The sun., 1893-10-23
Tho Health of the City.

The compulsory vaccination during the
| past week of considerable number Of the
adults employed in certain business estab-
| lishments. and Of the people In some lodg-
| ing houses. and Of the residents upon
| blocks in which there had been isolated
cases OF variola. may have created an ap-
prehension that the city is In danger OF an
epidemic of smallpox. II there were any
such danger-and we know Of no rea-
son for supposing that there is-the
proper method OF averting 1t has been
! adopted by the Board Of Health. The ex-
istence OF single case in any locality in
sures a visit thereto Of the Boards special
inspectors. who at once isolate the case.
disinfect the quarters in which 1t had been
found, and then proceed to vaccinate every
body who may have been liable to catch
the infection. On account OF the publicity
given to these proceedings. some people
have been led to entertain an exaggerated
notion OF the extent to which the malady
has prevailed in New York.
There has not been any epidemic OF small
pox In the city at any time during the year.
and the reports Of the municipal health
officers do not give any indication Of the
approach OF such an epidemic. Take last
week. for example. when the apprehension
was greater than it had been at any other
time in the year: there were but three
deaths from smallpox in a total number Of
twenty-one reported cases Of 1t. During
three weeks Of this month there have been
but eight deaths from it among the forty
seven cases. This is q mortality smaller
than that from any one of nearly twenty
other diseases. less even than that from
meningitis. about nine-tenths less than
that from bronchitis. not one-twentieth as
large as that from pneumonia. and not one
thrty-iifth as large as that from consump-
tion. In the whole Of the mouth of Septem-
Der there were but eighteen fatal cases of
smallpox in the city. In the month Of
August there were two fatal cases. in the
month OF July two. and in no previous
month Of the year did the disease prevail
to any extent that could give any cause for
the slightest alarm. An epidemic OF small
pox is thing that can hardly be thought
OF in New York. The treatment OF it is fully
understood, and so are the means OF pre-
venting its spread. The medical faculty
are the masters OF it. They have not been
able to extirpate it wholly from the world;
there are sporadic cases OF it, from time to
time, in all large cities, mainly among
people who have not been vaccinated, or
who have been imperfectly inoculated, or
who have failed to get vaccinated again
when that was necessary.
We cannot speak too highly of the alert
ness OF the Board OF Health ever since a
notion got abroad that there was danger
that the malady would become epidemic.
The doctors OF the Board carried on q
very lively campaign in several parts
Of the city last week. Upon some
east side blocks nearly everybody was
vaccinated. In several uptown busl-
ness establishments the virus was ap-
piled to all the employees. both sexes.
The needle and quill were used not because
Of the existence OF the malady among those
subjected thereto. but for prophylactic
purposes. There is no doubt that the pre-
caution was we'll taken. The Boards inspec-
tors will not relax their efforts as long as a
case Of smallpox can be found in New York.
The city has been peculiarly fortunate
this year In that it has not suffered from
several Of the epidemics with which 1t was
supposed. at various times. to be menaced.
We have not had the cholera. though there
has certainly been danger that 1t would be
brought among us by the immigrants from
the infected countries OF Europe. There
was fear at one time OF an epidemic OF the
grip. but it came not. We seemed In the
first part OF summer to be approaching an
epidemic Of meningitis, but the number OF
cases has not at any time been large. or
course the city. like other cities. always
suffers from typhoid and scarlet fever,
measles and diphtheria. With the improve
ment Of our sanitary condition. We have
reason to hope for tho subsistence OF all,
or nearly all. OF these contagious maladies.