The Natchitoches enterprise., 1899-02-23
Reply OF President SouchOn to
the Mississippi State Board
OF Health.
I.ouisiana State Board of Health.
New Orleans, Feb, z. 1899

New Orleans, Feb. Z. 1899
DR.. John F. Hunter, Secretary Miss's
sippi State Board OF Health, JACKSON
Miss.
Dear Sir:-I have read In the daily
papers Of this city the resolutions pass
I'd bv The Mississippi State Board .
Health NJ lis meeting Of Feb. 3rd. al
lpging that favored cOEcealing vel
low fever, cOntendin2 TINT yellow teVe
called bv hun (mtl 'yellowid' IL not
quaraEtirahle dIsease; that L 'hav'
refused to inform the country 1T large
when cases OF yellow fever have beer
reported to him [nIe) BY physicians o.
the city,
| have heretofore puI p0sely and FyA-
lemaiIcally ignored all attacks made
upon me and the Louisiana State Board
If Health from parties not In authority,
having realized from the start how
wearing and endless q task 1t would be
to answer them But when allegations
come from such authority as the MIS-
sIsslppI State Board Of Health l hasten
10 reply without waiting for the copy OF
the resolutions that is 10 be sent TO ME.
do Inaitain that the yellow fever OF
the last two years ID not the dreadful
yellow fever Of old and that the harsh
quar- antIhe measures for the grave forms
of those dark days should be replaced
by Modern SCIENTIFIC Sanitation, after
she true up-tO date Anglo Saxon spirit
Yehementlr protest against the I'M
nutatlons conveyed in these resolutions.
The were passed without calling upon
me for any explanation. That would
have been but simDie Justice and court
eSy to u fellow officer Of . Sister State.
Thereby the Board SLOWED its prejud-
ices 10 get the better OF Its Judgment.
duty and Official courtesy.
would not, and could not announce
cases Of yellow fever and proclaim quar-
Antine on rumOrS, or without having the
reported cases cOrrobnrated by other
physicians, experts of the Louisiana
State Board Of Health, especially as the
true nature of the fever that prevailed
the previous year and was prevailing
again was so much disputed.
The New Louisiana State Board of
Health, the minority Of which il COM
pO,ed of leaGing physicians of the high
est Standing from the parishes, recog-
niZed the sense aud justice Of such N
CT uTse, as II passed resolution to the
effect that No report II case of Quar-
antinabie Disease shall be accepted
without having been corrobOrated BY |
one or two Experts OF the Board Of
HEALTH
energetIcally deny here, once for all, |
hat failed to announce to other Boards |
Of Health any case Ut yellow fever that
had been reported to me by any of the
Experts OF the LouIsIaua State Board of
Health, Oh by any Of the Health Author
tics.
The Mississippi State Board Of Health
lad a permanent medical Inspector sta
Toned IN New Orleans from the begin
ling OF May. He was afforded ali the
Achilles for investigation he asked for.
,fficIal and social, to which u repre-
nan was entitled to, although We fully
appreciated all the time that he would
quarantine thIa great city at the very
lrSt opportunity. We all here can tes-
lfy TO the thorough, painstaking aid
manner In which he dis
harged his DUTY.
When in the beginning OF July the
secretary Of the Mississippi State Board
equested the Louisiana State Board to
ermIt an Inspection of the city by the
iisslssIDpi Inspectors from Bav st.
.ouis, the request was, at once granted,
: lie c,tEzshett tered sesR:sipspectors
II the Mississippt State Board, one Rom
he State of Alabama, and one from the
J. s. NJ Hospital Service.
Whenever the Mississippi Medical In
pectOr requested any horse inspection
was always acceded to, and when he
allied for IN investigation Of the Char {
y Hospital in the beginning of Sep
ember 1t was accorded him. That high !
,ned gentleman and good man. DR. s.
!. Dunn, then the Medical InsDector J
'Om Mississippi, will, / know, bear me
ut In these assertions.
When another Medical Inspector of Z
le Mississippi Board, DIR. III. III. Har- /
son. came to New Orleans in the mid a
lie Of September, he was also afforded :
] reasonable facilities for house IN
,ecliOn. The CITY Board of Health, i
owever, drew the line rs 10 his request r
T IA house to- house inspection for four +
Ocks In each direction, involving the /,
speCtiOn of several hundred houses Ia n
lie neighborhood alone. His request v
inspect the Charity Hospital. was I'M Il
sT consideration by the Board of Ad- n
illustrators Of the hospital when the q
of yellow fever IN the city was h
hcially announced, o
The Mississippi State Board OF Health Z,
IS faIled to prove that the cases Of fe- 2
n In their State came from this city,
though the INSPECTOR OF that Board
rs given al facilities to Investigate I
. premises and adjoining houses from ;
hich be thought the suspected per-
Ms and effects and the bunch OF bana- :
3 came, through which 1t was claimed =
have been introduced into the State
Mississippi. =
The redeeming feature In ell this re-
however, Il the most reas- =
Iable and scientific action of the Mis-
Isippi Board IN stating that IL did not
lieve In qrarantining on first cases
OuerlY isolated. IN so dong II has O.
aced Itself IN the vanguard of science, q
Imanity and civilization. We can moi Ii
lnire and commend too highly such a b
urse. 1t might bring upon a COM /,
'unitv all the cruel hardships of tha q
larantine methods o. the day. Moth IL
q can excel this acIion In quickly and A
rely bringing TO light the true condl- "
IN OF an affected locality. t
feel confident that the Louisiana II
ate Board OF Health will follow IN the q
oisteps Of the enlightened Mississippi c
bard, and ! sincerely trust that the C
lghb0ring Boa rds OF Health Will also e
lily under this standard of reason, Il
0gress and education. "
Yours respectfully, q
EDMOND SOUCHON, NJ, D.. u
President Louisiana State Board of Il