The Opelousas courier., 1889-04-27
A SOUTHERN QUESTION.
How to Prevent the Rise and Spread Oh
Yellow Fever.

A SOUTHERN QUESTION:
How Co Prevent the Rise and Spread Oh
Yellow Fever.
DR.. w. C. Van Bibber, a prominent
physician of Baltimore, Nd, has pub
lished a paper recently read by him
before tho Baltimore Academy OF
Medicine, upon the prevention Of yell
low fever in the South DIR. Van Bib
ber's treatise is a notable contribution
to the literature of the terrible scourge,
and abounds in valuable suggestions
as to the best means Of guarding
against it's rise and spread. Argu-
ments are forcibly presented In favor
of improved sanitary methods, and o
more enlightened system OF quaran-
tine in Southern cities. Upon the
question of proper sanitary conditions,
DR.. Van Bibber says:
I'm 1881, a paper was read before
the American Public Health Associa-
ton, at their meeting in Savannah,
Ga, under the title of Two Sugges-
tons Concerning Healthy Buildings.'
The first suggestion made was to build
houses upon arches or piers in low,
flat grounds Man has the privilege
of building under his W control. He
must take the earth as he finds it, but
one style of building may be moro
healthy, convenient and %salubrious in
one situation than another. Instead OF
5pringing the houses out of the ground
in low, fiat situations, it is better to in
terpose a stratum of air between the
house and the ground. II the house be
built well up off the ground, and the
earth paved beneath it, with no in
closed yards, then continued cleanli-
ness could be easily maintained. The
surface ventilation of the air would be
one prominent advantage Of this style
of building; surface drainage. an easy
abatement of certain nuisances, with
consequent increased healthfulness and
comfort would be the result.
eff Macclenny and Jacksonville and
Decatur had been built in this way,
and ha1 been kept according to the in
/ tention of sucl a style of building,
their inhabitants would have been
saved the recent epidemic. This plan
OF building the houses well off the
ground, upon arches, columns or piers,
with clean hard pavements of brick Or
concrete underneath and around them,
l regard with great favor; it would not
only be an improvement in itself, but
would bring after it many other i'm
provements. The objections which
have been raised against it are the ex-
pense, the inconvenience and the dan
ger from violent storms. The expense
might be a little heavier at first, but if
all did it, this increased expense would
soon be equally distributed-if the
house cost more to build, the workmen
would get more for building it. and
in this way it would not be considered
a burden amongst the poor. AS to in
conveniences, if there be any, they are
not worth balancing against the gain,
and habit would soon make it cease to
be felt. The danger t~em violent
storms could be overcome by the sup
ports of chimney stacks sprung lrom
the ground, or by supporting towers
or beams, by meansg.of which the
houses could be firmly secured, and all
danger averted.
ut is difficult for some minds to
divest themselves of the early bias
which they have had from infancy,
from building On the ground with eel
lars, and pits and sinks. These are
not suited to low, fiat lands in a warm
climate; a sufficient standard of cleanli-
ness can not be maintained In their
presence, or where they exist. The
question as to how high the building
inc should be off the ground Is an
important one, If it aver comes to be
considered as a matter Of statute en-
actment."
Upon the subject of the quarantine
of the future, DIR. Van Bibber says:
LET us speak of the attractive quar-
antine of the future. In this, you will
see four houses situated at a proper
distance from each other, in the most
accessible point of the State, built and
appointed in a manner not only to
make them most efficient for the COM
fort of the sick and afflicted citizens
and strangers, but to serve also as
schools and models to teach private
citizens how they can preserve amongst
themselves continued cleanliness and
give no foothold to preventable dis
ease. The humblest nan in the Com
monwealth can not then plead igno-
rance as to how he should and must
build his house and manage his
domestic affairs, SO as to preserve his
own health, not injure that of his
neighbour, nor impair the reputa-
ton of his State. These four
buildings should have ample commu-
~nication with each other and the out
side world by telegraph. telephone and
what other appliances the future may
have in store. Then no n who is
~ouarantined will feel himself isolated
or harshly treated. The visitors from
abroad and the denizen a alike re-
ceive and send messages from and to
all points.
.In these establishments all knowl-
edge of yellow fever is to be conferred;
here the disease can not only be treat
ed, but studied under the most favor
able circumstances; and from them all
necessary rules for its prevention
should emanate.SThey should be under
she control of the Board of Health, who
should be well selected and thoroughly