The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-09-10
DIR. SCHUBERT ON THE ORIGIN OF
THE EPIDEMIC OF 1853.


TO the Editor Of the Democrat:
When DR.. Schuppert, some two weeks since,
intimated his intention Of proving that the
yellow fever epidemic Of 1853 was imported
from abroad, I, In common with many others
was astonished at his hardwood in undertake.
Ing 10 set aside and reverse the verdict Of the
sanitary commission of 1854 commits
sion, ! think 1t proper to state, composed
of medical experts Of recognized intel.
ligence, large experience and established
reputation. That department Of their inquiry
devoted to 1.-THE origin and spread OF the cpl
demic', Is q model Of calm, dispassionate
judicial investigation. Every fact having a
bearing upon the subject Is clearly and fairly
stated, deliberately weighed, and considered
with a logical precision worthy Of the high
est admiration. Although OF secondary i'm
portance, in literary point of view. this
mastery, scientific and philosophical inquiry
is remarkable for the precision OF its Ian
guage, methodical arrangement, and Tho
happiness Of It's phraseology.
The decision arrived at by the commission
after an exhaustive inquiry, before time hae
0biiterated OF confused the recollection ol
fools was as follows: eve have thus shown
we trust, that there IL NO just or tenabte groano
for the opinion that our ferer ras imported
that To none Of the sources to which general
impression ascribed It's origin have we been
able To trace even q colorado presumption OF
truth, and that from analogous phenomena
happening at the same moment OF time and
over an unlimited space in the city, and from
what we know Of congestion and its mode Of
action the Inference is made ineuitabie that the
feper ,rds one Of indigenous origin, resulting
from local Influences developed and intensified
bu peculiar atmospheric conditions"
Against this judgment DIR. Schuppert, In q
long communication In the DEMOCRAT, pro-
tests, by reviewing the testimony and by fur
nishing additional facts, which he deems SUI
ficient. with certain comments Of his own, to
reverse this long acqulesced in Judgment. As
i do not observe that the Doctor has In the
most triiiing degree, either by facts or rea-
soning, affected the result arrived at by the
commission, / propose, as briefly as posi-
BILE, to review his argument, combining myself
strictly to the points at ISSUE and conse-
1uently rejecting the consideration OF much
9xtraneous matter with which he has over
loaded bis essay. will narrow this discus
sion down to the ship Camboden Castle, which
DR.. Schuppert very positively asserts intro
duced the yellow fever into New Orleans in
1853. which afterwards grew into the most
terrible epidemic that ever scourged this city.
II will state the case as briefly as possible,
emitting no fact essential to proper under
standing of the question.
DIR. Fenner Id his testimony states: "Capt.
Chaplain says he entered on duty as captain
Of the ship CambodeD Castle on the first Of
May at Kingston, Jamaica. The late Capt.
Mcdonald, having died OF derilium tremens,
SAYS that there was great deal or yellow
fever at that time among the shipping at
Kingston, and the Camboden Castle had lost
seven of the crew by that disease.
He obtained seven new sailors to supply
the places Of those who had died. They were
English and American, and he thinks that
they were uaacclimated, though he cannot as
sert this positively. Left Kingston, In pal.
last, for New Orleans on the second day Of
May, and before leaving his vessel was thor
DuKhly cleansed and well sprinkled with
chloride OF lime, to guard against the danger
of sickness OF sea. he arrived at New o.
position at Post No ~. at foot OF b,obin street
The ship Augusta "D's.s Drought up by the
f;ar.n row RI = SoaU tnat brought up the Camboden
1!astle. one on each side, and there was free
communication between the ships across the
tOwboat. Capt. Chaplain says there has been
no case of ferer on his vessel since ne left
Jamaica either ut sea Or since he has been here.
He Ia now loaded with cotton, and Will leave
tf,js evening. Given June s, 1858.
This ship, as mentioned by the captain, was
laid np at post n, near which We're lying the
ships Niagara, Saxon ana harvest n sueen,
carried thirteen wharves higher up and laid
AIonuside the ship Northampton, which had
arrived from Liverpool On the ninth OF May.
It ID proper to remark that neither the Au-
Qusta nor Northampton, In their passage to
This port, came near any Of the West India
islands, nor did they lose any OF the passen-
gers or crew by fever on the voyage. The
com mission, In their report, say. During
the voyage OF the Camboden Castle up the
tween her decks and the passengers Oh the
Augusta the crew of the one and the passen-
gers and crew Of the other freely Informing
ling. 1t does not appear In evidence That any
Of The Augustus crew went below decks on
the Camboden Castle, nor that she had fruit
or any other freight, in fact, beside her bal
last"
Is proper that the foregoing facts should be
Maid III mind. their pertInence will be SubSe-
The first well authenticated case Of yellow
fever (see testimony OF MI. Nanderllnden,
clerk OF the Charity Hospital was that OF
Ry
Charity Hospital On the twenty-sixth OF May;
had been sick four days. He came over on
the ship Northampton, and when TAX, taken slck
was employed by the stevedore dlscharging
the ship. He died two days after being ad-
mitted into the hospital. According to testi-
mony this case must have taken the fever on
the twenty-second Of May. ION the twenty
third of Nav one OF the crew Of the Augusta
becomes ILL., and DR.. Schuppert, German
physician, attends. who pronounces the case
TO be one Of Observation-Disclosures; Alter hfteen
days the man RECEIVERS, and during his con-
Yalescence becomes quite yellow. Between
this and the twenty another OF the
crew, John Haar, sickens and dies with black
Vomit on the thirtieth. On the twenty-sev-
enth three others Of the crew fall sick, two OF
whom went TO the hospital and died, one on
the thirtieth OF May ana the other on the
his argument on these facts and for another
fact known to no one but himself. as he alone
understood the German language, by which
he learned from the seamen that three OF
them had boarded the Camboden Castle COM