The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1882-05-09

seventy.fve per cent of oil patients treated
at the hospital are marine patients, and as
marine patients have always in years gone
| by been the first to bring contagion, there
fore, at least seventy-fve per cent, and
PERHAPS ell, the danger Of contagion from
transient sick people enroute for the hos
pital would be removed by the removal of
the marine station from within the city
limits.
But this is by no means the worst feature
of the marine service in this city. The
location of the marine hospital station, 10
which persons afflicted with all manner Of
loathsome and contagious diseases wend
their ways through the most populous streets
of the city, which is in building closely
surrounded by half dozen Of the princi-
pal public institutions and buildings
in the city, is Objectionable
enough certainly; but how much
more Objectionable is the location Of the
marine surgeons office, situated in the
post office building which is daily visited
by members of nearly every family in the
cityl The Office is in the second story of
the building and can be reached by the
Poplar street entrance, without going
through the post Office corridor Blu, this
Poplar street entrance, for some unexplain.
cd reason is locked all day, and river men,
in search Of the surgeons office, alwsys
pass through the post office corridor. The
Office hours are from 10 a. IN. till 4 .. m.
Often may persons afflicted with diseases
be seen lounging upon the post office steps,
or in the post Office corridor, or up stairs
in the hall near the marine Office door
But few days ago river man, afflicted
with varioloid in an advanced state, wait
ed in the hall up stairs for over an hour,
while the employees Of the other Offices on
the same floor, and persons from the coun-
try having business with them, passed to
and fro ucOncious that they were exposing
themselves to a deadly disease. A day be-
tore that, another man, also afflicted with
the disease remained in one Of the
offices,and made generally at
home and agreeable, and when
when the SURGEON finally came, the man
was found to have the variolod and WAS
taken to the hospital. Thus these mer, af-
ter having exposed half dozen or more
employees of the custom house
and perhaps a hundred citi-
zens in the post-otfics TO the conta-
gion with which they themselves are afllic-
ted, arc hustled off to the hos
pital in going to which
they may come in contact with score or
more of children on their way to or from
the schools, or people going to and from
the churches or court house.
The history of contagious diseases in
this city proves conclusively that the marin
ers have been the chief cause Of the intro |
duction Of the diseases here AS stated |
in the petition, the origin in this city Of
smallpox in 1873, and the yellow fever
of 1878, we're both directly traceable to
marine patients brought here for treatment
by the marine surgeon and this year there |
were twenty-three cases of smallpox, all |
marines, before the first case broke out in
the city, which may be looked upon as
proof Of the city's natural freedom from
conditions favorable to the development of |
the diseases, and Of the power of the agen-
cics against which il had to contend, II is |
to be hoped that the petitions will be
numerously signed and that the state board
of health will successfully use its inhu-
ence to have the maine hospital station
and the surgeons Office removed to point
more convenient TO the river and as far as
possible removed from the populous por-
ton Of the city. Marine Surgeon Garter
himself admits that the present condition
of things Is Objectionable and, not only very
prejudicial to the welfare Of the commun-
ity, but also inconvenient to river men. lie
would much rather have his Office and the
hospital located near the river, than to
have IL as now, eleven squares away from
the nearest genera! wharfboat. The gentle
men who have The matter in hand have
gone about II in the proper and most prob
ably cffectual way, and If they have the
assistance Of tho people, which they no
doubt will have, they will accomplish their