Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1879-04-04
SANITARY PRECAUTIONS.

| In the last number of the Louisville Medi-
cal NeIes we find an editorial which may be
| of practical interest 10 the people of Mem
| phis. This article was written by DR.. L. P.
Yandall, once a resident of this city, and who
is regarded as gentleman of the highest sci
entifc attalnments. We publish below the
| editorial from the NelOs:
The profess on and the public are rapidly coming
| to acknowledge the TACT that malaria is The most
abundant source of disease, and to recognize in the
tabled hydra of thu aucents the duplication of this
manifold and prOtean poison. In the anIi-periOdicS
and tOnicS we possess remedies which enable US to
arrest or to bring to successful termination most
OF the maaral 4ffectiOns but what the WHOLE world
needs, anu what Is certainly needed In this country,
| Is some preventive of this miasm or some means
for its destruction The eucalyptus Is said to pos
| seSs tnls benign power. The church OF St Pauls,
In the suburb OF Rome has every summer until of
late been closed by order of his holiness because of
| the fatal virulence OF The m tlara tn reabout.
| Groves Of eucalyptus trees have now made II
| healthful spot. Such is the statement current In
medical and other journals at Iesent In Alsefta,
10 Corsica, in Italy and in Cyprus millions of these
trees being planned as protection 10 health, the
| various governments having taken the matter in
caIyptus, If memory serves US; and according to
Prince froubetkoy, Roman gentleman who has in
amygdalina is the best variety of the tree TrOubat
koy states that this species contains far more
tia oil In its leaves than the eucalyptus gObulus. 1t
grows equally well In damp and dry and exposed
soil. and bears cold Well lt successfully endures
| twenty-one d; grees fahrenheit The eucalyptus
could not stand the Kentucky winters, but In the
southern States 1t would probably do WE'LL ana in
California II succeeds perfectly The eucaly plus
tree is Of marvelousy rapid growth Its wood is valu
able for mans purposes and It's leaves In room are
SAID to drive the mosquitoes out The plants that
we have seen emit a stro but Lot unpleasant cam
phorous odor. The southern State g ;,veTnments
should investigate this subject Tor malaria is the
| south'S greatest enemy.
THE SUNFLOWER (HELI ANTHUS).
This plant was recommended By Lieutenant
against NAL aria, and he claims that he had Ten-
dered the malignant marshes about the Washington
| by an abundant growth of sunfiowers. This plant
emits not un leasaDt aromatic scent, and Is said
| 10 be an enormous absOrber OF moisture. We once
heard hissssippi planter jocularly declare his be
Lief, when this idea much discussed in 1857,
the sunfower we're true, and the people planted as
many sunfowers as they proposed to do, that the
have to be taken to New Orleans '- By land land.
been thoroughly tired, except by Lieutenant Maury;
and the plant is not expensive to cultivate and
| which are good food for poultry and abound in
OIL which Is said to equal that OF the olive, the mat
ter Is not unworthy OF attention"
The latter part of the above article relating
to the sunhower may be of great practical
interest to the southern people. Lieutenant
Maury was a man of great scientific dis
| tiuction, not only in this country but in Eu-
rope, and no mans opinions are entitled to
mere respect and consideration. He may
have been mistaken as to the healthy inhu-
ence or the preventive virtues of the sun
| flower, but if his belief be correct, it is
matter of vital importance, not only to the
people of the south, but to the human race.
1t will cost the people of the south nothing to
make the experiment. Here the sunhower
grows most luxuriously; indeed, it seems to
be indigenous to our soil and climate. 1t re-
| quIres but little labor to cultivate the sun
| flower; ITS growth is almost spontaneous. In
cities 1t is the poor people living on the out
skirts, near ponds, sewers and bitches, that
suffer most from malarial diseases, and if it
be true, as asserted by Lieutenant
Maury, and partially Endorsed by DR.. Yam
| dali, that the eucalyptus, or sunhower, or the
calumus, are protection against the pois-
ons of malaria, it is the deity of all to make
the experiment. Sunhower-seed are cheap,
and every man can make the experiment
IAN ounce of preventive Is worth pound OF
cure" and the southern people should hasten
to adopt an experiment recommended which
prevents malarial disease. Let everybody
plant sunRowers in their yards, and if they
fail to keep off sickness they will have an
abundant crop of seeds which are not with
out usefulness. Notwithstanding the terri
bic epidemic of last year, there is a strange
| apathy on the subject of precautions. Scien-
| tifc men are fixed in the belief that there is
not only specific cure for every disease, but
a sure and infalible prevention for every dis
ease that AFFECTS the land. 1t may be- that
the suIhower, with its beaming face ever
looking to the sun, Is standing as faithful
sentinel between mankind and the encrUach-
mentS of malarlal poisons.