Yellow Fever and Other Diseases 109 



dreds of cases. It was hot weather — late July. 

 The part of the city first and worst infected was 

 thronged with an unsanitary, ignorant, superstitious 

 class, fearful alike of police and physicians, drawing 

 their water from open cisterns, or, generally, from 

 open barrels in which the river water is allowed to 

 stand and settle. The inhabitants of this section re- 

 sented and feared inspection. They systematically 

 hid fever cases and could not be made to see the 

 danger from mosquitoes. Had it not been for the 

 intelligent cooperation of the clergy, the task in this 

 quarter would have been appalling. It is a pity that 

 mosquito breeding in New Orleans is not subject 

 to a fine, as it was in Havana, especially as 75 % of 

 New Orleans was non-immune, against 90^ of im- 

 munes in Havana. 



The regular city organisation, with its central head- 

 quarters and eighteen ward headquarters, each in 

 command of a medical officer with one to six medical 

 assistants, inspectors, fumigators, screeners, and sup- 

 plies, all under Dr. J. H. White, worked side by side 

 with the Citizens Volunteer Ward Organisation, 

 which screened and oiled cisterns, oiled and salted 

 gutters and pools (950 miles of gutters were salted), 

 and sometimes fumigated houses — this last, on 

 account of the indifference or opposition of the in- 

 habitants, being very difficult. Systematic house to 

 house inspection was begun in the infected district 

 and kept up until about October. More or less of 

 such inspection wascarried on all over the city. When 

 a case was reported, warning was at once given to 

 the ward headquarters. The patient was at once re- 



