The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-07-25
HEALTH OF TIE CITY.
INTERESTING TALK WITH Or. w
T. OPPENHlMER.
The Cool weather Good for Young Babies
Negroes and the Death Hato-Phv1-
c,.,s for the Poor-Bacon's Quarter
pr,ueb-yaIuabIe Hints and suggestions

~.,r,es and the Death Bate-Physi-
oi.,s for the Poor-Bacon's Quarter
rr,ucb-yaIuabIe Hints and suggestions
Dr. W. n. Oppenhimer, president of the
Board Of Health, was asked yesterday
..what effect the cool weather of the past
few days was having upon the health oil
Richmond"
The health Of the city is remarkably
good" replied the Doctor "There has been
a general remark lately by physicians and
other peoplo who know of the little sick
ness that is now prevalent in the city.
There is no contagious disease at all oul
tbe usual ills that flesh is heir 10. Of course.
have more or less eject. This weather y
also excellent for babies and young emil
dren. for il is generally known that there
has been but little cholera inlantun ana
collie among these mites of humanity TINS
summer.
"Taking the death rate as criterion, am
sure that The weather is not productive oil
chils: since last Monday, OF coursc, IL mas
been cooler than for the past few weeks, but
the weather has been at all times warm
enough TO keep away chills end malaria.
RATE or MORTALITY.
"The negroes make the rate of mortality
so Great \ great many Of them die with
ont tine least medical attention. The ma
ioritv Of them are too poor 10 pay for a
pby-ician's services, but IL is often the case
mat many of them do not know how III they
are. and die before assistance can be rem
dered. quite a number oiNcry poor Wnlte
people can also be embraced IN this cafe
CORY
"What i. the best remedy for this state of
affairs 20
III YOU mad said lamentable state Of
affairs YOU would have stated the case pet
ter" replied DR.. Oppenhimer. for such y
the case. such state of things Is great
Injustice 10 the city. Richmond. as every
body knows who knows anything. b. very
healthy city. Situated on hills il has an
excellent drainage, AMI for the same rea-
son the air is freer from impurities than the
average large city. But the rate Of NOR
tally is still very large. and the only rca-
son that | can see is inattcntion or no al
tention 10 the poor cOl0red and white pee
pie. -
PHYSICIANS FOR THE POOR.
.Tbe best remedy that can suggest is
the EMPLOYMENT of physicians 90 attend to
the po0r. 4 physician should really Doe in
charge of each ward. bat rs Madison and
Monroe are what might bc called rich wards,
| the CITY can well make ont Tor tne present
with four physicians. These doctors should
Doe situated conveniently t0 the poorer resi-
dents of the ward. and no all times Bee ready
| 30 relieve their sulcrings. oucn men cou.d
easily Doe employed for ii0y dollars month.
They are graduates of excellent medical
/ colleges. and a., they are just starting ON
| i'm life. would appreciate such position
very much. They are thoroughly compe-
/ tent. most Of them having the best modern
/ ideas Of medical treatment, and being very
young. could attend "a the WORK even better
| Than an elder practitioner
FOR THE COUNCIL.
"Thi. move should be instituted atonce by
our Council. as this rate Of mortality does
not harmonic with the spirit Of prOgle~-
siyeuess that il now dominating the city.
| 20 show YOU what effect this poor element
/ has ON the death rate. 10 is only necessary 10
turn 90 the death rate for the past year
/ Last week iiity-nine persons died-Wli'c.
/ tWonty--iN: cOlOrcd, thlrty-threc. ! ne week
| before. fOrty-One died white, sixteen; col
/ Orod TWENTY-FIVE. The week before that
fftv.siX died-whitc, twenty-five; col0Ied
tbiity-f0ur You can readily sec That The
colorcd people. though fully twenty thou-
sand less as regards population, have MI
"a. more deaths each week than the White
element
CLEANLINESS.
81, the city clean at PRESENT. asked the
newspaper man.
Yes. all of the principal thorouehlare-
are bat on some of the outskirts the scenes
presented are anything but encouraging to
"a health officer. There are only litY men
employed hy She city i'm street cleaning, and
tine city, in my opinion. needs twice That
number. You can readily see that we have
! to keep the main thoroughiarcs clean. ami
avoid fuss, but the people on the OUT
skirts Of tine city need, and should nave.
almost equal consideration.
BACoN's QUARTER BRANCH.
"Thcre is one point. especially at present.
/ that h. simply horrible. / refer % Bacon IS
Quarter branch. The water iu that stream
j. very low al present, and foul odor csc
canes from DO AN DAY. The branch Us "a r--
ceptacle for any and everything, and the
/ water not having force enough 90 wash the
refuse % the river. an of the dccayine ma
terial STAYS upon the hank7and makes hahi-
taun alon- the stream curse rather than
"a blessing
GLOW can this Doe ramcdicd|
~ am i'm favor. 10 10 possibly can Dee done.
Of changing the course 0f the stream 50 chat
IL will not flow through the city. II this
cannot Doe done. however. the banks should
Doe made perpendicular throughout the en-
tire length of tine city. BY this move tine
water would How as through cul'crt, and
would ID no little iu making that part OF the
city habitablo and healthy.
81 hone something viii Doe done m regard
to th. matters have spoken about said
/ DR.. Oppenhmer. Both as regards the
! sick and the cleaning of the outskirts Of
/ Richmond are matter, which need alien
tonat once. and earnestly hope that The
! CITY Council will do something IN the prem
iscs.
pI~rENsARIEs.
care there not di-pcnsaries IN Richmond
for The poor -
YES. there are three OF Them. The Med
zeal College, the Eye. Ear and Throat luhr-
lmary and the CITY Alm-hOusc. At these
places when application is made, prescrlp-
lions viii Doe filled gratis. but these dispeE-
saric- are only Of use To those who are what
NAV DE termed, the walking Sick II 70
man is able % walk 90 either one Of these
places. state what is the matter with him.
medicine is at once given him, but YOU can
see readily that such places are % very litilc
use % people who are too SICK 10 walk
and have no physician 20 write prescrip-
ton. The men al the dispensaries donot go
90 the sick-the sick come TO them: and
/ those who cannot come receive no attention
at their hands. Then, too, these places are
700 far for many of our poor 70 sidcnt7. lof
instance. ID Il man is iu need Of free meul-
cine its very natural to suppose that he has
mo- money 90 pay car fare. II he lived ON
/ Church, Union. ChmbOrazo, >trecher',
! Hills. it would hr very hard for him % walk
90 tine Medical College on the Almsh0use."
Are there not drug stores where pre-
cripti0ns can bee filled at nominal price"
Yes, there are, think, four such places.
The plan worked is this: Ii person calls
"a physician. and there is mot money to pay
for the medicine. he writes ON the lack
charity, and il the prescription is taken %
one of these drug stores ten cents Is all that
is charged. Ii is well-knoWn fact, how
ever, generally understood by physicians,
that these prescriptions must not con-
tain any expensive drugs. by this
unWrittem law many sick people do
not get what j. really best for
! them. and of times the medicine has very
little effect. OF course these drug stores
are not 70 blame, but the whole system is
/ very unsatisfactory, not only 10 the physi-
clan, but 10 the druggist and patient. An
other great need OF Richmond is "A free hos
pital, situated apart from the Almshouse.
Human nature rebels, rs rule. against