The New York herald., 1879-07-13
Yellow Fever.

reminder at this season of the horrors of
last year may have salutary consequences.
Communities forget their calamities with
wonderful facility. In families the devasta-
ton of the scourge is remembered wildly;
but the large number of families of which
no individual was spared are soon enough
forgotten by their townsmen, as their places
in city are filled by new corners, and the
indifferentism which hastens the gen.
eral forgetfulness touches other facts than
the lives of former acquaintances. 1t is
we'll enough, therefore, that the people OF
Memphis should have forced upon their
attention the consid deration that they live In
the same climate and in the same sanitary
conditions generally that exposed them to
the scourge of 1878.
Doubtless they will be ridiculed for the
hasty alarm and sudden flight which on
Thursday carried, it is reported, at least
five thousand persons away from that city.
1t must be remembered that this Hight was
actually advised by the Board OF Health.
But advised or not, it is good impulse on
the part OF the people to flee in such circum-
stances. The communities they may en-
danger by their approach can take their
precautions, because they get the alarm as
early as the fugitives and flight in time,
flight at the earliest moment, reduces to
minimum the chances of spread of the
fever while it reduces the material upon
which the scourge has to feed. People
who have confidence in themselves and in
their city may be wise to stay; but if people
know--as the citizens Of Memphis generally
do know-that they live in cesspool, the
wisest possible course is to get out of it.
Certainly it is not generally known how
much the ravages of the fever last year
were lessened by the extent OF the stam-
pede from Memphis, or less would be said
now in denunciation Of this instructive
repetition of that flight. Memphis had
about forty-fve thousand inhabitants be-
fore the fever came. Twenty thousand got
away within ten days to places Of safety at
distance and five thousand went into camp
in the vicinity, repelled from neighboring
places by the rigidity of the shotgun quar-
antine Twenty thousand were thus left in
the place, of whom fourteen thousand were
negroes. Seventeen thousand Of this
twenty thousand had the fever, and up
ward of five thousand died. Had the
fugitives remained there would have
been thirty-fve thousand instead of seven
teen thousand cases but it must not
be counted that the number Of deaths
would have been only doubled. On the
contrary, the number Of deaths would
probably have gone beyond twenty thou
sand, for the deaths are to be counted for
the possible case of the fugitives, not in
proportion to those of the whole population
but in proportion to those of the whites.
Of the fourteen thousand negroes who re-
mained in the place less than thousand
died, while of the six thousand whites who
remained there died more than four thou
sand Two-thirds Of those who left would
have died, and the fears that induced their
fight would have made them the earliest
victims. Some died on the way to other
places, no doubt, and at other places as far
away even as Boston; but upon the whole
it may be counted that the stampede re-
duced enormously the total mortality.
therefore we cOHSluer ~ WiSe Ou the pdIL
of the Memphis Board of Health to encour-
age the people to run. Perhaps, also, that
Board is cognizant of facts not perceptible
to all of us which induce it to consider that
the room Of about half the population may
be preferable to its company as the hot
weather comes on. Statements are given to
the public apparently on official authority
that the sanitary condition of the city is ex-
cellent, and the statements may be true;
but the fact that they seem to be official is
against them. We know how that is our
selves. If the money appropriated for
sanitary purposes has been spent We are
sure to have official certificates that the
work has been done. 1t may never have
been touched, however. Our Police Com
mission has frequently declared the streets
to be immaculate, when an ordinary
cart might be mired anywhere in
six months accumulations of average
filth. Memphis has had her experience of
the same municipal system; and, indeed,
that experience was direct factor in the
virulence of last years epidemic. Her
sanitary condition was abominable ere the
fever came, and the city had no money with
which to improve it. There was no organ
lied scavenger system. "The accumula-
tions of forty years were decaying upon the
surface; bayou dividing the city, and
which was the receptacle OF all the city filth,
was sluggish and without current, owing to
the want of water. Dead animals were de-
caying in many parts Of it, and the pools
which had formed at the abutments of the
bridges were stagnant and emitted deadly
efiluyia." Such is an account of one element
of the sanitary condition OF the city then.
Is it in the same condition now? Official
certificates are not evidence to the contrary.
In what degree the National Board OF
Health, created in the recent session OF Con-
nress may nrnxe an eff cient nrganizatiop il