Yellow Fever in New Orleans

But the formidable and insidious malady would not thus consent to be ignored. All the while it was furtively and gradually disseminating its poison-sowing the seeds of a rich harvest of death, filling up the wards of the Charity on the levee. The very small number of our citizens who ever took the trouble to examine statistics of mortality, began to be alarmed; but they were frowned down as panic-makers, and the disease, the existence of which was admitted, was pronounced to be ship-fever, which threatened only sailors and stevedores. But what did the mortality statistics show? In the books of the Charity Hospital the following cases were found entered:

"James McGingen, laborer; native of Ireland; one week in the city; had just landed from a vessel direct from Liverpool; was taken sick on the 23rd of May; entered the hospital on the 27th; and died the same day, of black vomit."

"Gerhard H. Worte, a native of Germany; a sailor, last from Bremen, died on the 30th of May, of black vomit.

"Michael Mahoney, a native of Ireland-last from Liverpool; died June 7th, of black vomit.

"Herman Bruntz, late from Bremen; died 7th of June, of black vomit.

"Thomas Hart, a native of England-last from Liverpool; died on 10th of June, of black vomit.

"Margaret Runnel-fifteen days from Boston; died on 11th of June, of black vomit."

These were the first six cases which terminated fatally. But these were ordinary occurrences, by no means justifying any apprehensions of an epidemic. Only six deaths from yellow fever in the Charity Hospital in twelve or fourteen days!

The first of July arrived. There had been but one death from yellow fever. There was, however, a good deal of other sickness; yet the month of June showed only 625 deaths in the whole city-being an average of 156 per week. But July was less satisfactory. The first week exhibited a result which created alarm. The deaths from yellow fever had doubled. Yet there were only 59 deaths out of a population of 80,000. "Let us hold on a little longer before we permit ourselves to be frightened," was the cry. The 16th of June arrives-204 deaths by yellow fever for one week. "That is serious, certainly."- "No; the fever exists among the shipping, and the very poorest classes. It will not extend to the more respectable portion of our people." The Council was not alarmed, and the Mayor was not at all discomposed. Even the newspapers curbed their natural tendency for panics, stirring incidents, and startling events; and lightly treated these rather serious figures. But at the same time they betrayed their real sentiments by inveighing against the Council for not cleaning the streets, creating a Board of Health, or doing something to prevent the introduction or origination of an epidemic. Alas! they knew well enough that the epidemic was already near the city; but the fatal effects of alarm were urged in justification of the pious suppressio veri.

About the middle of June there was one portentous announcement, which was well understood by the old residents. It was the publication of the Programme of the Howard Association-an association composed of thirty gentlemen, who, under a charter from the Legislature, have been long organized to aid the poor sick "during an epidemic." This publication was loudly censured. It was equivalent to a declaration that there was an epidemic in the city. The doctors disputed this point. The disease was confined to a particular class and a special locality: an epidemic includes all classes. The Council joined issue with the Association. Meeting on the 27th July, the Assistant Aldermen passed the following resolutions:

"Whereas, there now exists a very general apprehension among the good citizens of this city that the yellow fever, which is by many believed to be sporadic , and confined almost exclusively to certain crowded localities, may spread and become epidemic.

"And whereas, it is highly important that all and every possible and proper means be at once taken to prevent both the spreading of the disease and to allay all unnecessary excitement touching its mortality, by truthful official reports of its progress or decline."

These resolutions were written by a physician, and adopted by a body presided over by a physician. "May spread and become epidemic!"-The people were then dying at the rate of a hundred a day, in every part of the city. Fifteen hundred had already died of a disease "which is by many believed to be sporadic, and confined almost exclusively to certain crowded localities." Fifteen hundred in a few weeks cut down sporadically-just one half the total number of victims of the epidemic of 1847-which was considered the severest that ever visited the city.

The Council next created a Board of Health, placed $10,000 at its disposal, and then adjourned, many of its members flying the city, and others remaining to perform their duties, like men and philanthropists.

The Board of Health set to work vigorously and earnestly, established infirmaries in various parts of the city, and performed such other duties as were now within the scope of human power. But it was too late to discuss preventive measures. It was not even considered necessary to repair the error of the Council, and declare that there was an epidemic in the city. It spoke for itself. It was figured up in the reports of the daily interments. It was proclaimed in a thousand forms of gloom, sorrow, desolation, and death. Funeral processions crowded every street. No vehicles could be seen except doctors' cabs and coaches, passing to and from the cemeteries, and hearses, often solitary, taking their way toward those gloomy destinations. The hum of trade was hushed. The levee was a desert. The streets, wont to shine with fashion and beauty, were silent. The tombs-the home of the dead-were the only places where there was life-where crowds assembled-where the incessant rumbling of carriages, the trampling of feet, the murmur of voices, and all signs of active, stirring life could be heard and seen.

