Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1831-07-11
Rress tho WSshiRgtoa Giobs.
CHOLERA MORBUS.

CHOLERA MORBUS.
The Document of which the following is q trans
ation has been officially communicated to the
Department of State, by the Charge d'ARairs of
TRANSLATION.
Report upon the Cholera Morbus, discussed and
adopted by the Extraordinary Committee formed
mt Moskow, by order of his Majesty, the Empc-
ror.
An Extraordinary Committee composed of the
most eminent fiInctionarics has been formed al
Moscow, by order of his Imperial Majesty for the
purpose oil discussing the eXpcdicncy of u general
publication of all the merchandise which might nc
found ut MoskOw after the extinction of the Cho-
lera Morbus IN that metropolis That Committee
has accordingly addressed the following query to
the Members OF the Provisional Medical Council:
Can merchandise effects propagate the Cholera
Morbusl And i'll case of affirmative answer,
what is the degree of intensity of the principle
of contagionl--Thcre results from an examination
OF the opinions expressed by the twenty -four
members of the Council, that three of them admit,
indeed, tho possibility of contagion by means of
merchandise and effects but under certain limita-
tions; eighteen utterly deny it; member admits
1t, but from the experiments made by him, he does
not consider fumgatons necessary; another
member advises the adoption of that measure, but
merely for the purpose of quoting uneasin ss;-
lastly, another declares that he knows of no fact
tending to prove the propagation of the Cholera
Morbus, by means of material objects; he neverthc-
loss thinks it cxpcdent to resort to fnmg alton rs
to certain descriptions of goods, such as cloths
by employing chloride (chlorure) of lime, and mere
ly to subject all other kinds of merchandise to the
contact of air. The Committee having given to
the examination of this affair all the attention de-
manded by the Importance of the subject and pre-
scribed by the orders of his Imperial Majesty has
unanimously adopted the following conclusions:
l. The provisions of the quarantine regulations
relative to the disnfection of merchandise and eff
fects, were established upon observations made on
the plague; they could therefore be enforced in
present circumstances upon conjectural principles
only. No power existed, however, to dispense with
| an observance OF those regulations, long as the
! strength OF contagior of the Cholera Morhus and
| the manner in which it propagates itself had not
| been asccrtained by means of accurate observa-
| tons LII Is therefore necessary TO replace those
ancient regulations by others better adapted to the
new disease, and, like them, founded upon evident
| facts.
I'd. There has not been made, to this day in
| any part of the EVpire great d number of ex-
| act observations upon the Cholera Morbus nor has
| there been assembled upon single point, as ma
ny skllful physicians, at Moskow, where, during
| The three months just elapsed, more than 4 500 pa
| ticnts have been attended to, through the agency
of the Provisional Medical Councils, and fifty two
corpscs have been anatomical. 1t is, therefore,
only in that capital that it will be practicable to
proceed with any prospect of success, to the ex-
animation of the opinions advanced upon the Che
ieru Morbus opinions which have hitherto been con
jectural, contradictory, and founded upon small
| Sd. Although the members of the Provision nj
! Medical Council have not given an unanimous O.
Pnlon IN relation to the propagation of the Choe-
| IA, by means of merchandise and effects vet the
majority, at least, has pronounced against that hy
pothess, and the opinions of the minority neutral
| ize themselves They present several contradic
tons, and do not correspond with observed facts-
For instance, u member states ''that the morbitic
virus of the Cholera Mor6us is as subtle as that
OF the plague" and then adds, THAT il is proved
| by great number of instances that healthy indi
viduals have been attacked by the epidemic in con-
| sequence of having used beds clothes which had
| belonged to victims of the Cholera: LASTLY he
| contends, THAT 1t more from analogy than in
| consequence of positive experiments that it has
been asserted, that things which propagate the
Plague will equally to propu gate the Cholera
MorDus" Ii that member only predicates his O.
plnlon upon the analogy which he believes to exist
| between the Plague and the Cholera, it would fol
low that lie had erred in mentioning a great mum,
Der of instances adduced by him, if indeed, pbv.
| stefan whe has attended only three hundred pa
tlents, can have had opportunity of COLLECTING an
! infinite number of observations In short his ,s
sertIon upon the analogy between the Choleri and
the Plague is in contradiction with the difference
which, he states must exist between the conta go,ls
principles OF those two diseases. The second mem
| her, who declares that the Cholera Morbus is CON
| tagious expresses himself as follows: s.'rhis cpl
demlc disease cannot arise either from change of
temperature, the nature of food, confined dwellings
| or bad ralment while, farther on he refutes him
1
an irregular life, those who subject to colds or
complaints OF the stomach, or who follow no Giet
are more exposed thtn others to the action of the
! cholera Morbus." The third member of the min
ority presents the following instance in support of
his conviction upon the possibility of the propaua
| ton OF the Cholera Morhus by means of merchan
| disc and efects an individual who suffered with n
sore throat, was attacked with cramp in his legs in
consequence Of having bathed his feet in n vessel
! which had been used to empty the bathing tub of
| choierISt. Yet if the Cholera Morbus could be
proPagated IN this manner, it is not probable hat
TINS case should have been observed only once dur
ing the treatment of more than 500 pat ents: we
must therefore conclude that the cramp was in
duced by some other cause which cscaped the at
tention of the physician
H. On the contrary, the opinion of those who do
not admit the possibility of contagion by means of
material objects, is supported by majority of
votes, and by scrupulous observation of facts
The members of the Medical Council have oonvin-
ced themselves, by their own experience, as well
as 10y the reports of hospital physicians that after
| having been in frequent and even habtual COM
munlcalon with patients, their own garments have
never communicated the disease TO any person
whatever, even without any means of publication
| having been rcsorted to.-Convalescents have con
tnued to be clad In garments worn by them during
their illness, and furs, without purfying
them, and none have experienced reIapses At
the times of the opening of corpses of individuals
who had died of the Cholera, the autoDsy of
which occupied, during about Il month"; four or
hve hours q day, neither those who performed
those operations, any of the attending physi-
clans, the assistants, have received tn, infec-
ton, although with the exception IF the first dovs
no precautions were used. But what appears still
conclusive. n uhv ,r I,,l