St. Landry democrat., 1879-12-20
yellow Fever Of 1879.
New Orleans Democrat


A ramDhlet entitled "Analysis of the
Record OF Yellow Fever in New Orleans
During the Year 1879 " is before us. 1t
il a reprint from the New Orleans
Medical and Surgical journal, and en-
bodies the very interesting paper OF Dr.
,Ioseph Holt, one of our ablcst and most
prominent sanitarians. DR.. Holt IS
fortunate in one respect; he has the
field of inquiry compact and d!stlnct,
and is thus enabled to fortlfy his con-
clusions with sharply-cut facts, as to
which there can be no controversy. Ihat
he has collated his premises carefully,
thoroughly, vigilantly, and that his
inductions are logical and intelligent
might have been safely assumed at tilc
outset; but the pamphle speaks tor It
self in this respect and needs no sponsor
Of course the focus Of every inquiry
with reference to yellow fever must
be the question OF its importation or It's
spontaneity, and this is the point TO
which DIR. Holt directs his investigation.
1t is very grateful and very encourag-
ing to listen to medical man who dis
courses upon yellow fever from stand
point Of courageous diSdain Tor the
immerablc humbugs and the incalcula-
bic can't with which the subject has been
literally eveloped. DR.. Holt not only
lifts his inquiry above the supershtlons
which have, unhappily, become Ell,
twined with it, but he Deliberately and
emphatically brands them as he passes
on. The conclusion at which he arrives
is, in his own words:
There is not tic slightest evidence upon which
could he founded a suspicion that the infection
was brotlg git into this area by importation OF
any kind; but, Oh the contrary, the whole
weight OF testimony is i'll favor OF the opinion
that it was engcndcred spontaneously from
local causes.
TO say that IT was the offspring Of germs sur
yiying from the endemic OF last year IS mcrc
quibbing, tiglhcnt of the 1HaSl21l II Is
safe ssup)1 )1;}ti ,ts:t:ticI no onc can de
Inonstrate the contrary, any more IMAM ct'i one
exhibit q germ.
We have no doubt that if DR.. Holt
had gone to work to substantlate the
importation theory, he might, by the
usual suppression OF some facts ana
distortion of others, together with a
little exhibition of arbitrary inference,
have succeeded forit so happened that,
last March, German named Jacob
Iken, coxswain of the steamship Baltl-
more, from Rio to New Orleans, was
taken ill with a clearly marked case OF
yellow fever While at quarantlne. Inc
case seems to have escaped the Board
of Health for the vessel was released
and came on her way to the city, arrlV-
ing at the wharf March 27, with lkcn,
who had been taken sick the day before,
on board. The patient was at once
he was attended by DR.. Loeber and re-
covered. Now it would not be a whit
more preposterous to attribute to lken
all the fever which occurred IN New
Orleans during the summer, than it was
last year to claim that the epidemic OF
1878 was caused by the two sick men
from the Souder. Of course it would
be preposterous-utterly and absurdly
so; but not more preposterous than the
Souder theory. DR.. Holt, however,
seems to have devoted himself to ascer-
tanning facts instead of decorating and
caparsoning a hobby; and the unan-
swerable logic of his investigation is
that the yellow fever of last summer
was spontaneous, the result OF local
causes, and absolutely independent OF
any foreign Or exotic causes. There
was no epidemic because the atmospheric
conditions forbade it, and because. for
the first time, there was determined
and intelligent and systematic effort at
domestic sanitation. Our citizens con-
tributed their own money and exertlons,
and with the enthusiastic corporation
OF Ullt Ill nlullClpdt uUllloi lIlCS, oSL htoup
the only enlightened pOiicy-the policy
of Cleanliness. 1t was to this example
we alluded in our remarks yesterday
with reference to popularizing the Board
of Health. 1t is by following this eX-
ample that future boards will accom-
plish practical results and commend
themselves to public respect and con-
tidence.
The paper of DR.. Joseph Holt, read be-
fore the New Orleans Medical and Sur
gical Association, on the 22d of Novem
Der, giving an analysis of the record of
yellow fever in this city during the
the present year, has been published in
neat pamphlet form by l.. Graham, and
is now ready for distribution. DR.. Holt
briefly gives the circumstances OF each
case that occurred, with such comments
as, in his opinion, the facts warrant.
He shows that there were, during the
year, forty-one cases of yellow fever, of
which nineteen proved fatal; of these,
twenty were natives of New Orleans,
two were natives of the State at large,
and twenty were persons from abroad.
With respect to age, seventeen were
children under ten years, and twenty
four were persons over that age. DIR.
Holt closes his paper as follows: II
ever We discover the talisman, whose
charm shall save us. from yellow fever,
we will also discover upon it a few ca
balistic characters, the spring of it's
magical potency. These, when arrang
ed will spell one word cleanliness. y
#e IN. @, Times.