The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-11-06
The Cholera.

This dreaded scourge, which for the last lVe
months has been slowly advancing WESTWARD
has at length actually reached our shores
The steamship Atlanta, from LSrdon anu
Hayre. arrived at New York ON Thursday eve
ming. bringing $40 passengers, among whom
were fifty or sixty cases of cholera. Inc
deaths thus far are reported at IL. 0feas
element prevailed III New YORK on INC ar
nouncement of these facts, and the starving
paragraphs which appeared in some OF .he pa
pers were of a kind the only enecO q "nlcn
must be to stimulate such excitement and to
foster panic.
sncb a course as this we would most ear
nestIv deprecate. Fear is always the most eff
fcient coadutor of pestilence; those who
Weld to their terrors being invariably the
readiest victims. Every one capable of OBJ
serving the circumstances and of comparing
them with the past, should have been aware,
long since that the advent of this dread ViSl-
tant from the East was inevitable. No hui
man effort could turn aside this danger, but
weak Welding to exaggerated fears may do
more to aggravate it than it is possible to eS-
innate 1t is hardly probable that the disease
win make extensive rayages among us the
present season. In all the northern and mid
die States the cold weather is too near at hand
to admit of its spreading much beyond few
unhealthy localities. But it is fact not TO be
lost sight of that in both the previous visits of
cholera to our shores it has first appeared in
the latter part of Autumn, has languished
through the Winter in the abodes of poverty
with the return of warm weather, has sprung
into fearful and fatal activity. The lesson is
too plain to be mistaken. While carefully
guarding against the weakness of panic ter
rors, we should yet be mad to shut our eyes
to the approaching danger. Every town, city,
village and private family should at once pro-
coed to put itself in the most perfect sanitary
condition attainable. Every drain and sewer
should be cleansed, every spot where water
stagnates carefully overhauled, and all depos-
ties of filthy or decaying matter removed to a
great distance from human habitations-
Above all, every person should recollect that
his safety or danger is very much within his
his own control, Though it is quite true that
persons in the vicinity where cholera is pre-
vailing are more likely to be attacked by it
than those at distance, yet it is not true that
the disease is in any real sense infectious or
contagious Serenity of mind, personal clean
illness, moderation in food and drink, espec-
tally careful avoidance of every kind of slim
ulant, and of every form of hcentious indul-
gence, will be found the surest safeguards
against the ravages of the dreaded enemy
Fear, bad food, bad notwithstanding drinks
and impurity of life, are among the most ac-
tive and fatal agencies which contribute to its
spread. ~
The following which we cut from the New
York Eoening Post, viii be found to contain
some very good practical suggestions:
Cholera has two stages, premonitory or
mild stage, and stage ofcollapse, which is ia
tai. The premonitory stage is ushered in bv
mild, painless diarrhoea, which generally con-
tinues for hours, sometimes days before the
stage of collapse sets in. In this premonitory
stage the disease is readily and promptly durable
by simple remedies, combined with rest in the
recumbent position. All that is necessary,
therefore, to prevent fatal attack of cholera
is that the patient shall lie down. keep warm,
quiet and take such remedies as will remove
the diarrh9a. A knowledge of these facts led
many English towns, in former visitations of
cholera, to organize body of visitors, under the
direction OF central medical board, whose
duty it was to visit from house to house, two,
three or four times daily, and INQUIRE in every
family for these cases of diarrhoea. Each Wis
itor carried the proper remedy, and per-
sonally attended to its administration and to
the confinement ofthe patient to his bed.