The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-29
THE MENACE or GRAVEYARDs.
Dangers to the Living Caused by
Their Presence in Settled Commu.
mites


mites.
Louis WindmuHer in the North American
Review
Innumerable proofs furnished by scien-
tinc men of all ages. recently by the French
doctor Pasteur, show that earth retains
instead Of destroying the germs contained
in a body, and that in some degree it will
Vitiate It's surroundings Since Hannbafs
army was decimated by effluvia from an
ancient graveyard he unwittingy demo-
ished, history has repeated Itself. The
cholera in London in 1854 was ascribed TO
the upturning Of the earth where victims
of a previous plague had been buried. The
French academy of medicine located The
origin of diseases OF the lungs and the
throat In putrid manatons from the Pa
risian cemetery Pere la Chaise OF the
older churchyards of Paris once honey
combed with graves, that of the Innocents
is remarkable. Established on the present
site of the market called "Halles Cen
trales." it bred pestilence for centuries
without hindrance. Finally il became no
torious as a nuisance, so that ii had to be
abolished Innumerabe skele tons were
unceremoniously carted to the Cata-
combs on April T. 1856.
Lyon Playfair asserts that Roman fever
originates not In the Pontine marches but
in decaylng bodies of the millions buried
In the Eternal city. Dr. Domingo H'rere
found in cemeteries of Rio Janeiro myriads
Of microbes in corpses Identical with those
in persons stricken with yellow fever,
year after burial Drainage from ceme-
teries in Philadelphia has polluted water
Of the Fairmont reservoir. The centennial
dysentery of 1876 has been attributed TO
this cause. 4 continued prevalence of ty-
phoid fever In this sparsely inhabited city
must be ascribed to the same cause. Nor
taity by yellow fever was twice as large
in portions of New Orleans where large
cemeteries are located as elsewhere.
In Cuba this plague RACES almost contin-
ually Bodies of the victims of disease and
Spanish cruelty. estimated to number 2O0-
coo are iHadequately protected against high
temperature and moisture; their emana-
tions are a menace 10 our soldiers more
terrible than Spanish guns American Of
licers should be delegated to destroy these
bodies before they do harm. The Austrian
Government permits the destruction of
those who have fallen on the field of bat
tie by the erection of pyres, a practice
which ought to be made obligatory on the
military authorities of all civilized nations.
over 1000 bodies of Napoleons army OF
invasion were cremated ia 1872 by Rus
slams More men died before Sebastopol by
inhallng miasma of purified bodies than
were killed by the enemy. Some 10000
corpses poisoned the air after the battle
of Sedan, until inhabitants Of adjacent
Belgian villages prevailed on their gov
eminent to appoint in 1871, an officer TO
relieve the distress BY saturating them
with naphtha he succeeded IN burning 300
bodies in an hour, until all were consumed.
Long experience in the East indies has
shown that danger increases with moist
heat Neither burial nor disinfectants can
sufficiently protect the health of our army.
Dr. Samuel Latham Mitchin said IN
report TO our common council May 30, 1926:
g,urffigs of the
principle that water i'll cleansing clothes
becomes itself foul"
A commission recently appointed to in
vestigate sanitary conditions Of all grave
yards in Denmark was obliged TO condemn
Cos out Of a total number of $50 Ger
man authorities have forbidden the use Of
water from any well situated within 800
yards OF a grave Experience has shown
that cemeteries should by law be banisned
far outside the limits of any city; that 70
grave should be opened before complete
decomposition Of the body, and that there
fore only one body should be permitted in
one grave Graves not less than 10 feet
deep should be located in dry, porous soil
only Precautions like these would lessen
the danger, but no method other than Gre
nation win absolutely destroy all germs
Of sickness in a CASTOR body-none by
which, without giving offense, 1t can swift
liz be converted into ashes.
Our veneraton for Alexander Hamilton
did not originate with his handsome me-
mortal In Trinity church yard; no statue
in Westminster abbey can express the love
Englishmen cherish for Gladstone. Discov-
erers Of our sweet melodies, teachers of
morals and religion need no lettered stones
40 remind posterity Of their existence.
Since thirty years ago cremation has been
reinfroduced IN civilized communities,
many thousands Of bodies have thus been
disposed Of including those OF Hons ven
Bulow. George du Maurier, Jacob Mole
schott, y. Gregorovius and Anton seidl
Instead Of condemning their memory he
cause they refused 10 allow their corpaes
to become offensive, let IA follow their
noble example and help 20 remove one
Of the most Odious stains on our ciylliza-
ton. Then W. may hope some day 90 cn-
soy che pleasures Of No without fear Of
the dead.