Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1866-05-02
The Value OF Quarantine.

lhe ~ lowing very Ao4y written duQ Vety
original artIe on ihe cholera, from the pen
OF Prot. Pay ytou Spence, NJ. d, is copied from
the Ns* York Herald ot APrii 23d, 1856:
To the Editor Of The Herald:
\ s=ttlod lact IL tne u.5tury c! the cholera
Il Its sre41y, persistent, irresistible westward
movement. TnIs movement Is evidently plan
etary, and hence II does not sop at the
Quarantine station any more than do the tides
OF the ocean.
An unsettled question il the history OF the
cholera. l. whether nations and large bodies
ot people lying ln the Inevitable track OF this
persistent westward movement Of the cholera
can be proteced wholly or III part from the
havoc OF the disease
Much OF the confusion which prevails in the
scientific a. Wei As 10 the popular mind IN
regard TO the cholera arises IRON the TACT I u
three very dlferen1 things are generally con
founded, Oten IL conception and nearly always
IN expression. These are list, the disease
Itself -, the cause of the disease-nO matter
whether that cause Is q mlASm, or microscope
vegetable OF animal beings or something else :
3i, the condition which breeds and propagates
the cause.
The contagionists, as veil as the non-con-
tagionists, ali admit the fact that there Is
something about The cholera which moves
steadily westward, ana ~ IFS oxp pace ii
beng neither accelerated nor retarded by the
winds, nor by human travel, nor by CONNER
cIAI transportation something which can
neither be carried Dor Impaired, commu-
uIc4teG. Ii therefore mo- I. ponjerable
, portable element Ii L ms ner earth. air nor
water, bat IS something more ethereal than
either. 1t must be an mponderable element
therefore, either electrical or magnetic anu
as has - planetary = movement, IN the
thar ha
planetary, We viii describe IT Is the revulu-
tlon OF a magnetic neridian-a great magnet
| Ic, tidal waye, til 4 westward flow. hich
human power can no more hurry. retaId or
arrest than II can cnange the polanty OF the
earth. Inns magnetic, tItaI wave forms " hat
We have denomInated the condition. the eie-
meut, within which Is generated and propa-
gated what We call the cause OF the cholera
The condition Is present, therefore, in al To-
cailtles which are submerged III this magnetic
wave, whether on the land in the track OF
the emlgranJ ship ia the middle OF the Attain
tic Ocean.
But hlie it Is settled fact that what we
have denominated the condition travels stead
lily and lrreelstlbly westward, Ii Is also a TACT
that, associated with the cholera there is a
something else which is portable, transfe Ia ble
| ponderabie-a something which Is borne upon
| the wings OF commerce, and waited by the
sweep OF the winds from one quarter OF the
| globe to another. | am aware that the nom
cor tagionists deny tbls but the facts In proof
| OF 1t are too numerous and too well attested
| by men OF the highest scientific attaInments
| as well by practical common sense observes,
| to admit of doubt of its truth. This pom
derable, portable, transfers bic thing, whether
it be a mlasm or swarm of microscopic life
| constitutes what we have denominated the
| cause of the cholera. Ii Is the thing which
| by either external or internal contact with the
| human body, gives rise 10 the disease.
| 10 the above view of the su bject 1t is easy 60
| explain the apparent anomalies which have
| been observed In the progress # the cholera
| 1t Is equally easy TO explain now it happens
that there Is one class of learned, scientific and
| observing men who strenuously contend that
| the cholera is not contagious, and another class
of equally learned, scientific and observing
men who insist that the cholera is contagious.
| Unconsciously to themselves, the non-conta-
| gionlsts have based their opinions solely upon
| the facts connected with the movements OF the
| condltIon-the magnetic wave; while the
| contaglonlsts, equally unconsciousy to them
| selves, have drawn their conclusions solely
| from the facts connected with the movement Is
| OF the cause.-the mIasm, or the swarm of MI
croscopic life.
1t is equally obvious that, in the above view
of the subject, there is much unnecessary
alarm In the public mind about the importa
| ton OF the cholera from abroad The condi-
ton comes of itself and capnot be brought
The cause cannot come of itself; 1t must be
brought or imported but when brought pre-
maturely, that is, in advance of the condition
IN advance OF the magnetic wave, it does not
give rise to the cholera, out is itself blighteo
ana dies for the want of the element necessary
10 it's existence. Ii forty cargoes of cholera
patients should land in New York city TO-
morrow the disease would not spread and be-
come general, because we are not yet under
the magnetic wave. When that Incubus is
upon us We will Enthusiastically know it.
Let rs now return 10 the question asked in
the beginning of this article. Can nations