The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1849-05-17
Address Delivered BY Dr. Thomas White Of s.
Louis, on the Subject Of the Cholera.

pOusiOiiIty.
In compliance with the request Of some
Of my friends in this city, have consented
10 sppear before you, in order to give you
plain and candid exposition Of my views,
Of = disease now on our borders, and at the
Threshold Of our enements-designa mated,
Asiatic Cholera.
Much speculation has gone abroad in the
world in relation 10 this simple disease, and
there arc many conflicting theories, consc.
quently, Is many conflicting modes ofprnc-
tice adopted in relation TO il. IN this state
Of things. il 10 with no small degree Of EN-
barrassment that ! appear before you on
the present occasion; and were il no. for
the unusual success | have had in curing
the disease, should certainly doubt my
ability TO do any thing like Justice to the
subject; but having adopted different views,
in relation TO this disease, from most, ifnot
oil others, and having conformed my prac.
ticc to those views, with entire success,
with one exccpsion,) am emboldcncd to
present them to the world, hoping that il
do nothing more, may be enabled to throw
out Some hint, or demonstrate some fact,
that will he useful 70 mankind. shall en-.
deavor 10 be ~ plain and AZ explicit in my
mode Of expression 40 the nature Of the
subject will admit, with the hope that
may be distinctly understood by all. With
these preliminary remarks, | will proceed
10 give yon my views Of the cause Of the
disease. First: This, consider, most
important part Of the subject, for 10 know
the cause why and wherefore thing is so,
ought to enable W 10 devise remedy Tor
its being SO If We wish TO change its condi-
,ion. Therefore, If am correct as 10 tho
cause Why and wherefore the cholera exists
ns disease. it will necessarily follow, that
the true remedy may DO easily attained;
aud that am correct must contend, while
ever nm. able to cure the disease BY tho
use OF medicines that act in accordance
with the principles herein adv anced Sure
", il nm correct AS To the cause, the ioun-
da,ion will he fairly and firmly laid, on the
immutablc Rock Of Truthc, against which
nothing cnn prevail.
Gentlemen, let me here remark, that |
wish you 10 bear in mind that hold MS
cardinal point. from which there can be no
devintion. that whatever is true, whether
il relates to PHYSICS or Metaphysics. 10
Natural Philosophy, Agriculture. the Me-
chanical Arts. or any Science, il must DO
of God. for there can be no truth but the
truth Of God, otherwise lie would not he the
embodiment ofall truth. There cnn be no
power hut the power Of God; otherwise.
there could be no Almighty. There can
he no knowledge hut the knowledge Of God !;
otherwise there would be 10 ono being tina,
possessed nil knowledge. There is no good
ness but tho goodness Of God, hence it is
declared, and most certainly believed, that
there is but one good, and that is God.
Consequently. whatever Of truth we may
attain to-whntcvcr Of power we may pos
sess, whether mental or physical, or what
ever Of goodness our hearts may be influen-
ccd bv, all! all mus: be derived b. MS from
the ono great fountain Of Eternal Power,
Wisdom, mud Goodness, from whom moth
ing TINT 10 evil, whether il DO physical or
moral, can possibly cmanntc. ] have
thought proper to expatintc thus far on this
part Of the subject, in order 10 disah
your minds in regard 10 tho Oft repeated
declaration, that this disease is sen, b. the
Almighty, a. a scourge upon mankind
Men entertaining such views, will never
Look for the cnuse Of disease, they think
they have already found il in the wrath of
Heaven. ]. is to be regretted that this
a. int irnn sson olSsa~n4 h,ao
tainly been productive Of moro evil than its
votarics could possibly have anticipated.
Il has spread fear and CONSERVATION
throughout the land, which has caused thou
sands TO die who otherwise would most like.
~ never had the disease. !, has paralized
The efForts Of the MUSICIAN, f"r il he enter.
tanned these views, how could he pretend
to contend with the Almighty. No. gen.
sicmcn, this disease is the natural effect Of
q natural cause, and will presently show
you that the superstition and wickedncss
Of man produced it.
will now cite your attention direct, to
what ] conceive to be the cause of this
dreaded disease. Il is, unques.ionsbly,
Caused BY super-abundnnce ofncid abound
inc in the atmosphere, and my observations
induce me TO believe that il is carbonic acid
gas. Let me briefly state my reasons for
concluding thus: i 10 . we'll known fact,
that our atmosphere, when 10 q healthy
state, il composed Of nitrogen, oxygen. and
carbon, in the proportion Of one part Of car
bon TO seventy-seven Of nitrogen. and
twenty-five Of oxygen. lfthis equilibrium
be broken up BY an over-propor'ion of ci-
Their ono Of these gases, except oxygen, our
atmosphere becomes unhealthy il BY nitro
gen, No are pre-disposed to bilious fever;
but every one that ever saw case Of chol.
err, knows that il il disease diametrical-
y the opposite Of bilious foyer; consequent