The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-04-27
SANITATION.
WHAT THE MEDICAL FRATERNITY
HAS To SAY ON THE HEALTH
OF OUR CITY.

The summer season having virtually set in.
md It hejpe n popular superstition that its
magnificent display of sunshine is generally
accom- panied with sickness of all kinds, rep
regentative of the DEMOCRAT thought he would
endeavor to give some correct data to 'he pub
lie concerning the sanitary condition OF the
city, and Il rthwith went In quest OF informa
/ tion. Whilst walking along and snutfing the
air In search after some physicians in good
practice, he spied leisurely advancing. the
portly figure and comeIy Textures of Dr. Scot.
1.-THE very man l want to seel' duoth the
knight of the pencil
.(alad to meet you" answered the urbane
doctor.
would you object TO being interviewed on
the sanitary condition Of the city2"4
Not at all"
well. tn. n, doctor what do you think OF IL"
II have never seen the city 80 healthy. we
have, in fact here no 81 rious diseases to attend
to, and are called upon 10 take care at present
of simple indit positions. 1t Is long since
have had case Of serious sickness on hand.
There Is, 1t is true. the usual amount of small
pox, but this Is confined in great measure to
Aigiers, aud affects principally the negroes and
mulattoes. A. for consum ption. our reports Of
deaths show an average approximating what l.
customary but most Of the cases are extrane-
who come her" In me last stage OF the disease
and die. as is inevitable"
Whit do ,ou think of the hygiene of the
Il believe that 1t is not sufficiently attended
to. The streets, as u general thlhg, are not
kept clean enough. And then there is that bar
barous eustt m Of taking out the mud anu dirt
from the cutters with shovels and spreading
the dirty substance on the pavement. thus ex-
post z II to the suns rays. which disengases
from il infectious gases productive of malaria
and c. lcula,e..,! In very way to pois n the at
gutter is hy flushing them with water from the
Mississippi. II this " ae properly done. and 1t
could be effect d at q comparatively small ex.
pense. one-btlt surely, OF the dangers of the
summer would be avoided. AS things stand.
believe we have splendid prospect for II healthy
summer 4 only proper sanitary precautions
DIR. g. chopin.
the president of the Board Of Health. was also
called upon In r, Spouse to the inquiry relative
to the sanitary condition Of the city he said that
in his opinion the health of the city nov was re-
markabi, good. The only disease that was con:
TINT was %, fined to limited area in the Third
District and In the rear. 80 far there has not
been sign Of mslarial fevers here, and he to
pects at this season of the year. When asked
about the condition of the streets. the doctor
es to be- .hsy to se at Tho
tiers needed cl ansing., and precautions ought
to be taken to rid them of decaying vege-
table matter. He spoke very strongly concern
ing our streets and he necessity of taking ex-
trao binary means to keep them scrupulously
clean.
DIR WARREN STONE
corroborated all that DR. Chopin had said.
and further stated that means oug bit t. be taken
to have the matter deposited in the cutters re-
moved at night rather than in the day time
when the sun would cause IA dispersion Of he
miasmaic. q. g. He believed that DR.. Chop
pins plan OF flooding the cutters and clearing
them out in this way WAS the best, as it carried
all organic matters outside the tbickly settled
limits. SO far as the present condition Of
outside Of .om. chronic CON plants and bowel
disorders. there was but little sickness.
DIR. BEzou.
Our repor ter met DR. Bezou at the drug store.
corner OF Dumane n, q Rampant ST. Gets. The
health Of the CITY, said that up to now it was
generalIv satisfactory as compared with pre-
coding eajs. Smallpox. measles, scarlet fever
and other malignant diseases are decreasing on
the approach OF sultry weather. though now
bowel complaints seem to prevail. DIR. bezou is
OF the op MON hat the present system of clean
Ing cutters, tic. is prejudicial TO publ health
The way the cutters and bitches are cleaned Is
take out dirt and ffal from gutter; this is
piled on the street. md sometimes lays. there
for four, or five DAYS Then rain sets In and
where the rays Of he sun panetrat. and extract
therefrom del,terlous gases which ,, breed as
eate and prstenGe pe PIE the Third Dis
animals The latter are thrown in the middle
OF tire street and remain there for some time
before picked up by the gar bage carts.
DIR FoBMENTo.
Calling at the Doctors residence No. 81 Es-
panade street the reporter was uSherei into
a neat cabinet, wherein visitors and patients
are received.
DR.. tormepto received the representative of
the DEMOCRAT with great urbanity aud polite
mes ard n inquiry as to the state # health in
the Third District answered that II was excep-
fonaly good. The 20 are very few cases of
small pox or Of malignant dis. ases. which. by
the way, are 60, fined mostly to the color d pop
uation. The doctor stated that he devoted his
attention almost exclusively to surgical opera
tions; but bs much as he could ascertain the
sanitary condition. of the city WAS good.
Alb ut the cleansing of canals aud bay us DR.
Fol mento thir ks that this operation can be done
with more safety towards The public health In
the fall rather than in summer. In October we
have generally fine weather. and the weather
being rs a rule mild, deleterious gases are not
dissent, at.d us much by the heat as during the
summer.
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