Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1854-09-22

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EXTRACTS FROM ENGLISH rlpERsss,
hTHE CHoLERA IN LoNDoN.-The Reg.
istraf Generals return informs us that in
the week that ended Saturday. August
70, the number of deaths arising from all
causes was ,039. o. - .sr-s- = ,aoG. .sE
In the ten corresponding weeks Of the
years lo44-53, the average number Was
lila, which, if raised in proportion to
increaseo Of populatiopr ri becomes 4 ,225.
The prevailing. epidemic has produced an
excess, amounting to 8l4, above the cor
rected average. In the thirty.fourth
week Of 1849, which ended Angus, 25,
the total number Of deaths registered was
2,456; In that week, the mean temper
ature was 62,9 deg; lasV week it was
61 2 deg, which is IL deg. above the
average Hoaa - Dsis-E cSdci3T = .sl0i
From cholera, the deaths in last week:
were 647, while those from diarrhoa
were 2l4. In the corresponding week of
Io49, cholera carried off l,272 persons.
In the present summer, its weekly pro.
gress is traced in the following number:
8, 70, l33, 399, GA, 729 and 847. cos In
the first seven weeks Of the epidemic of
l849, the deaths were 9, %, 80, 40, l24,Y
l52, 399., In, that year it commenced
about the end Of May, the healthiest part
of the year: it began six weeks earlier
than the present epidemic, and It's pro-,
gress was slower; ID the fourth week OF
August, as has been shown, it had reach.
ed higher rate Of mortslity than the dis
ease which now prevsils he's yet attained.
| Two thousand seven hundred aud;
eighty three persons have e7alreadyIdied or
cholera; and d, ,766 of the number have
fallen on the low grounds of London, out
of 595,ll9 people whose dwellings, are
not 10 ieet about the Thames: 765 have
died out of 64S,6l9 on the higher ground,
extending from 10 to 10 feet above the
same level; and only -345. out of the
l 07O,372 who live or the ground that
has an elevation extending from 40 to
$50 feet. The mortality from cholera to
100, 900 living at the three elevations is
1877 at the lowest 100 at the middle, and
80 at the highest region. s'" ~ ''"l
ExTRAoRDINARY EXPERIMENTS WITH
THE ELECTRIC TELEGisAPH.-Some exper.
iments have, within. the past fortnight.
been made at Portsmouth, with regard
to this science, of most important and
remarkable character, and which would
appear to open up and promise to lead to
further triumphs in electricity equal in
to any that have aleady been
achieved" The experiments IN question
were for the purpose of ascertaining the;
possibility of sending electric telegraph
across body of water.
without the aid of the electric wires.
The space selected for the experiment
was the mill dam IA piece of water form.
ing portion of the fortifcations) at its
widest part, where it is something near
500 feet across. The operating battery
was placed on one side of the dam, and
the corresponding dial on the other side.
An electric wire from each was SUBJ
merged ON their respective sides of the
water, and terminating in a plate con-
strrcted for the purpose, and several
messages were accurately conveyed across
the entire width in the mill. dam, with
accuracy and instantaneous rapidity. :;
The apparatus employed in the expert
ments is not pretended TO be here explain
ed in even a cursory manner; this is, of
course, theexcluSive secret of theinventor.
But there is no, doubt of, the fact, that
communications were actually sent dis
tance of nearly 500 feet through the wafer
without the aid of wires, or ether con-
ductors, and that there appeared every
posi- bility that this could be doneas easily
with regard to the British Channel as
with the mill dam. The inventor is d
gentleman of great scientific attainments
residing in Edinburgh and lays claim
and we. believe with some justice-to
being the original inventor of the electric
telegraph; but, from circumstances, he
was unable to carry out the invention to
his own advantage. The experiments at
the mill dam were of strictly private
character, although they were carried cut
by Capt. Beatty and other engineering
officers belonging to this garrison, a;-
NBw METHOD OF TREATING CHOLERA.
The method Of treating cholera patients
described in the Lancet has been adopted
in King College Hospital with great sue
cess Thirteen cases in all hsye been
admitted into that institution out Of
these the first six, which were treated on
the old method Of attempting toIcheck or
stop the diarrhea, proved fatal. z The re-
naming seven, treated on sthei system
described below, have recovered. On the
18th of August there were retive'cases under
treatment, the patients lying in wards cs-
pecially set aside for them. They were
all in satisfactory state, and likely to
do we'll, under treatment which will
startle some Of our readers.qol 4 .as sos
DIR. George johnson, who has charge
of the cholera wards, considers that the
purging in cholera is mainly an effort Of
the organism to throw, off the Yirulent
principle which is at the root, Of the dis
ease be, therefore; in his treatment,
dees his best to aid this eliminating pr
cess by gentle means, and gives half
ounce doses of castor oil every half hour.
Some Of the patients thus treated were
admitted either with severe purglI1g and
vomiting, or in the cold and blue stage.
A mustard poultice was usually placed
on the pit of the stomach, and ihc castor
oil given every half hour nntil the action