The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-03-19
PUBLIC HEALTH IN PERIL
DIR. R. ]. NUNNs LETTER TO MAYOR
M'DONOuGH.

Conditions - Some OF the Dangers
Which Threaten the City's Health
Pointed Cut.
At a recent meeting of the sanitary board
a letter was read from DR.. R. J. Num- in
reference to the sanitary conditions Of the
city, dwelling at length upon some of the
causes, which in the minds Of leading saul
tarians are productive, to a great extent, OF
much Of the sickness in Savannah, and
which, if permitted 70 continue, are likely
TO result more seriously than most people,
bY whom the causes and effects OF lack Of
sanitation are given little thought, imagine.
The letter was written In reply to the IN
vitation to Dr.. Num-, among others, to be
present at the meeting of physicians called
by the mayor last December for the purpose
Of locating the causes of the fever which
prevailed In the city last year. The three
days intervening between the invitation
and the date OF the meeting, in which the
physicians were expected TO obtain the in
formation asked for by the mayor. WAS re-
garded by DR.. Num- BOO short to permit OF
sufficient investigation upon which to base
any reliable statement, and In consequence
he did not attend the meeting. His subSe-
quent Investigations reach different result
than that reached by the physicians who
did attend, as stated 10 the resolution
adopted at the meeting.
From careful. personal inquiry Of twenty
five of the forty-nine praoticiDg physicians
in Savannah Dr. Num- found there we're
1856 cases Of true typhoid fever in the CITY
last year distinct from the other classes of
fevers sometimes called typhoid. Allow
ing the same percentage of cases 70 the
other twenty-four physicians gives an esti-
mated total of 266 cases of true typhoid ia
Savannah during 1892 Following the sta
tistics DIR. Num- dwells at length upon the
causes productive of typhoid and other kin
dred diseases which exist in Savannah and
which threaten the health and commercial
prosperity Of the city.
The letter was read at q recent meeting
of the Citizens Sanitary Association, and
has received the hearty Endorsement both
OF the sanitary association and the sanitary
board. Mayor MoDonough is strongly i'm
pressed with the facts IL contains. and has
authorized its publication. The letter is as
follows:
SAVANNAH, GA, Feb IA, 1898
JIG YORK STREET.
To His Honor the Mayor of the city of
Savannah:
DEAR SIR-On Dec. 9, 1892 l received
from his honor the mayor, through the
clerk of council, an invitation to be present
81 meeting Of physicians, to be held Dec.
u, which was called to locate the cause OF
que AoNoI WHICH prevailed IN tQ6 CITY our
ing the summer of that year.
The interval of time between the receipt
of the invitation and the date set for the
meeting was alt gether too short TO admit
OF thorough investigation Of the subject,
and all the information l have sought has
rot been received even yet, but there is
enough at hand Co enable conclusions to be
drawn which may be valuable as guides in
some of the future sanitary workings Of the
city government
But before entering upon this inquiry,
desire to draw a clear distinction between
two classes of minds which are not unfre-
quently mistaken for one another. These
are the pessimists and the precautionists
The former see nothing but evil as the out
come OF all occurrences. The latter, when
danger and disaster are ahead, do not
ignore the fact Of their existence, but seek
TO avoid them by every legitimate means
With the former class l have no sympathy
but hope always to be permitted to count
myself as enrolled in the ranks of the latter.
II is proper when discussing matter OF so
much importance to the city as is the one now
under consideration, to proceed slowly and
cautiously, examining carefully each step
as we proceed, 90 the end that the oonclu-
slons reached may be the truth, or as near
thereto as it is possible to arrive. To pur-
sue any other course would be culpable in
the extreme. It would be deCeiving the |
public into sense of false security; it |
would be jeopardizing the health of the peo-
pie, and tritiing with the lives intrusted to
the keepinR OF the authorities.
Assertions upon one side and denials upon
the other, unsupported by evidence. will
never become fact, no matter how often re-
peated.
The first question 10 be asked is: Was
there any unusual amount of sickness dur
ing the summer of 1922 To this the
answer invariably returned by physicians
OF whom have inquired has been in the
affirmative, and here il may be well to OBJ
serve that the mortusry reports are not
sure guides to the amount OF sickness pre-
valling IL a locality during a season, for
the reason that such reports show only the
fatality; nor can more be done with them
than to show the character Of diseases caus-
ing deaths, and the proportion of these to
the population. But as to the prevalence of
nOnsfatal diseases. such as dengue, or 40 to
the proportion existing between the num-
1 or Of cases Of a disease, and the deaths re-
sulting therefrom, the public mortuary re-
ports can show nothing.
2. Were the diseases prevailing during
the summer Of 1892 of an unusual tyue or
typesl Answer, from the same sources:
Yes; the types we're unusual, and chiefly OF
two varieties Ca), continued fever some
times called typho -malarisl fever, and To-
CdtLy eITOueOusly CALICO CypHOlQ FEVER; (Dl
true typhoid fever.
the mortuary reports are necessarily
and unreliable as to the exist
ence of true typhoid fever 10 Savannah, for
the reason just pointed out, viz that con-
tinued fever has been locally known as
typhoid.
Here 1t may be we'll to observe that the
fever called here typho-malRrial is COM
paratively new in Savannah, the more
virulent types Of malarial fever which were
usual in the early sos having gradually dis
before the milder, but far more
protracted, forms which are seen at present
The causes which brought about this change
may be the same which eliminated in the
typhoid fever Of last summer, but these |
will not now discuss, because, according to
the terms OF the invitation, the investiga-
ton is TO be confined TO typhoid fever.
IL Is proper here to remark that the medi-
cal profession in this city is much divided
on the relationship existing between con-
tinued fever and typhoid fever; one por
ton believing that our continued fever is
in reality typhoid fever, and differs from it
only in the mildness Of the attack. A sec
ond portion looks upon our continued fever
and typhoid fever as separate, Independents
and distinct diseases, and incline 60 the be-
lief that our continued fever is q diseaSe
coming from the decomposition OF vege-
table matter, but that typhoid fever is
caused by decaying animal matter; while
third portion rejects the idea OF the posi-
bility Of the existence OF even a
sinula Casa ~ Evnhpld d.