The Sun.
London, England, 1847-11-11 00:00:00

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LONDON, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 1847.

Apart from legislative activity, sanitary precau-
tions are being forced upon us by the naked and
exigent principle of self-preservation. Dirt and care-
lessness have acquired such an ascendancy over the
population that fatal diseases are almost regarded as
indigenous. Year after year hundreds are destroyed by
scrofula and consumption, by inflammation of the
lungs, by intermittent and typhus fevers, and by all the
other varieties of zymotic affections. The victims
of a systematic ignorance are viewed by the autho-
rities as the persons necessarily enumerated in the
annual registers of mortality. The thought never
appears to have recurred to the Government, or
to the different municipalities, that hundreds of
lives might be preserved by the most simple and
economic arrangements, or that men, women, and
children might be extricated from the mortal seizure of
disease as literally as from the perils of drowning or
burning. Wherever such precautionary treatment
has been pointed out as obviously requisite, and the
warninghas been nevertheless wilfully disregarded, the
individuals upon whom the responsibility devolved of
taking the matter into consideration are (morally) as
culpable as though they had assisted at an auto-da-fe.
The movement already visible in the provinces from
the rapid approach of the Asiatic Cholera, shows in a
striking manner the extravagant consequences of this
social indifferentism. A case of Cholera aboard a
vessel just arrived from the Black Sea, occurs
off Falmouth, and the ship is, of course
instantly placed under quarantine. The rumour'
however, is sufficient. A panic supplies the activity
which should have originated from the dictates ( f
common sense, and hurried eff its are made in all
directions to stay, if possible, the progress or miti-
gate the virulence of the dreaded visitation. An ex-
traordinary meeting of the town council of Wor-
cester is convened, and propositions are laid before
the councillors, for the purpose of rousing them to
some movement calculated to be beneficial to their
fellow-citizens. A resolution is submitted to their
judgment, and unanimously adopted. That reso-
is to the following effect :
" That a committee be appointed with a view to
consult! the medical gentlemen of this city as to
the 'propriety of forming a board of health, to adopt
such precautionary measures as may be deemed ne-
cessary, in eon
the Asiatic
Chosleequence of the threatened approach of
Similar comenirtate::
at Gloucester s were shortly afterwards nomi-
natedannd jllsewhere. The utmost in-
dolence is evinced
u
pestilence such as the
ac y reha
Cholera has actuall
asts
Britain ; and forthwith thereed the co of Great
paerrefeteetrrl or, amazement,
y obvious that
and precipitation. It is
cannot
•
arrangements made thus hastily
motcst possibility be effectual. To by the re
all trite metaphors, it is shutting the by
tritest of
steed is stolen ; for it is preposterous to rexwhcn the
fortunate results from a few straggling prepceacutrany
adopted at the eleventh hour, in the midst ornas'
accumulation of corrupt agencies vitiated atmon
sphere, stagnant cesspools, deficiency of light and
water, and want of ventilation.
What we would especially insist upon is the ab-
surd disproportion of the precautionary measures
adventured upon under different circumstances. The
bare report of the, advance of Asiatic Cholera acts
upon the sluggishness of town-councillors like a
shock of galvanism. They are prepared, and even
solicitous to do their possible fur the amelioration of
the multitude. 'Whereas, while hundreds are
perpetually being carried off by consumption
or typhus fever, they remain obstinate and
indolent spectators of the calamity. It is
certain—statistically and notoriously certain—
that excepting that it is more sudden, the Cholera