Spread over a large area, and badly built up, New Orleans did not, however, bring so distinctly before the eye and mind of the observer the full extent of the ravages of the disease as other cities would have done under a like visitation. To realize the full horror and virulence of the pestilence, you must go into the crowded localities of the laboring classes, into those miserable shanties which are the disgrace of the city, where the poor immigrant class cluster together in filth, sleeping a half-dozen in one room, without ventilation, and having access to filthy, wet yards, which have never been filled up, and when it rains are converted into green puddles-fit abodes for frogs and sources of poisonous malaria. Here you will find scenes of woe, misery, and death, which will haunt your memory in all time to come. Here you will see the dead and the dying, the sick and the convalescent, in one and the same bed. Here you will see the dead babe sucking from the yellow breast of its dead mother. Here father, mother, and child die in one another's arms. Here you will find whole families swept off in a few hours, so that none are left to mourn or to procure the rites of burial. Offensive odors frequently drew neighbors to such awful spectacles. Corpses would thus proclaim their existence, and enforce the observances due them. What a terrible disease! Terrible in its insidious character, in its treachery, in the quiet, serpent-like manner in which it gradually winds its folds around its victims, beguiles him by its deceptive wiles; cheats his judgment and senses, and then consigns him to grim death. Not like the plague, with it's red spot, its maddening fever, its wild delirium and stupor-not like the cholera, in violent spasms and prostrating pains, is the approach of the vomito. It assumes the guise of the most ordinary disease which flesh is heir to-a cold, a slight chill, a headache, a slight fever, and, after a while, pains in the back. Surely there is nothing in these! "I won't lay by for them," says the misguided victim; the poor laborer can not afford to do so. Instead of going to bed, sending for a nurse and doctor, taking a mustard-bath and a cathartic, he remains at his post until it is too late. He has reached the crisis of the disease before he is aware of its existence. The chances are thus against him. The fever mounts up rapidly, and the poison pervades his whole system. He tosses and rolls on his bed, and raves in agony. Thus he continues for thirty-six hours. Then the fever breaks, gradually it passes off-joy and hope begin to dawn upon him. He is through now. "Am I not better, Doctor?" "You are doing well, but must be very quiet." Doing well! How does the learned gentleman know? Can he see into his stomach, and perceive there collecting the dark brown liquid which marks the dissolution that is going on? The fever suddenly returns, but now the paroxysm is more brief. Again the patient is quiet, but not so hopeful as before. He is weak, prostrate, and bloodless, but he has no fever; his pulse is regular, sound, and healthy, and his skin moist. "He will get well," says the casual observer. The doctor shakes his head ominously. After a while, drops of blood are seen collecting about his lips. Blood comes from his gums-that is a bad sign, but such cases frequently occur. Soon he has a hiccough. That is worse than the bleeding at the gums: then follows the ejection of a dark-brown liquid which he throws up in large quantities; and this in nine hundred and ninety-nine cases out of a thousand is the signal that the doctor's function is at an end, and the undertaker's is to commence. In a few hours the coffin will receive its tenant, and mother-earth her customary tribute.

This is the description of the great majority of cases. But it does not fall within the compass of this article to enlarge upon this branch of our subject. So we much hurry back to our facts, and dispose of them as briefly as possible, in order to give room for incidents which will possess more interest to the general reader, and perhaps serve better to illustrate the character and history of this pestilence than any formal narrative.

The Board of Health commenced its operations about the 1st of August. Daily reports were then published of the interments in all the cemeteries of the city. Commencing on 1st of August with 106 deaths by Yellow Fever, 142 deaths by all diseases, the number increased daily, until for the first week, ending on the 7th, they amounted to 909 deaths by Yellow Fever, 1186 of all diseases. The next week showed a continued increase: 1288 Yellow Fever, 1526 of all diseases. This was believed to be the maximum. There had been nothing to equal it in the history of any previous epidemics, and no one believed it could be exceeded. But the next week gave a mournful refutation of these predictions and calculations: for that ever memorable week the total deaths were 1575, of Yellow Fever 1346. But the next week commenced more gloomily still. The deaths on the 22nd of August were 283 of all diseases, 239 of Yellow Fever. This proved to be the maximum mortality of the season. From this it began slowly to decrease. The month of August exhibited a grand total of 5122 deaths by Yellow Fever, and nearly 7000 deaths by all diseases. Slowly the disease continued to decrease, only for the want of victims, until on the 6th of September (at which time these notes are transcribed), when it reached 65 deaths by Yellow Fever, and 95 deaths of all diseases. Looking back from this point we find that the whole number of deaths by the Yellow Fever from its first appearance on the 28th of May were 7189-deaths from all diseases 9941. But there are 344 deaths the cause of which is not stated in the burial certificates. At least three-fourths of these may be set down in the Yellow Fever column-which would add 250 more, and make the deaths by Yellow Fever 7439.

But do these figures include all the deaths? Alas! no. Hundreds have been buried of whom no note was taken, no record kept. Hundreds have died away from the city, in attempting to fly from it. Every steamer up the river contributed its share to the hecatombs of victims of the pestilence. Nor do these returns include those who have died in the suburbs, in the towns of Algiers and Jefferson City, in the villages of Gretna and Carrollton. But even these figures, deficient as they are, need no additions to swell them into proofs that the most destructive plague of modern times has just wreaked its vengeance upon New Orleans. Estimating the total deaths at 8000 for three months, we have ten per cent. of the whole population of New Orleans.