Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-12-26

washington Post)
We have had frequent occasion OF late
to discuss tho nonsense talked about yell
iow-fsver. about stamping out and fumi-
cation. end a hundred other fallacies
which people repeat like parrots and
dwell upon with fatuous complacency.
Now comes the Nth hypothesis-the
solemn assertion that ysllow-fever can
be prevented If only man will keep their
premises clean ana excavate their cutters
and see that no garbage acoumulates
TO load the air with all this smells Of
Araby. And. apropos OF this. we find in
a New Orleans newspaper the following
communication:
New Orleans, October 20. 1897
ITO the Editor Of the Daily States:
''As at present yellow-fevsr and its pre-
ventives are the subjects OF discussion,
viii you permit me, through the columns
OF your valuable paper. to submit few
thoughts TO the guardians OF our health,
In reference to some observations which
may, perhaps. prove OF some value.
1T will be noticed that the virulsnce OF
the present fever is found in the upper
districts of this city. At the very start
Of this fever the people OF that district,
al great expense. put that locality In
thorough sanitary condition. The streets
were cleaned, the accumulation OF nth
from the cutters taken up. and the
premises disinfected and the privies emp
tied. and yet. the fever not only held
it's own, but continued to spread, until
at present writing 1t may be considered,
in this locality, TO be epidemic.
oil amir NO
or stirring OF cutters was made In the
lower portion Of this city. as compared
To the energy in that direction displayed
uptown, and yet there is comparatively
very little fever in the lower portion OF
the city. except. possibly, in that portion
occupied to a large extent by the
Italians. which portion. thanks to Mr..
Farrar's devotion to the public good, was
the most fumigated and dislnfected Of
this city
Now, look Mt that section of the city
bounded by the New Basin canal up
town, the New Orleans canal downtown,
Claiborne avenue, and the lake, in which
portion is TO be found the largo ma
jority Of the drainage canals of this city,
and as 10 their conditions OF filth no one
will contest their claim to being, possibly,
the most loathsome In the world.
THAT section has had but little. IL any,
cleaning done.
Few Of the cutters have been stirred
and yet, with all these apparents draw
backs, there has not been any case oil
yellow-fever in that section, or. II any
very few. as compared to the portions
where the filth had been stirred and car
ried away.
"The question is, Why is this so? Does
II not show that the yellow-fever germs
seek filth and low conditions or dirt? May
il not be that if they. the germs. were
permitted to remain in the cutters ano
canals. that they would not seek other
homes, and would remain harmless during
the entire season? Would II not be wise
therefore. never to clean these places
from the month of June until frost, and
to keep them purified by a free use OF
disinfectants?
81 am not a man of science, and do not
pretend to answer these questions, bu'
as my observations may be of use for
future actions, 1 beg to call the attention
of the Board OF Health to this, and &c
submit these remarks for what they
are worth. Respectfully, Z.
These are facts beyond dispute. Inc
same facts were notorious during th'
first made its appearance in the beautifu
garden district Of the city and came only
in a belated and reluctant way to tho
dirty, unkempt sections when the season
was almost at an end. There are diseases
that are born OF filth and bad smells. but
yellow fever is evidently not one OF them
These causes may produce results which
pave the way for yellow-fever and unfit
the victim for meeting its attack, but
they do not breed the disease or facih'
tate its spread. If mere cleanliness qua
ranteed immunity, Montgomery, Ala.
would be immune forever. IL foul cutters
and a lack of sewerage invited yellow
fever. New Orleans would have the maIa-
dy in Epidemic form every year. Science
IS on the wrong track. Yellow-fever does
not spring from a pile of fostering gar
bage. nor can ii be kept away by soap
and water.