a case of yellow fever for several nights in succession, but spent every day in the office. Mr. C. had been no further up town than Julia, nor below Canal; no further east than St. Charles, or further west than Dryades street. Fumigation of house practiced; no other case occurred for many blocks in either direction.

The history of yellow fever in the Second District, and the views of Dr. Albers in regard to it will be found in his report.

Case 39. September 29th, N. J. R., corner Franklin and Bienville streets, is admitted by most who saw it, to have been a case of yellow fever. Mr. R. was at once removed to Hospi tal, and disinfection practiced, and the next case (No. 86) that appeared in that vicinity, was that of Dominique Garsello, on the 26th of October.

The remarks in regard to the efficiency of disinfection, made in connection with the history of yellow fever in the Fourth District, are applicable to this case.

It is of interest to note that after the death of Garsello, no disinfection was practiced, and that Franklin street, near Bienville street, became a focus of infection, and that the last case of the year declared itself at that point.

In the Third District only five cases of fever occurred. The particulars will be found in the report of Dr. Perry.

Two were infected cases from Natchez. Disinfection was in each locality, and no second case occurred.

se of the table furnishes matter of interest. Miss M. vesi New Orleans October 26th, and went to her home on sucou areɛue, a locality where no yellow fever had appeared. carus u cautions given, she visited the infected district, in

ory of Fourth and Constance streets, remaining there

vars. Ye days after her arrival, she was attacked e, new ever, dat after passing to the stage of black vomit, vene ocher members of the family had remained

ne summer, but had been careful not to visit cony, and during her illness disinfectants were Avisosaurly by the attending physician.

teve recovery from yellow fever, after

black vomit had occurred, are recorded the cases of two adult males and one child, being a total of four.

Of the six cases known to have reached the city from Natchez, and other places to the northward infected with yellow fever, five died.

The infected localities out of the city were so many, that it is quite probable that some of the cases scattered through the city, instead of being presumably sporadic, were in fact cases of non-traceable, though by no means non-existent infection.

On October 3d, occurred a violent storm, which to the southward and eastward assumed the proportions of a hurricane. The rain fell in enormous amount, flooding yards and streets, and the violence of the wind, thoroughly ventilated the most out-of-the-way corners.

Ten 9-10 inches of rain fell in twenty-four hours. By examination of the table of five cases, it will be seen that the Fourth District epidemic had greatly declined before the coming of the storm.

The storm seems, however, to have exerted a decided and favorable influence on the public health, as but three domestic cases of fever died in the next fifteen days. The three other deaths being of cases foreign to New Orleans.

The use of disinfectants in yellow fever is of course empirical. Theories in regard to their use and mode of action are liable to be modified or overturned by the logic of facts.

The Board of Health have no theory save that announced in their report of last year. "All cases were treated by those disinfectants which have the known effect of purifying the air by the destruction of noxious odors, and have been found valuable in preventing the spread of other epidemic diseases.

The experience of the year is in favor of their use. Some families in which they were used freely on the occurrence of the first case, escaped additional attacks. Other families in which by prejudice or neglect of the physicians, or their own choice, they were not used, the disease passed through the whole family attacking all its members in succession.

The general prevalence of the disease in the Southern States,

and numerous cases scattered about in New Orleans, show that the failure of the fever to become general, was not owing to any unfavorable meteorological or climatic conditions.

Its

Last year New Orleans suffered from yellow fever. ravages were confined to three blocks in the Third District, a limited portion of the First District, and as an epidemic it was confined to a portion of the Second District of four squares by twelve. In Mobile it began later than in New Orleans, but attacked every portion of the city.

In New Orleans great efforts were made to arrest the disease by hygienic remedies. No efforts whatever were made in Mobile. This fact seems of value. In every Southern city, town or village, where yellow fever appeared at all this year, it assumed the epidemic form, save in New Orleans, and New Orleans is the only place where an early, energetic, well-planned and persistent attempt was made to control the disease.

