Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1879-06-13
b. FURSrENREIM,
Chairman Finance Committee.
CORRECTION DEMANDED.


attention OF the sanitary association to the
report of its Sergeant Broaddus, published
in your issue of yesterday, with hope that
as to part of said report it may be recommit-
ted with instruction to correct the errors and
misstatements made therein. l refer to that
part OF the report which 6d states that Nos.
127, 129, 1898, 1872, 133 Beale street, stag
nant water under all houses; main building
occupied by John -, as tenement-house
for negroes, many of whom are now sick;
property belonging to Henry Dent. l am
prepared to show that there is not one word
of truth in this entire statement, except
as to the numbers OF the houses,
which 1 believe are given correctly.
There is no stagnant water under these
houses, and there is no one sick In them, nor
has there been for six months past; and fur
Their, the property does not belong to Henry
Dent. / will say ons word IN regard to
the health of this block, and that is only two
persons died there dunng last summers fear
full epidemic. at which time the houses were
fully occupied, and the general health of this
place will compare most favorably with any
part of the city. As to the present condition
of these houses, l refer to DIR. Thornton,
president of the board of health, who exam
ined them yesterday morning. If the balance
of this report is not more reliable than this,
1t is worth very little, and in my humble
Judgment will resultin much more harm than
good to the city. H. G. DENT.
SOME FACTS ON SANITATION.
EDITORS APPEAL.-Dr. w. Hewitt states
that the people in part OF China drink OF
their rivers, charged with excreta and all
human pollution, without detrement to their
health. We would state that we believe the
doctor has made very grave mistake, and,
if carried out, might be the cause of untold
injury to himself (if he believed it, and to
his neighbors around him. Now the truth
of the matter Is that the Chlnaman drinks
the water out of his polluted rivers with i'm
punlty. But how? Why, By boiling it on
his fire and putting handful of tea into it
he makes it good healthy beverage. 1t any
authority Is wanted it is on hand to support
my statement. Again ne says, or intimates,
that these rivers and the air are charged with
excreta. In this the doctor Is a little unfor-
tunate for the Chinaman IS too great an
economist to deposit bis excrement into
river. He deposits it On the earth and
breaks it in dry earth, and sells it at a mar
ket price, as the best manure that is known.
Again it might be well tor the doctor to
know that in the shipment OF this China
dung, and when in the hull of ship, that
upon several occasions it has been known to
ferment. When this takes place every soul
BILE, and if all the misery re-
corded in the shipping of this
excrement was fully known there
would be but few followers Of Doctor
w. HeWltu's theory of disease, DR.. j. Dud-
geons account notwithstanding. DR.. VIM.
Hswitt's paper, alluded to above, was pub
lished in the APPEAL about two weeks ago.
We would also say that his system OF nosol-
ogy is defective and does not meet the re-
quirements of modern science. OF the if
teen systems of nosology that may be classed
as eminent, there IS but one system that will
meet the demand of the present develop
ment of modern science, and that is by DIR.
Farr. The doctor says, that is Hewitt, all
contagious diseases are caught from persons,
their emanatlons or clothes, and not from
dirt heaps and foul gases. In answer to the
above, we will state that it is devoid of facts
to sustain the proposition. 1t has been found
past all doubt that the fungus on rotten straw
will produce measles. DIR. Salisbury, OF
O9io, with true devotion to science, inocu-
lated himself with the fungi, the disease was
measles, and his heroic wife went through
the same experiment with the same results
Is this not plain case of specific contagion?
Nothing more Is wanting to show that the
doctor Is mistaken. Buff the above is no.
sufficient, we will state that the straw useo
for the bedding In Camp Sherman was found
covered with fungus OF the above kind, and
without the process of incubation, the camp
was almost PROSTATE with sick soldiers.
The disease was measles of the above type,
and symptomatlc, the cause was local, this
local cause produced contagion, and classed
under the familiar head of ecGnthemata.
Again, the doctor says no one ever heard of
a person catching the yellow fever from a
horse-pond. We will state, however, on
good authority, that organic matter to the
amount of light grains has been obtained
from one thousand cubic feet OF air collected
over a marshy borse-pond, and 1t is worthy
Of notice that it has just the same chemical
characters as the organic matter exhaled
from the lungs, turning red the nitrate of
silver, yielding ammonia when treated with
lime, and blackening sulphuric acid when
drawn through it. We will state that if
there Is any truth in the above, it Is impor-
tant that it should be made known, for it is
capable of producing malaria, causing not
only intermittent and Iemittent fevers, but
diarrhea and pure dysentery, and, as fair
conclusion, yellow-fever. Messrs. Editors, in
conclusion, it has been my lot to be firing
into the doctors for some cause or other.
We regard this in one respect as very
unfortunate, for we believe more gentle
manly set of men are not in existence;
and as for their profession, we regard it as
delegated from heaven itself to soothe the
sufferings of poor fallen man. Ny fight is
noble one. With them the tussle is to see
which will come nearest the truth, the truth
only, and no other object can get between
myself and our physicians, if we except the
present weighty and all absorbing subject
public health. THOMAS CUBBINs.