Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1880-02-20
AN ELECTRIC LIGHT ON SANITATION
AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

dent OIL the National board OF
Health, and presumably not
related to the distinguished humorist
of that name, has favored the Taxing
District Government and the Medical
fraternity with his views on sanitation,
yellow fever, local government, etc.
At the meeting Of the legislative
council yesterday, this invaluable
document was read, and although it
was Of great length, evidently the
result of several months arduous
labor, the members OF the council
we're so eager to have it all that they
sat it through without even taking
recess or sending for lemonade. The
amount of hard work involved in the
production of this marvellous piece
of literature must be fully equal to all
that Edison has done in the last two
years. 1t must have been terrible
strain upon the Herculean frame
and massive brain Of even a member
OF the National board Of health.
Thevslue Of the suggestions contained
consists in the fact that DR.. Billings
knows all about the yellow fever, hav-
Ing long enjoyed lucrative practice
ln that line in his rooms at Washing.
ton city. He has the advantage over
our country doctors here in the vii
lagc Of Memphis in the fact that he
never treats yellow fever except In his
Office, where he has superior apparatus
and facilities for strangling the saffron
hued monster. What little our doctors
know about yellow fever they just
picked up at odd times, by attending
to cases that they happened on here
and in Vicksburg and New Orleans
during the prevalence of epidemics,
But DR.. Billings has read itupin books
and diagrams until he can treat it
just as well in one language as another
He has kindly given our doctors the
benefit of his superior erudition
and experience. A man who new
er saw case of yellow fever
and never will, unless it
breaks out in the middle of the night
all around him at Washington City
has many advantages over our physi-
clans here, who have been treating it
ten or twenty years. The chief one
is that he is in no danger of taking
the disease himself, and never gets
excited unless in his sleep. The old
grey-headed doctors here, and mem
bers of the legislative council, many
of whom labored under the i'm.
preston that they have had the
yellow fever and seen few cases
ought tender vote of thanks to the
learned DR.. Billings for the food Of
light which he has thrown upon the
subject of sanitation and yellow fever
Dr. McDowells book, with Keating S
history Of the epidemic thrown in,
will cease to cut any figure in the
libraies OF yellow fever literature.
We have found a man at last who
knows all about it. He writes but
seldom and his visits are
even less frequent, especially
when there is any yellow fever
about. He is aware that with him
much knowledge will die, and that
such valuable lie should not be
recklessly thrown away. From his
epistle it is evident that he is hard
student, that he burns the midnight
oil until daylight, and that his re-
searches into the bowels of science
here even extended to some Of our
aOcal ordinances already enforced, aud
he is kind enough to recommend that
heybe enforced. This kind endorse
ment is exceedingly gratifying, and
its reading brought smile to the face
of Dr.. Porter so bread and deep that
he might have been taken for old
Momus after drinking at some tabled
fountain Of fun. The other members
smiled also, though they looked tired
and the doctors smiled gratefully as
they struggled to comprehend the
decimal fractions OF sanitary wisdom
in the nebulous milky way of Billings,
MD. The document in question will
probably be divided out in sections Of
ten lines each to the members of the
Shelby county medical society, and il
they make good progress in the science
of sanitation it is possible that this
community will be favored with an
other instalment in about two months.
1t must not be supposed that Dr. B.
has exhausted the subject. He has
more of the same sort in reserve, no
doubt, but for what we have received
officially from such a high source, let
us be thankful.
The Senate yesterday rejected the
nomination Of Mr.. Henry R. Gibson