Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-02-01
The Epidemic of 1873.

The Epidemic Of 1873.
DIR. Chopin, of Louisiana, in his
address before the Public Health Asso-
citation, said that the germ hypothesis in
relation to yellow fever will serve to
throw light on some Of its devious
movements and strange behavior.
Grant that q certain number of the
germs is needed to produce sickness;
that these germs are reproduced either
inside or outside the human body; that
they multiply in rapid geometrical ra-
ito by repeated generations at short in
tervals; that new generation brought
to life in hot weather is not only vastly
more numerous, but more energetic
individually than its predecessors; that
these germs are capable, both of spon-
taneous locomotion along the ground
and other surfaces, and of transporta-
ton in the clothing of persons; grant
these conditions, which are quite in
harmony with the known nature Of ami
malcular beings, and the difficulty of
missing links in the chain of evidence
is reduced to mere cavilling. Add to
this that no germs existed from the pre-
vious year TO survive the winter of 1877
rs, and that there is no suspicion Of
the introduction of yellow fever this
year by other means than that of the
Souder, anu we are reduced to the ne
cessity of fastening the guilt upon that
particular vessel, unless we adopt the
theory of the spontaneous production
of the pestilence from local causes.
The nature of these causes no one can
explain, even to his own satisfaction,
nor why they should exist one year
rather than another, or should prevail
along the shores of the Gulf of Mexico
rather than the shores of the Indian
Ocean. The truth is, any other theory
of the materies morbi of yellow fever
than the germ theory is speedily lost in
inexplicable mystery.
DR.. Chopin then proceeded to con-
slider the cost of the yellow fever epi-
demic of 1878 to the city of New Or
leans. His estimate was as follows:
Estimated number Of cases. ........... $4,000
Cost Of ten days sickness by each one
Cost Of Z, 500 funerals at s25 each. 200
Adults, two-fifths of $500 victims, rep.
resent each capital value of $1,000
amounting TO-. 1,6OO,OU0
Remaining three-ffths at $500 amount
TO-. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. ......... B10,000
Loss of time of one. half the industrial
population, say 10000 people, for 80
days at 81 per day. 3.6O0,060
Total. Observation-Disclosures. s7o72,OOO
Values destroyed by the epidemic, COM
mercial losses by interruption Of in
tercourse with the surrounding coun-
try. and diversion of trade to other
cities. .,............... ............. 100000
Total losses. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. Sl2,072, 500
Estimated profits of trade during the
summer months with ports where vel.
low fever usually prevails. .......... s1,500,OO0
The difference between these two
sums. say $10,572, 500, represents the
actual cost of the epidemic to the ma
terial resources of New Orleans. These
figures, made upon basis deemed
moderate in all particulars, show that
trade during half the year with certain
tropical ports, and worth to our city q
million and half of dollars, is held
at risk of more than twelve millions,
the actual losses of 1873 from yellow
fever. An estimate of the total losses
to the United States from this epidemic
has been made by Mr.. A. b. Farquhar
in letter to Surgeon-General Wood
worth, of the Marine Hospital Service,
in which he places it at the enormous
sum of $175, 100000. In this estimate
no account is made of depreciation of
property and future damage to the COM
mercial prosperity of New Orleans,
for they will depend greatly on the
means hereafter adopted to prevent the
recurrence of similar visitation.-N
Y. Tribune.