Biennial report of the Louisiana State Board of Health. 1871

its opinion decidedly in favor of their continuance and thorough enforcement.

The buildings at the Mississippi Quarantine Station suffered much by the cyclone of the third of October, which not only severely shattered the buildings, but brought the water from the gulf over the rear levee, prostrating the fences, submerging the premises, destroying all stores and washing away other material. The resident physician estimates the sum necessary to put the buildings in repair, and replace losses of stores and material, at twenty-five hundred dollars.

At the Rigolets Station quarantine fees were not exacted from vessels during the last summer.

SMALL POX.

Only two (2) deaths and eighteen (18) other cases of small pox and varioloid occurred in New Orleans during the past year; an exemption in marked contrast with the year 1870, during which five hundred and twenty-eight (528) deaths occurred, with a probable number of cases of small pox and varioloid of not less than five thousand; an experience, in marked contrast also to that of Eastern, Northern, and Western cities at the present time.

Reasons for this exemption from small pox, may perhaps be the absence of the so-called epidemic constitution of the air, the temperateness of the climate, and the mode of house building, which secures abundant ventilation of the habitations of even the most careless and poor persons, and consequent dilution of the poison, and to the exhaustion of material for its ravages, by the epidemic of the winter of 1871

Two most effective causes of this exemption are, however, the prompt and complete isolation of all cases of both varioloid and small pox, and the vaccination of those exposed by vicinity, and the disinfection or destruction of fomites. A third, and the most potential cause of the escape is the vaccination with pure, energetic virus, which has been so generally secured.

The interior of this and neighboring States, where vaccination is but little practised, furnishes every season. either as

transient or permanent population, many persons liable to small pox.

This number is each year increased by the birth of not less than four to five thousand infants. To the larger proportion of this population, foreign and internal commerce brings the infection of small pox.

England and Prussia, New York, Cincinnati and St. Louis have sent us cases of the disease.

The public schools have been carefully examined in the matter of protection from this disease, and gratuitous vaccination offered to all who desired it. This has been accepted by a very large number. The necessity for the ordinance of the Board of Health, requiring vaccination as a prerequisite to attendance of children upon the public schools is shown by the nine hundred (900) vaccinations of school children, made by Dr. Clarke in the 3d District of the city, in the months of January and February.

The total number of public school children vaccinated during the year by the several Sanitary Inspectors, is twenty-one hundred and ten (2110).

Pure vaccine virus, usually but one or two removes from the cow, has been constantly kept, and furnished gratuitously to all physicians applying for it. Five hundred portions have thus been distributed. Many physicians have returned choice crusts to the office of the Board, thus giving valuable assistance in keeping up a supply of reliable vaccine, both pure and fresh.

The Board are pleased to be able to repeat their expression of last year. "In the many thousands of cases vaccinated by their officers, and by physicians in the city and country, with vaccine furnished by the Board no accident has occurred." In the reports of the Sanitary Inspectors will be found interesting details on this subject.

In view of the exposure of vast numbers of the people of this State-probably not less than two-hundred thousand-to sickness and death from small-pox, the Board of Health recommend the passage of a law upon the subject, the projêt of which was embodied in their report of last year.

MORTALITY BY ALL FEVERS.

From the 1st to the 30th of May, weekly reports from Registrar's Office of all deaths by all fevers, and from June 1st to November 1st, daily reports, were made by the Sanitary Inspector of the Second District, according to instructions from the office of the Board of Health. The particulars of each death were immediately furnished to the Sanitary Inspector in whose district it occurred for investigation and report. These reports gave information as to whether any local causes existed for the death, which could be remedied by sanitary interference; secondly, made it nearly impossible that a death by yellow fever could escape the cognizance of the Board.

The experience of last year, when thirteen persons who died of undoubted yellow fever were interred as pernicious, congestive, and other forms of malarial fevers, and the consequent failure to apply disinfectants at the moment when most, if ever valuable, namely; at the very beginning of an epidemic, demonstrated the importance of this measure.

These examinations also show, that a large portion of the deaths in New Orleans from fevers, are not the result of the malarious atmosphere of the city, but are contracted upon the rivers and along lines of railroad, and thence are brought into the city; many of the unfortunates arriving, even in articulo mortis, thus to increase its unenviable reputation for insalubrity.

In many cases, the reports showed a local cause for the fatal sickness, such as stagnant water under the houses, filthy and insufficiently drained yards, etc.

YELLOW FEVER.

The following table comprises all deaths, and all well marked cases of the diseases during the year 1871:

List of cases of Yellow Fever occurring in the city of New