Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1854-05-22
DAILY EVENING STAR.
CHOLERA AND IT'S PREVENTIVE.

In New Orleans, and other southwest
ern cities, the cholera has prevailed to
considerable extent the past winter. TIL
Plcayune gives q new and singular rem
edy for the disease, which we copy fo
what it is worth. It says:
"If any of our readers should take tn,
trouble to visit Bernard's coppersmitl
establishment, on Jefferson street, nea,
Chartrcs, they will be somewhat sur
prised at beholding constant crowd O
persons entering his shop, and. aftel
awhile leaving it, each pI divided with al
oblong sheet of copI er, about six inche.
long by three in breadth, drilled at tn,
extremities with round holes. The un
iniated and ignorant may well denant
an explanation Of this cupromania. VIII,
is it that thousands of our citizens ar,
procuring these copper sheets Wha
use will they put them to? Are they in
tended for voltaic batteries, or will the,
serve more effectually to evoke spiritra
manifestations? Nothing of the sort"
In this agreeable mode of circumlocu
ton, the Picayune proceeds to inform us
that the aforesaid indulgence in copper
sheets is to secure immunity against the
cholera. The merit of its discovery is
due to DIR. Burg, of Paris. GA series
OF observations" says the Picayune,
"m made with all that careful accuu acy
which marks scientific resear :h in France
continued for many months, and extended
into large number of towns and vii.
lagos, led him to the conclusion that
dealers in copper, manufacturers of COD.
per and brass, and in general all persons
who habitually handle metallic sub
stances, escape the cholera during epi.
demic visitations of that disease. Fur
thermore, that copper rings, copper belts
and garters, and the external applications
of that metal ia any form are of marvel
lous efficacy in dissipating those irregu-
lar and painful muscular contractions
known as cramp, and in cholera cases
rarely fail TO arrest spasms, and to re-
lieve the patient" DR.. Burq has writ
ten at great length ON this subject, and
details vast number of experiments
made by him touching the prophylactic
and curative powers of the metals, but
particularly copper. In certain streets
in Paris and other cities, for instance.
which were literally desolated by the
cholera, every coppersmith retained his
usual health, and not cholera case oc.
CURED amongst them. The copper foun-
dries of Paris number thousands of work.
men, scarcely any of whom fell victims
to the cholera Of 1882 or 1549. But in
connection with this subject, we cannot
do better than to copy from the original
Memoir by Victor Meunler, an account
of this wonderful discovery: -..
6" DR.. Burg commenced his INQUIRIES
on vast scale, and continued them dur
ing five months. In Paris alone he Wis
tied four hundred houses, manufactures.
toundries and other establishments for
the working of metals. He correspond
ed with the officers of various associa-
tions of workmen, and especially of
blacksmiths, coppersmiths, lOcksmiths
and farriers. He wrote to the heads of
similar establishments in all the princi
pal departments of France. Not satisfied
with having accumulated mass of evil
dence from upwards of 100000 persons,
he applied for further information to
England, Sweden and Russia-to the di
rector of the mines, from whom he OBJ.
tanned information respecting 10000
miners-to the cutlerieS of Sheffield the
iron works of Birmingham-the wire
works of Wales-the mines of Sweden
and Russia, and finally, having gathered
the testimony of more than 100000 indi
viduals, he addressed a memoir to the
Academy on the discovery of means Of
preventing cholera"