The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-21
FOR A HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
DUTY OF THE NATIONAL GOVERN
NIENT TO THE PUBLIC.

Geddings of the New York Board
of Trade-The Government should
Establish a Department Having
Control OF All Matters Relating to
the Public Health, He snys-Quar-
nntine of Small Importance BE-
side such a Work as This.
DR.. ]. c. LeHardy has addressed a let
ter to Mr. Silas Geddings, chairman of the
board of trade and transportation of New
York, replying TO certain questions sent
out by instruction of the board of health
officers throughout the country, for the
purpose of obtaining information upon the
subject of national quarantine and health
legislation.
In his reply DR.. LeHardy makes strong
and vigorous presentation of the subject,
showing what sort of national legislation
is needed for the benefit of the country at
large.
Seeing that Gov. Johnston of Alabama
had called convention of southern gov
errors to consider the question of nation
al quarantine legislation, eDr. LeHardy
yesterday addressed a copy of his letter
to Chairman Geddings to Gov. Johnston,
and also furnished a copy to the Morning
News. Briefly, DR.. LeHardy advocates
government legislation on this subject of
the broadcast character and not on the
narrow lines advocated by those who SIM
ply wish to shoulder the burden of quar-
antine on the national government.
His letter is as follows:
"I thank you for the opportunity of ex-
pressing to the members of your board my
appreciation of the steps they are now
taking with the view of Riding this great
country of obsolete quarantine methods
which instead of being a benefit have prov
ed a curse, by impeding our commercial
relations with the rest Of the world and
tramplng upon the personal liberty of her
people, while, las was fully demonstrate
ed last falO they accomplish no good re-
suits whatever. The futility of maritime
quarantine as a preventive of yellow fever
was clearly demonstrated in a report read
before the third national quarantine con-
vention which was held in your city in
1859.
This masterpiece was the work of some
of the most noted sanitarians this coun-
try ever produced. The effect it produced
upon commerce was so graphically ex-
pressed by Gen. Wetmore representative
from your city, at the next annual meet
ing of that body, in the city of Boston,
that l must quote one of its paragraphs,
Addressing DR.. Bigelow, the president. he
exclaimed Sir, the quarantine regula-
tons established 200 years ago by the
station authorities as a protection against
the plague have bound the energies of
the commercial world until within the last
twelve months, upon the motion of Dr.
Stevens, those shackles have been cast
off, commerce now stands free and indie
pendent of all unnecessary restrictions
Hygienic measures and sanitary works
which were Systematically carried out in
every city, town and village of Great
Britain has been followed by
such satisfactory results, in i'm
proving the health and increasing the
longevity of their inhabitants, and pro-
tected them from epidemics of contagious
infections and of filth diseases, that her
government found il unnecessary to longer
obstruct commerce by quarantine restric-
tons, ships are not detained, any passen-
ger or member of the crew sick on board,
is sent to hospital, suspected persons are
allowed to proceed to their destination, but
they are kept under surveillance, and if
they sicken they are cared for and all
necessary precautions taken by health Of
ficers to prevent the spread of the disease.
The present status of quarantine in the
United States is a very disastrous one to
the interests of that section still liable to
the visitation of yellow fever. Between the
restriction imposed by the state or
local authorities, and the ma
the marine hospital service in the shape
of maritime inland and interstate quar-
antine the summer commerce of that sec
ton is completely ruined, travel almost
an impossblity and personal liberty an
constant jeopardy. Before the civil war,
state and local authorities alone had the
right to enforce quarantine, and, although
yellow fever was at its worst then, eX-
tending it's ravages along our coast from
New York to Mexico, with a mortality of
n oil ION
inland and interstate quarantine was not
enforced, commercial relations between the
states were not impeded, travel was free
and personal liberty never interfered with.
No one outside of the infected belt closed
his doors to refugees, and there is no in
stance showing that disease ever spread
outside of the infected district. The last
epidemic of yellow fever, ante-belum,
occurred at Norfolk in 1855. between this
one and that which occurred at Savannah
In 1876 there were a few outbreaks of the
disease along the coast, none, however, de-
serving public attention. From 1859 to the
end of the war, maritime quarantine was
lost sight OF and until it was nominal
only after an interval of twenty-one years
Yellow fever in the epidemic form occurr-
ed at Savannah and Brunswick simulta-
neously with a mortality of 800 in the first
and 176 in the second city. Although no re-
strictions were then imposed upon COM
merce or travel, the disease did not spread
beyond the limits or these cities. In 1871
there was slight outbreak of yellow few
err at Fernandina and neighboring coast
and 1878 marks the great epidemic along
the Mississippi river and its tributaries
followed by one at Memphis
and neighboring country in 1873
There were eight or ter
outbreaks here and there along the south
ern coast since, but in such a modified
form that the loss of life has been in
significant, and last season it was with
great difficulty that a diagnosis of yellow
fever could be made out a. Ocean Springs
Experts from New Orleans and from the
marine hospital service were at loss un.
tIl a post-mortem settled the point. In
1870. that is fifteen years after the las
ante-bellum yellow fever epidemic, the frs
steps were taken to revive quarantine. Ii
1872 the promoters succeeded in having
passed through congress joint resolution
providing for a more effective system oil
quarantine on the southern and Gull
coasts" This wedge once introduced, oul
people were soon made to believe that