlesns ny
gicnc are not and have never been modified
by the so-called disnfectants will. wlsieh we
have been SO copouGly mpregnafed :during
three years useless expense and result Of
no account under Pretense OF purifying the
atmosphere, and, later. OF eXtrpating from it
some supposed and purely invented lnicros-
copic animaculea, or some stills less prOved
vegetable sporulcs- to all Of which, some0
havegone so far as to attribute extraordinary
generative power.
Our authorities. with such hypothetical OBJ
ject In view, have poisoned the air we Breathe
IN saturating it with carboIc acijls long
before the time when the pretemled:yellow
fever mlcrophtos could havG APP
peared; and much damage to pubic and in
dividual health has resulted thergfroln, not
wthstanding the protest Of our most on
ltghtened physicians, and in splte sof the
unanimous compliant of our peoplp
On the present Memorable epilemie year
the same nuisance has been carried 0n as 1t
had been under the previous administration,
though the present one used thu poisonous
acid with mOdefation. however. the result
obtained from the much-prased disfectant
has been once more demonstrated tts be OF
perfect nullity in its expected ELECTS.
1t IL true, and | must praise the lEoard Of
Health for 1t, they have thoughsthej micro
phitic theory prevailed among the members,
limited the practice Of dsinfeCtion by means
of carbolic acid, 10 determined and marrow
spaces, such as cutters, closets, back yards,
etc, thus deSiSting in q certain degree from
the pretension of disnfecting the atmosphere
OF New Orleans, while filling it swith .poison-
Gus emanatons. Gs
1t is very evident that telluric examinations
of all sorts, produced by the SdeGomposi- I
ton Of vegetable and animal matte1s must (
result and is constantly, resulting, from an
aluvial soil sn course of formation, and from
a marshy land hundreds of miles in extent as I
Is the Mississippi Valley. in mostsof its parts
drained and made hahita6e only by abundant
and productive agriculture, and Upon which (
immense cites and numerous towsis have been
established !
The city Of New Orleans is situated on a
ground Of argilous alluvion, which ii kept In {
continual fermentation by the heat ofthe sun :
Dampness, heat, organic matters. are the in /
dispensable conditions to the forIslatfon of all ,
kinds of eflluvia, which are apt to vsiate the {