Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-11-14
Condemned History Of the Cholera

III GENTLEMEN-As thaVterrible scourge OF
the human race, the Asiatic Cholera, has
made its appearance, as had been appre-
hended for some time, upon our shores, 1
/ thought brief history of Its rise and prog
ress In former years might not be uninter-
4 esting to your readers.
The Asiatic, or Spasmodic Cholera, as IL
Is sometimes called, has been known to eX-
ist for centuries in the pestilential marshes
of the Ganges. 1t first made its appearance
! amongsom Englishtroo at Gdnyain, Hin
dOstan, In 1881, and occasional outbreaks
appeared in other parts of India. In Au-
gust, 1917, it suddenly made its appearance
In the city of Jessore, sixty-one miles north
of Calcutta, in an epidemic form, and COM
menced its dreadful march OF death over
| the world. In September, 1878, 1t broke
| out in Calcutta, and ragged there more than
a year. spreading northward to Nepaael,
and southwark to Madras, Ceylon and NAL
acca the same year. In 1919 1t Travelled
eastward into the Burmese Empire. 1t swept
down 10000 people irslS20at bombay and
moving upon It's dusky wings into the
Isles of the sea, 1t ragged in the Ceh6es,
| Madagascar, Bsrneo and the PHILIPPINE
Islaads, ais well as on the east coast of -Afrfcd
and 1Chind. ssIn 1921 it spread its terrible
march over Persia, Arabia, and Astd Minor,
following the courses OF the rivers, and the
great highways of travel. In 1923 1t ragged
again In Central Asia, and broke out in AS
trakan, but did not, at the time, extend
further into European Russia. In 1928 1t
appeared at Orenburg. In Southern Russia.
and In 1929 it again burst forth on the shores
Of the Caspian. In September, 1880, 1t ap-
peared at lMoScoto, ragged with unprecedent-
ed fury at st. Petersburg in mid winter,
travelled over'most of Russia, and appeared,
a DaIa nh hod ~ hnQn
carried by the Russian army. 1t propagat-
ed itself over most OF Europe, and burst
forth at Sunderland, England, October 26,
1881. 1t visited Edinburgh in January,
1892; London, February l4th; Dublin, March
22d, and gradually spread over the United
Kingdom; France, as well as this country,
being devastated by the terrible scourge the
same year; in this country, to some extent
in 1888; Spain and Portugal in 1884, and
| Italy in 1885, Sc and '37. In the last men.
| toned year it passed over to Africa, and
after an outbreak at Aigters and Malta.
| disappeared. In 1915. it again burst
forth in Asia, aid sweeping over that
/ country and the continent of Europe.
reached England in 184S, and this country
| in 1919; its ravages in this country and
England, being more terrible than any pre-
vious visit. In 1858 1t was again in some
parts of England; and still again in Eng
land, in Italy and Sicily in 1854, and was
very fatal to the allied troops at Vdrnd IN
the autumn of that year, and after spread
| ing over various portions of Europe, ceased
in 1856 This fearful scourge first made its
appearance in America on the 9th day OF
june, 1882, under the following circum-
stances: The brig "CurackS' sailed from
Dublin when the malady was raging in
April of that year, with 175 emigrants,
bound for Quebec, where they arrived june
the Sd, having lost forty-two of their num-
ber-nearly ne-fourth-from the cholera,
which broke out on board soon after sailing
from Dublin. The survivors, 1873 in num-
Der, were permitted to land on Crosse Isle,
few miles below the city. On the 9th, 9Th
and Sth several cases appeared in Quebec,
and on the 9th fifteen cases were officially
reported and then its ravaging march over
this country began. June the 10th it ap-
peared in Montreal, and June the oath in
New York. In July it broke out in Phila-
delphia, Albany Rochester and Detroit
in August, in Boston, Baltimore and
Washington, and in October spread
from Cincinnati to New Orleans. In 1884,
it revisited this country, and reappeared in
Europe in 1886 and '37. In 1S49 it again
broke out in the United States, and during
the warm months ragged fearfully through
the country. In the Atlantic towns it was
not so devastating this year as in 1882, but
in the West and Southwest and especially
on the rivers, its success was appalling. In
the cities of Cincinnati, st. Louis and Buff
falo, the deaths were as high as two hun
dred daily. ..---..
In England and on the Continent Its des-
olations were quite as fearful as in this
country. The first day of August was OBJ
served, on the recommendation of Presi-
dent Taylor, as day of fasting, hnmilia-
ton and prayer, throughout the United
States, in consequence of the scourge.-
Much alarm prevailed in Washington City,
and preparations to a considerable extent
were made for its appearance, but the
emergency, happily did not arise. = 80
1t will be perceived from this hasty sy-
nopsis of this scourge of the human
family, that its progress is somewhat
slow and eratic, not governed in its laws
of progress or propagation, by any definite
or fixed law, such as will enable US to pre-
| dict, with any degree of certainty, .'when
| it VIII strike, and how" believe its re-
mote cause is wholly inscrutable, and only
| known, to Him "who sitteth in the Heav-
ems" But, like all other diseases which
afflict thehuman family, happily, by proper
| observance of the laws of health and sani-
tary regulations, we are enabled to greatly
modify its violence and fatality to human
life. The medical treatment OF this disease,
| like all others of fatal character, has been
the fruitful theme of controversy and diff
ference of opinion, even amongst scientific
| physicians, of all countries, where its raw
| ages have been felt; and whilst it is not to
be expected, that upon this, or any equally
fatal disease, entire unity will prevail,
amongst medical men, of deserved celeb
rity, yet great improvement has been made
| i'm its treatment within the last quarter of a
/ century, whereby its mortality is greatly
| reduced. The enormous doses of the most
| potent articles of the Matertd Medicd, which
were given by the earlier physicians, have
given way to milder and more rational
| treatment in this, as in all other diseases.
The writer0f this, who was student un-
der the celebrated DIR. Cook. of Transyl-
vania University, used to boast of giving,
il with good effect, as much as go grains OF
calomel to cholera patients at one dose, and
as having given as much as 400 grains to
one patient during the course of his sick
ness. Such heroism, In medicine, has
i happily passed away - Let all who are so
i unfortunate as to have an attack of this ter
i rible disease, look to it also, that they do
| not fall dupes to the various quacks and
| their nostrums, that unfortunately are too
common nowadays. Under the hands OF
II scientific and experienced physicians this
disease Is quite amiable to medication, to
what 1t was when II first visited this coun-
II try. OF the sixty cases that occurred on
board the Atlanta. during her late passage
from Havre, all children but one, only If
teen died; and of thirty-six cases, after GO
ing into quarantine after her arrival al