The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-09-10
QUARANTINE AND HEALTH.
DIR. BRUNNER's REPLY TO DIR. LIE
HARDY HEARD BY COUNCIL.


LcHardy's Position rs to the Eth
cacy of Quarantine Challenged
and Many of HIS Statements Con-
corning the Local Quarantine and
Sanitation COntradIcted-The Re-
ply to BE Published in the sani-
tartan.
Health officer Brunner's reply to DR.. ].
C. LeHardy's article in the August SanI-
tartan on Sanitary Progress in Savan-
nah" in which the citys quarantine meth
DDS and the citys policy in sanitary
methods generally were attacked without
stint was read before the city council
last night.
Mayor Myers, in introducing the matter,
said that he considered that DR.. LeHardys
article in the sanitarian did Savannah
great injustice, and that DR.. Drummer had
been requested to prepare a reply by the
sanitary board.
The reply was read by DR.. Drummer. 1t
Is a paper of some length which will oc-
cupy nearly three columns of the Morn
ing News, exclusive of the tables of fig
ures, which will require column more,
of council. Whatever sensational matter,
if any, there was in the original paper as
submitted to the sanitary board, had been
entirely eliminated before the paper was
presented to council. Dr. LeHardy's name
is not mentioned.
A careful investigation of the article in
the Sanitarium, DR.. Drummer states,
shows that the entire article is an attack
against the health authorities and the
city government. DR.. LeHardys paper
is taken up in detail. His assertion that
quarantine has never prevented the re-
turn of yellow fever to the United States
is answered by instancing the results
which have followed the introduction of
rational quarantine methods, especially at
New Orleans. The president of the state
board of health of Louisiana is quoted as
saying that since the board began its work
in 1880 the health of the city has steadily
improved until at last yellow fever be-
came unknown in New orleans, a. place
that for nearly century or more had had
yearly visltations of yellow fever. There
is not to-day a medical man." states DR..
Drummer, who has followed the work of
modern maritime sanitation who doubts
the efficiency of quarantine. To argue
against 1t is to prove one self either ignor-
ant of state medicine or unwilling to be-
lieve that which is true"
under our present regulations every YES
sci from the West Indies and South Amer
lea is detained two weeks or longer Is
untrue. DR.. Drummer states. He then en-
tiers into an explanation of the quarantine
regulations. Sailing vessels from an in
fected or suspected port are required to
dicharge ballast at the quarantine station.
They are then thoroughly dlsinfected and
detained five days thereafter to cover the
period of incubation of yellow fever. The
period of incubation is for the crew and
not for the vessel which could leave i'm
mediately after discharge of ballast and
disinfection. DIT. Drummer states here
that there is some unavoidable delay to
sailing vessels at the quarantine station
on account of the United States govern
ment having drawn its harbor lines across
500 feet of the quarantine station, and re-
quiring that all ballast be deposited be-
yond the harbor lines This occasions de-
lay of from two or four days, according to
the amount of ballast in the vessel. Nearly
all the steamships subject to quarantine
come in water ballast, and hence are saved
this delay. The time occupied in disin-
fectng steamships is from thirty-six to
forty-eight hours, after which they are de-
tanned five days to cover the period of in
cubation, making a total detention of
seven days.
'The statement as to the vessel from
Rio Janeiro laden with coffee in the winter
with clean bill of health and no sickness
on board, is incorrect" DR.. Drummer says.
! mo vessel has come to this port within
/ the past eight years with cargo of cof-
! fee"
The idea of clean bill of health from
! Rio is ridiculed. over $4,000 people have
| died with yellow fever there since 1856
| and the number of deaths occurring an
nually from yellow fever is from 800 to
! 5000. Smallpox and cholera are not in
/ fFaUuqnf 0f
| from a port infected with yellow fever
for forty years is apparently a worthless
piece of paper" says DR.. Drummer.
The Improvement in quarantine methods
began Immediately after the yellow fever
! epidemic of 1876. The entire lack of in
is shown. During 1875, from Jan. / to May
/, there were twenty-four vessels
from Cuban ports at this sta
tion, which either brought cargoes
or came in ballast. This ballast
was deposited along the river front ut
is easy TO see where yellow fever came
from in 1876" said DR.. Drummer.
Surgeon McClennan, u. S. A, Is quoted
as condemning in the most unqualified
manner the local origin" theory of yell
low fever as largely responsible for Sa-
vannah's sufferings from that disease, by
bringing about a neglect of quarantine
The charge that the health officer DOM
mates council and the sanitary board in
matters of quarantine and sanitation is
alluded to and DR.. Drummer states that
this personal attack upon himself will be
fully replied TO in another paper.
Various statements of DR.. LeHardy as
to the crematory. the water department,
shell pavements and other items are an
| swered in detail.
A table showing the number Of deaths,
and the population and death rate for each
race for both white and colored from 1855
to 1895 is given. This table shows that
| since 1876 there has been a gradual, but
| steady decrease in the death rate of both
white and colored, the Improvement dur
| ing the last ten years being especially
marked. The table differs very greatly
from that published by DR.. LeHardy in
the Sanitarian, owing to the fact that DR..
| Drummer includes the deaths Of both
white and colored for each year since
1855. In answer to DR.. LeHardys state
ment that the number of deaths from filth
diseases. malaral fever. typhoid fever and
diphtheria, have increased,a separate table
is given, showing the number Of deaths