Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-05-06
THE nsvEs. FEs,wr PROBLEM.
Disaric' ,ysici...:s :'esere the senate
DR. BILLINGS on Tnz cAusx OF MALARIA IN

the Potomac river front heii another meeting
yesterday. DR.. John s. Billings, member Of the
National Board of Health was the fist witness.
He said he lived in the city. and had for II
years. Ills attention had been called to the
flats, their present condition aid effect. and his
opinion was that they contribute consider
ably to the production and spread o. maiari al
diseases in the city. That vas his very decided
opinion. lie had been engaged, not in active
practice. but in Office work and the study of
sanitary questions. He was very clear that the
presence nj that large area Of submerged ground
(thc fats) produces malarial troubles; he did not
think It tire only cause of sJIch trouble. however
but il was the chief cause study of the
health and mortality reports Of the city Tor the
past six or eight years. and y comparison OF sick
ness at the army posts. at the arsenal. and at
Fort Nhipplc had showed very large proper
ton Of diseases o.: malariOus character. Where
there IA made ground these examinations
showed malaria to be very prevalent. at Fort
Whippie and along the foot OF Georgetown hills.
and hal convinced him That reclamation Of the
flats would not entirely do away with malaria.
He attributed the maiarial sickness at Fort
WhippIe partly to local influences (stagnaGt
pools, etc. there) and partly to poison from the
flats and low grounds. His examination was
made some years ago. before Fort Whipple had
been improved and the local causes of malaria
removed.
QucStioG.-"The proposed Improvement con-
templates filing OF the flats with clean earth.
What worlld be the influence upon the health
of the city to reclaim these fats? ~
AnsSer.-'There would BE- an improvement in
the health Of the city, and especially in the lower
part The plan of the engineers contemplates
filling with clean earth and the gathering of wa
ter IN lakes or ponds, TO be emptied at the right
stage OF tide. j think the alternate filling and
emptying Of the ponds would be bad feature.
This bad effect cUuid be reinedied by making
the border walls of tie lake of stone and by
filling them with pure water from above; then
let the water out. not enough to expose the
bottom at any time but say fall of several
feet" In 0tl,er words the doctor thought all bad
effect could be removed by so arranging the
lakes for flushing the river as to keep water in
them ali tire time
He had no doubt that the flats in their pres
ent condition. are the source of great deal of
maIariai trouble, and their reclamation would.
undoubtedly, be of great value and benefit to
the general health. He thought preyentable
sickness here Is. to q great extent, due to the
flats and second. to the want of soil drainage:
and. third. To the detective system of sewers in
the lower part OF the city Matter is thrown
mtothefn. and there decOmpose5 They are in
fact. elongated cess po0ls. lie thought scheme
for the sanitary Improvement Of the city should
include all those points The Improvement Of
the fats. be said. has merits aside from the
itary question 1t is important in commercial
sense IL would be valuable improvement in
that respect.
DR.. s. Townshend. health officer for four
years past and practieing physician here since
1870. was the next witness. He said that in his
Judgment and from his experience he believed
the proposed Improvement would be of wonder
full benefit to the general health. He was salts
fed the fats were the main cause Of malarial
diseases here He said: UNFORTUNATELY we get
no reports of the eases Of zymotic disease. Only
the denths from diseases such as Inalaiial. scar
let, typhoid and other feyers. diphtheTia and
smallpox are recorded. Consequently my knOWl-
edge as 10 the prevalence Of malarial disease.
except when it proves fatal, is not more extern
siye than that OF any other practcing physician
in the District. | have had prepared, however,
from the reports of the physicians to the poor a
statement showing the proportion OF malarial
eases to that of the total number Of cases treated
by each during fourteen weeks of what Is gen.
orally considered the maiariOus season 0rom
July 2d To October 29thl last year
This statement shows that OF 1902 patients
treated by the physicians to the poor.t disease
H. 2, ISL cases (47 per cent OF the total was of
what Is known as hilarious nature or gave
evidence of malariai influence. 1t also shows
that the districts situated in close proximity
to the malarial marshes OF the AnacOstia and
Potomac rivers have suffered in greater degree
than have those situated in the portions Of the
District more remote from the flats. In the
first district, which Includes the county east of
the Eastern branch. or Anacostia river and the
population OF which is mainly confined to the
village of AnacOstia. and the river bottom lands
I'm that vicinity find that of eases treated by
DR.. Little during the period named. 1873 or II 5
per cent were reported as malarial- While in
the twO districts furthcst north Ghe I'd and 6th)
the percentage of uialarial cases In one reaches
but 30 and in the other $50.
Looking again at the fourth district, the south
erA portion of which lies along the river front
from Essby's point to the Long bridge ard we
find that of .059 patients treated BIZ Dr. Newman
the physician in that district t:.5 or 62 per cent
OF the number were reported rs malariai. This
certainly speaks very strong against the flats on
which this district borders
The seventh district. whose eastern extremity
lies exposed 10 the influence of the marshes on
the Eastern branch, gives 3l7 malarial eases out
of a tOta. of 595 percentage OF 5s 3, while the
ninth district exposed in greater degree gives
50 peg cent OF malarial cases.
This statement gives the experience of eleven
physicians in the treatment of poor persons.
do not Know that the class OF persons treated by
the ply sicianS 10 the poor any more liable to
contract ilalariai diseases than are those of our
population in better pecunary circumstances.
That maiaTial influences are found to exist in
marked DECREE in some portions of the district
there can be no doubt and that they are attrb-
utaDle 10 the niasna from the flats on our river
front AN as positive that fever and ac.ue re
suit from the same cause in the low lands of
New Jersey and Maryland.
He was positive that the river flats are the
principal cause of this malaria; there is no doubt
extent in the low lands on the river than in the
northern part of the city. He had no doubt
whatever that tine proposed plan Of improve
ment would greatly benefit the general health
here He said that Rock creek receives a good
deal of debris. and being at times damned up
by the canal locks no doubt contributed some
what To disease, and he also mentioned the fact
that Goose creek sewer was partly opened for q
time; that caused malaria but the fats he said
are the main cause of all this trouble. The fats,
lie said. are causing yearly increase of malarial
troubles. and ought, by all means to be re-
claimed or improved. He described trip made
BY himself and Major Twining over the flats and
said they were full of decomposing vegetable
and animal matter, which was excessively Of
fensiye and very detrimental to heahh He
hat relieved the deleterious effect by scat
tering SOC barrels OF disinfectant over the flats
DR. A 7. p. GARNET
was next examined. He had lived here since
1915, and had been in constant practice here ex-
cept during the war. He thought there was no
doubt but that the large area Of marsh (the
FATS has exercised a certain amount of del
e.