The Express.
London, England, 1866-08-23 00:00:00

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Suitable for all Innen

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LONDON, THURSDAY, AUGUST N.

Tui cholera is declining in London. Day by

day the returns of the Rieurrsaa-thersium show
a steady diminution in the number of deaths re-
corded. The disease, after having buret with
ahead exceptional violence upon a quarter of the
metropolis perhaps the least prepared to withstand
its progress, has culminated, end is now folio sing
the law of epidemics in gradually but surely lessen-
ing in its virulence. And if experience taught ua
that the subsidence of a local outbreak necessarily

signified a disarming of the fatal power of the
malady as regards its influence upon the metro-
polis generally, we might be content to follow the
example of some of the local authorities, and
believe that, for this occasion at least, there was
no fear of an attack upon our particu-
lar district. But we know that this
is not the case. We know from the past history
of the disease that the whole mortality from cho-
lera during an epidemic in a metropolis like ours
is made up, not of the results of a single out-
break, but by a succession of outbreaks in various
quarters. So far from the disease spending itself,
as it were, by a local visitation, and as a result
sparing other districts, we know that the presence
of cholera in one quarter is exactly the circum-
stance which is likely to lead to a repetition of
the evil in other parts. There is nothing at all
mysterious in thin. The constant communication
existing between all parts of the metropolis is a
means by which the infection carried from the
suffering district is planted in other soils
more or less prepared for its reception. The seed
is there, ripe and ready for propagation : if it
chance to fall upon a favourable spot, it grows
with a rapidity far exceeding that of vegetation,
and its fruit is gathered in the shape of death. It
should be noted, in illustration of this, that up to
the present time, although several cases of cho-
lera have been admitted into nearly all the metro-
politan hospitals, some of them many miles dis-
tant from East London, yet, as an almost constant
rule, the patients attacked have either recently
visited the infected quarter, or have obtained the
disease from some member of the family who has
taken it in that district. Asyetwe are unable to point
to any secondary centre of infection of any con-
sequence. The attacks have been sporadic, and
have run their course without spreading the dis-
awe. How long this condition may obtain it is
out of the power of any of us to say. All that is
known of the nature of cholera teaches us but too
surely that at any moment the disease thus carried
about the metropolis may be the cause of a local
outbreak as virulent as that which has ravaged
East London.
It is far from our wish to create unnecessary
alarm, and if a feeling of apprehension were alone
to be excited by a reference to the probable danger,
it would doubtless be better policy to hide the
risk and allow those who were so disposed to
bask in the fancied security which is engendered
by a gradual diminution of the death-rate.
But, in truth, to be alarmed, and to act upon the
feeling, is really to meet, and in all probability
obviate, the danger. The very fact that secondary
outbreaks have not as yet succeeded the severe
visitation in the East-end is of itself an assuring
circumstance. It does not so much point to any
obscure peculiarity in the present epidemic as to
the success of the means which attention, now
very generally aroused, has been able to provide
for the contingency. There can be little doubt
that many of the scattered ems referred to have
been actually prevented from propagaLing the
disease by the employment of measures which
apprehension has dictated. Nor is it unreason-
able to infer that with a continuance
and increase of such precautions we may hope to
escape future danger.
It may be useful to refer here to the dates re-
presenting the period of greatest mortality in the
two last epidemics. In 1849, the disease which
bad pervaded London during the winter months,
destroying in January 262 person's, in February
181, declined considerably in March, when the
mortality was only 73. In April it had so far
subsided that nine persons only died. In May the
number was 13. In June a sudden increase took
place, and 246 deaths were recorded. In July 1,952
persona died of cholera. August found the death-
rate terribly increased—the number during that
month being 4,251. It was not, however, until
September that the disease culminated, and 6,644
deaths were registered. In the month of October
the rate fell to 464. Comparing with this the record
of the epidemic of 1854, we find that in July of
that year 410 persons died of cholera. In August
this was suddenly increased to 3,366. September
saw the unprecedented mortality of 8,992. In
October 1,222 deaths were registered.
We note here that, although cholera ap-
peared much earlier in 1849 then it did in 1854
and has done in 1866, yet in each of the two last
epidemics the disease did not culminate until
September. It is remarkable that in each case
the greatest mortality occurred at a precisely similar
period—the first week in September. In 1849,
2,026 persons died of cholera during this
week ; in 1854, 2,326. Now, it would
of course, absurd to found an argument
Ton these two instances, and to look for our
''hest mortality at the beginning of next month.
?robabilities, indeed, are much against such
.pectation being realised. In each of the epi-
described the death-rate rose systematically
ry week during the summer. On the pre-
occasion this kind of order has been broken,
the rate has been regularly falling during the
last weeks. But we cannot lose sight of the
fact, that the advance of summer has
brought with it an increase of the disease.
present visitation of cholera has resembled the
which preceded it in the circumstance that is
case the disease appeared in the country dur-

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