The obscurity of the origin of yellow fever, however, and of its mode of spreading, the perplexing and apparently contradictory facts which it affords, during a series of years, to the careful observer, are well set forth in the humorous paradox of the distinguished Dr. Warren Stone, "the man knows most about yellow fever who has seen the least of the disease."

COAL OILS.

A large number of accidents from the use of dangerous uminating oils have taken place. These dangerous oils have been the cause of numerous fires and considerable loss of property, of the slight injury of some, the severe injury of chers, and the death of a number of persons.

se accidents have invariably occurred, as frequently anthe public, from the use of light hydro-carbon oils wid under some captivating title, as non-explosive, a troch rocking but benzine, naptha or gasoline, or have axy's of which the larger portion was "heavy," Varianitd.ed by naptha or gasoline, which light prosed either alone or mixed with good oil, wse

all accidents from illuminating oils.

fewitht & pleased to say, that its efforts to in

struct the community in the method of distinguishing safe from dangerous oils, through the public prints, and by the personal labors of the Sanitary Inspectors, have, in some degree, been successful, especially as enforced by the powerful lesson of daily accidents. The Sanitary Inspectors of the Third and Fifth Districts inform the Board that the use of light, dangerous coal oils, has almost entirely ceased in their districts, and in consequence no accidents from this cause have of late occurred there.

The Board of Health see no reason to withdraw their recom mendation of last year as to the propriety and necessity of legislation in this direction, and again commend to your favor able consideration their projêt of a law on this subject offered in their last annual report.

LABORATORY.

Dr. A. W. Perry, Sanitary Inspector of the Third District has acted as chemical expert for the Board during the year. The attention of the Board was called by a prominent druggist of the city, to the supposed serious danger to the health of the community from the use of syrups manufactured from starch by the action of sulphuric acid. The communication was referred to Dr. Perry for investigation. The result of his examination is given in a paper on the subject in the appendix to this report. His results correspond with the opinion given by other chemists as to the safety of their use.

Important inquiries have also been made into the question of sewerage, and into the methods of street management, in a scientific and sanitary point of view. The reports on these sub. jects are of very considerable interest, and attention is invited to them.

The treatment of hydro-carbon illuminating oils by chemical agents, for the purpose of rendering them non-explosive, was made the subject of another inquiry. The fact of the absorption of carbonic acid in large quantities by naptha, and the experiments in regard to the explosiveness of hydro-carbons thus saturated, are not mentioned, it is believed, by any authorities on the subject.

Certain disinfectants proposed for the use of the Board of Health have been submitted to chemical examination, as, for example, "Llado's" "Liquid" and "Dry" Disinfectants," and Bromo Chloralum. None of these possess much intrinsic value, and none compare in efficiency and cheapness with the sulphate or chloride of iron and carbolic acid.

The "Liquid Disinfectant," thus termed by the New York Board of Health, consisting of ninety (90) per cent. of a saturated solution of sesqui oxide of iron in hydrochloric acid, and ten (10) per cent. of carbolic acid, as indicated by theory, has been proved by experience to be the best and cheapest disinfectant for all full vaults, and places where human excretions are liable to decompose and taint the air.

For street and gutter disinfection, as will be seen by the report of Dr. Perry, in his experiments on treatment of sewage by chemical agents, carbolic acid is greatly superior to all other known substances.

MILK SUPPLY.

Attention has been paid to the quality of the milk furnished to the community.

In the large number of specimens examined no adulteration has been found save water.

Prosecutions before civil courts have been brought in a considerable number of cases. This process is, however, not sufficiently summary, and the opportunity of prosecutions in the the criminal courts in certain cases, if afforded by change in the law granting powers to the Board of Health, would add greatly to its efficiency in the regulation of this, as of many other matters affecting the public health.

Numerous examinations of pure milk, demonstrate that the standard at this point, is different from that adopted by the New York instrument makers.

The Lactometer marking 20 degrees in pure milk, here marks but 17* degrees. The purity of the milk furnished to the public by our dealers is tested by the standard furnished by our own examinations.