Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1854-07-18
For the Times.
CHOLERA" A NISNOMER.

words about 1t. 10 call everything cholera winch
has but two or three of its symptoms, and occa-
sionally one only, is just 'as easy as lying" 1t
saves trouble in diagnosis and the fatigue of dis
elimination, and like the grave, covers any
amount of bad work. According to the popular
idea, cholera, like ''Jordan, am bad road to
trabcl'-it can't be cured; therefore, a physi-
clan suffers no loss of reputation if patient dies
If, ON the other hand, the patient gets well, to
still call it ''choera'' enhances his skill greatly
he cured the incurable cholera-great physi-
cian-um-and so on, as Mr.. Cophagus would say.
Humbug in all trades but ours.
The correspondent in the Mnnesotian in dis
putting the point made, ''that no case of cholera
proper can ever originate in the pure and
bracing atmosphere of Minnesota refers to the
hvperborean ATTITUDES of northern Europe, where,
he saws, in 1881 and in 1913 the cholera ragged
destructively.
Now, am not so clear that these regions were
at all visited by the cholera of lSlS--but MIN
porte-say it did 60 there in 1881, and what then
''H' will not pretend that ''cholera proper" orig
mated in those hyperborean ATTITUDES! He will
admit. won't he, that it was epidemic, origi-
mating in the hot, moist juhgles Of India, and by
an inexplcablc ordination of Providence carried
in columns of air to different countries, until it
nearly completed the circuit of the globe? That
it was disease Independent Of habit Of body,
diet. mode Of living &c. That it attacked all
classes and conditions That in its ravages it was
as impartial as God That in fact. this ''choe-
ra proper by its epidemic character, by the
mysterious suddenncss Of its attacks, by the vio
lent spasms it excitcs not only in the bowels but
in the tremities, by the awful rigor Of its col
lapse, by the blackened face, the shrivelled con-
dition of the corpse, was very different disease
from the complaint now dubbed cholera. Look
at the last case that was called cholera. A di-
arrhcctc state of the bowels for a week previous
unusual exertion one day in the hot sun, I'M
usually hearty meals the same day; ice water dd
Hbitun, all night not much diarrhea; some pain
but not violent spasms Of the extremities; diar-
rhcea not very excessive; appearance after death
natural and normal. Said one to me who saw
the corpse, che looked so natural that if | had
not put my hand upon him and felt him cold, l
should have doubted his decease," and yet this is
set down as an undoubted case of ''cholera." 1t
is true, ssthey do not say Asiatic cholera, Ame
rcan cholera Or Mississippi cholera - but there's
the rub-it leaves people to imagine it was genu-
Inc choiera-':cholera proper when it is to-
tally different disease. 1t is cholera without its
characteristics-the ''play Of Hamlet with the
part Of Hamlet left out by particular DESIRE"
opp seems incredulous as to the ''same kind Of
cases arising from the same causes" having &C.
Cured the Mississippi or in its valley previous
to the epidemic of 1882. We are, most of us, too
junior in our residence in the valley to have had
personal experience on this point. But have
been assured by old boatsmen and raftsmen of
Intelligence, that when they the river prior to
that year, sudden deaths from the river diar-
rhoea, brought on by exposure to the sun, accom-
panied BY errors of drink and diet, were just as
common in proportion to population as now
Mr.. Rose, an intelligent farmer and old river
man. near st. Paul, can testify on this point
In conclusion, about the ''honest manly ways
of treating the public: Instead of saying, with a
comprehensive dogmatism, ooh it was cholera )"
suppose the people were instructed that it was
not Old fashioned cholera-not cholera proper
not epidemic cholera-that, though sometimes ia
tai, the present disease lacked most of the vio-
lent. terrific features of the dread monster of '32
or 'l8-that it was necessary to be cautious in
drink and diet, and that especially whenever a
diarrhea ever so slight came on, it should be
checked and not be permitted to run on to the in
hammatory or fatal stage Though it might take
a week or two weeks to reach that STACEY Sup
pose, say, that the public were thus instructed
and not alarmed by the cnunciaton oracularly
that it is c-h-o-l-e-r-G-wouldn't it be much
bettcr-a more ''honest and manly" way? think
so. No CHOLERA.
RAILsoADs.-From an article in the st. Antho-
ny Express, headed 'Railroad Impositions," we
clip the following paragraph, to which we call
attention of the reader:
ave hear much said about the advantages Of
railroads, aud the increased facilities they afford
for the transaction of business. Rightly conduc-
ted, they are of incaculable benefit in this re-
gard. But they are also ''soulless coapOrations,'
and may become grievous monopolies. They
sometimes forget that they were created to serve
the public, and compel the public to serve them.
Usually controlling vast amount of capital, it
is difficult to bring them under proper restraint,
and still more difficult to inAict proper punish
mcnt for wrongs committed A too Jealous vigi-
lance cannot be exercised over these powerful
bodies, nor can they be held to a too strict ac-
count for the manner in which they exercise the
power delegated to them"
WILD ''IScUNs."-Ex. Gov. John Reynolds, of
Illinois, in new history of this State, thus gives
the origin of the name of Chicago: