The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-12-22
BLACK MEASLES AND DIpHTuERIA.

Every now and then Nav York III ylaltotl
by those dreadful and fatal dReaaea. black
mrasl"e mud dtphthntn. apd tho mortality II
always alarming. just now thean dsriAsca
| .,erm u have broken ont with much ylrulruCe
aud have invaded the public sclsol+ and other
institutions. lii ono school. III which there T.
| nh attendance III lll1 tcholara thTr were Il DO
nj hane on the sick list. and In Tho Day
Nursery and Eabtca Shelter" in charge OF the
Sisters or tho Holy Communion. nt 10 West
twentieth street. where therr nln seventeen
infants sixteen OF them arc silk all with
black measles except two who have diph-
liberia. This sad condition of affairs IL ut
trihutrd To- detective drana aud the plumber.
IA usual, comes In Tor his share of tho blame.
Tho fact ~, That iii thn large Northern and
Western cities diphthora and Typhoid and
scarlet tevors. all Of which are caused by de-.
fecttyo systams If sewerage, arc yearly car
rynR of thousands Of victims. without OK
citing onr-huudlrcdth part Of the alarm that
would b. orCastoned by ono siuge ease of
yellow fevnr III u Southern city Yellow frvrr
Is only an COCA 4onnl visitant, but tho dread
full and fatal Diseases TINT infect thu cltics or
the North ana West ara constant guests
claiming their victims ut NIL soasons. and
never resting from thnr deadly work. 1t is
always harvest time for thcm. ana thcy renp
even whio they scatter abroad their seeds ~
poison and oF death.
Tho Sister In charge Il The "l}ahics' She-
tor. !" Ill speaking OF tho sirlSun44 Ut the chill
drtn. drew y v"ly pathetic picture IT the
suffering of tho poor little Infants committed
to their care. Quttn Il number, shu said had
already died while tho mt and darling Of
the institution. wait without father OF
mother but who had become cndrarod
u them MI ana precious AZ thrir
own child. Was then gasping for breath and
In tho throeS Of death. Tho black measlea,
which IL II Very malignant and fatal typo oF
the dsense sc6ma t. he spreading tn an
alarming extent According to the reports of
tile health department thrrc wcre isS casrs iii
that city last wnrk, M against t4G the week
preceding, and tho spread Of tho disease l.
attributed 10 il failure Is enforce the proper
sanitary measures such aa fumigntion aud
distnfcction of houses in which eases have oc-
Cured, and also 10 detective plumbing It Il
no doubt caused In largo measure by tho
poisonous sewer gas. which no mechanical
skill has ever yet been able 10 exclude en-
tirely from tho houses iii the largo cities
North and West. A physicln In Chicago In
formed us that u very large proportion Of
the sickness IN that city was dHe To this
abOminable gas, which came VII through
detective traps and permrated tho
dwellings OF the rich AMI poor alike,
IT Il the banc of I'LL cities whore thrr, II Il
system o! underground sewage, and while
the cities Of the South have much To contend
against, and sometimes suffer from vista
tons or yellow fcvnr they arc almost entire-
Iy free from those Diseases arising from
sewer gas, which while they are almost II not
quite as fatal us the high fevers of this lat
itude, are more TO be- dreaded, as they are con-
stantly nj work. The North aud West rs
we'll rs the South needs To study the subject
OF local sanitation. There Is vast room for
Improvement in every city In the whole coun-
try, and no onR locality can very well point
the finger OF reproach ut the other. We have
all Of us much to learn and much to forget,
and we shall not progress much In knowledge
OF sanitary matters until we have forgotten
vast amount Of what has heretofore been 70
4 rded as wisdom.