The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-09-15
YELLOW FEVER PREVENTTVES.
To the Editor Of the Democrat:

| 10 the EGftOr or the D6m OCFAJ.
Among the many p1reventiyes, OF yellow
| fever recommended to the people through the
newspapers is smoke. For several days past
| some stvant has been urging the people to
| build fires in the streets for the purpose OF
smoking out the fever cause. OF course. no
| sufficient reason Is given-Or can be given
why smoke will do what is claimed for it. In
deed, 1t is very probable that the advocate Of
smoke does not know what smoke is.
| Anyhow, the number Of fires. and conse-
| uuently the amount Of smoke Is increasing
| with every evening, and with no other result
| than serious annoyance to the sick and no
| little discomfort to the we'll
| Let me give two illustrations which ought
| to suffice, and prompt the authorities to stop
the worse than folly.
| Last evening had q little patient in a pro-
| carous condition. ! was trying to induce
sleep. Everything favored success, except
the fact that there were several street fires in
| the immediate neighborhood, with crowds of
| howling boys rolling barrels, and kicking up
| q row generally.
Another little patient was not annoyed by
| the noise particularly, but the smoke had
penetrated the house and was oppressive.
| notice in your reportorial column, this
morning, a Recommendation to add phur to
the fires in future, and this on the ground
| that suIphurous acid preserves a corpse, q leg
| of mutton, 90 lot Of TOMATOES etc.
Now, I presume your reporter has never
| yet breathed SnlpurOus acid gas, or ne would
| not desire to subject the unfortunate sick Ito
say nothing of the WE'LL OF this city to that
ordeal IT, by any means, the atmosphere OF
this city could be- impregnated with sulpur-
| GUS acid gas to such an extent as to make any
material impression on either animal or
vegetable microscopic life floating therein
(under the theory held, the distress to sick
and we'll would be fearful Such Is the at
mospheric volume and atmospheric cOmmO-
tiOn however, the most ardent believer In the
theory cannot hope for successful saturation:
The only possible result that can enSue will
10 x,icr, md
the fires, produce o noisome stencil, and har-
rass both sick and we'll
do not address you with q view to discus
sion of the vague theories held in regard to
plea for the comfort of the sick. But In doing
this | suppose must appeal to the common
sense Of your readers, or they will go on
SIN oking their sick neighbors.
Grant that sui phurOuS acid gas will preserDe
corpse, or an ear Of green corn, or a tomato;
grant that smoke is preserUatlue OF the hams,
! bacon or dried beef that we eat; what has this
to do with preventing the yellow fever cause
from your or MY Dooa
other. Salt and smoke preserre ham for the
time being, but at last they cannot prevent
destruction. Sooner or later It comes-as IS
the case, am sorry to say, with some good
hams In my stOre-rOOm.
But when these and other presentations are
| used effectually the substances to be pre-
served are saturated with them, or are Kept
in an atmosphere saturated.
II our blood is to be preserved, then, it must
be saturated, or it must be surrounded by q
saturated atmosphere And who, sick or
| we'll, can stand this? Don't tell me that sui
phurous acid gas destroys the fever cause.
The examples OF its action adduced by your
reporter are that it preserves, and you can
not argue from that standpoint that it de-
stroys. This destructive power remains to
be proved. And if it ever Is proved that satu,
ration of ships hold destroys, then it will
be nonsense still to burn sulphur on the
streets, for you cannot saturate the atmos-
phere, or ii you could God help those in it.
[ plead for the sick. MEDICUS.