Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1832-07-31

Ata meeting of the Board of Health of the city
of Richmond, held at the Mayors Office, on S5.
turday, tho 2oth July, 1882,
The Mayor presented TO the Board letter from
DIR. Haxall, which read in the words and figures
following;
RiCnmoNp, July 81, 1899.
To joseph Tate, Esq,
Mayor Of the CITY Of Richmond.
Dear SHY our letter TO DIR. Stevens, President
of the New York Board of Health, in conjunction.
with others which subsequently, obtained pro
cured for me every facility towards investigating
the object of my recent visit to that city -Four DAYS
were assiduousy employed in visiting the different
hospitals containing cholera patients, and making
those post morton examinations essentially ne
cessory to a correct understanding of the diseases;
and valuable information has also been cleaned from
conversations with gentlemen familiar with this af.
iectlon since its introduction into our country.
he idea of the disease being aggravated common.
choicra, is believe, now abandoned by all who
nave 'e,f"essed and studied its symptomatology,
II 'he iuea be entertained by such persons, they
iust possess the power Of congregatng and assmi-
ia''hg symptoms very dissimilar, and which, to my
1oscrva'ion has been denied. The truth is, it is
sh"n when ,or 'he frst time has visited
SnoreS' ana is destined, fear, to embrace a still
wider range The sutierings of those who become
ITS victims, can hardly be appreciated bv anv ono
who has not bchcld them, and the gloom depicted
upon the countcnanccs of all thin the spherc Of
ITS influence, will oftentimes affect the stoutest
heart. These considerations, however, SO far from
deprlvlng us of our presence of mind, should "a
'"cr tcho TO urge us on to the adoption of those.
means, which although they cannot prevent Wilt
certainly mitigate, its ravagcs. Our CITY NAV es
capc-but on the other hand it may not and sucI,
mas hthorto been the progress of the disease as to
DEFY all human calculation to the result
iherc is one circumstance connected with the
history OF this affection, which must surely dsarm
IL Oh many OF It's terrors, and which is now well es
'aoiisheu ny ING concurrent testimony of our own
physicians and those who have seen it in India md
IN Europe; l ailudc to its non CONTAGIOUS nnture
and so perfectly satisfied am of it's truth that I
should as soon expect to find myself the subject of
intermittent fever after visiting a patient as Of
spasmodic cholera. So much are our quarantine
regulations affected by belief disbelief as to its
contagious character, that was at some pains to
collect facts connected with this branch Of the sub
Jcct, and from all that have been able to learn
not an instance has fallen under nv observation Mt
all tending to establish such doctrine; and / do
nope 'hat should case occur in any vessel bound
TO our port the unfortunate individual may at
be introduced into our Hospital, and the necessary
measures taken for his relief 1t is hardly necessa
ny to detail to you the long list of facts which have
been collected, particularly in Europe, all going To
prove the non contagion of cholera; l shall. how
ever ranscribe for your perusal, short history of
the disease while it existed in st. Pctcrsburg and
H. in despite cfthis contagionst can vet be found
tbs propabio he will nerer be convinced:-.But
thcre is curious fact connected with locality i'm
the history of the cholera in that CITY, (St Peters
burg,l which. deserves mention he re- Kristofsky
Island, situated in the middle of the populous is
lands of st. Petersburg and which communicates
with them by two magnificent bridges, and with
the town by Il thousand bargcs, which bring eyery
day, and especially Sundays, a great many peo
pie who go to take walk in that charming place;
krlstotsky Island, say, was completely preser
we'd from the reach of cholera there has not been
single patient in the three villages which it con-
talns 1t is not to he supposed that the inhabitants
or those villages were of different nature from
thesc OF the town; all the abodcs of this island are
country houses, empty in winter and full of people
In summer either nobcmen, artists, or citizens of
the town" Now is it reasonable to believe that
the inhabitants of this island could have cscaped
the disease, while such constant communication
was kept up between it and st. Petersburg?
should THINK not, and the author from whom L
nave quoted goes on to account with much plausi-
hlilty Tor Its exemption from diseasc-he saws
'the salubrity of this SPOT was owing to the MANY
nelghboring woods by which it was protected from
the choleraic Influence, whatever that may be- or
however mixed with the atmosphere" The origin g.
course OF the disease us witnessed in NJ York adds
another proof to the doctrine Of contapon Belle
vue Hospital containing separate establishments
VIZ the A'ms-liouse, Fever Hospital, and the Peni
tenlary, is situated without the precincts ofthe city
and entirely unconnectcd With any other buildinGs
The first case occurred on the 9th of June in the
mo- ning, and In the evening of the same day. an
other case was reported in the same BUILDING ftbe
Penitentiary, but in different card, and situated
remotely from the first, and no possible communi
cation could have existed between the two pn
tenls. These two cases were removed very soon
TO the Fever Hospital for the purpose of procuring
better attendance, and after their removal the dis
case appeared in this part of the establishment but
mark, the very first patient who was attacked was
the inmate of n ward located in a different mart of
| TINS Hospital and who had had no connection
Whatever, with the removed patients. From this
Time, the disease progressed rapidly in the Belle
Nne establishment, not from contogion but from
the influence which atmospheric infection had upon
| the systems of all.
| These are 5acts, and therefore cannot be con-
persuade our community, that the dread
ed Cholera Is not n contagious Siease, and teach
them TO avoid all exciting causes and NV life for il
| ohouu IL appear among us, it will be dsarmed of
us thousand terrors, for it Will be mipated in its
intensity. Tie remote or prcdisposing cause must
DC referred TO atmospheric influences; but it is an
hhuehce cognizabie only by Its effects, and which
mas cludcd every thing like chemical investigation
| When our atmosphere shall have been tainted with
4 THIS n"Xious masm, all alike may feel its sickeninr
influence; and those who have lived temperate in
all things, VIII, in largo majority of instances.
escape winie those who have pursued different
! course, Will become its victims.
The exciting causes may be avoided mr. NJ 1e,.t
essened, by paying strict attention to the cleanl
ness OF our streets and niicYS We have now
MIGRANTS at the corner of almost every street and
dd"y use should be made of them, wherever thew
arc situated. Any impcdmcnt to a free ventilation
III narrow alleys particularly, should be at once re-
moved as II is impossible that our Police can in
spect every dwelling in the CITY, much rnust de-
VoiVo upon the inhabitants themselves; a free cir
! euialion OF air should be kept up through every
room, damp cellars made dry as possible, and
| INC Chloride of Lime frequently used. In our
! schools and Tobacco Manufactures these precau-
| ions cannot be too rigidly enforced AS to ipdi
vIduals themselves, It's hardly necessary to saw
That the most PERI ct cleanliness should be obser
Feo; tepid bathing Two or three times week NAV
he employed succeeded by dry friction with coarse
towels, or the flesh brush, temperance avoiding
exposure to The night air, and entire abstinence
from ali crude and indigestib!e articles are vaua-
gTlpl,