The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1866-02-01
The Cholera.

At ameeting of the Commissioners of
Health of New York City, Monday at
ternoon, DIR. Sayer stated that the last
information from Gaudaloupe was to the
effect that the cholera was Introduced
there by trunk, containing the clothing
of two persons who had died of the dis
case while on the passage from Marseil
les, where the cholera was prevailing,
and that the woman who washed the
clothes, with her family, died almost i'm
inediately.
A letter was also read from DIR. Chas-
A Lee, Of the Medical Department of
the Buffalo University, which suggests .
new theory in regard to this frighttul
disease, and which, while it leaves much
still unexplained, yet bears strong ante
cedent marks Of probability. His theo
~ is briefly this:
The disease IS not contiguous On the
other hand, facts abundantly prove that
Il is portable, and always follows the great
routes of travel We have satisfactory
evidence that the disease is communion
ted through the erdcati0as OF those IN
fected with it, and in this tcay onlY. Per
sons thus infected may travel from place
to place without development of the dis
ease in themselves, and yet leave behind
in privies and water closets the germs OF
the deadly epidemic. 1t IS this fact, so
generally overlooked, which explains
away much of the mystery which attach
es to this fatal malay In this way
alone can we account for many anoma-
lies in the progress Of the disease, which
thong h often deyiating from the ordinary
course of travel, vet in no case trdUeLs
faster than SHIPS, railroad car, and men
rQuel
Furthermore, although the cholera
poison may not be present in the stools
just discharged, it may be generated in
them at q later period under peculiar
conditions, such as the contact with pu-
trid animal and vegetable matter, or an
impure atmosphere. And the cholera,
thus generated, at first in the low, crowd
ed, and filthy places of city, soon
spreads to higher grounds, and to places
which were at first exempt
These views, the Doctor thinks, are
strongly confirmed by the experience on
the Atalanta. None of the cabin pas
sengers or crew used the water closets
used by the Storage passengers, and
none of them were attacked by the dis
ease Thus, too, Is explained the fact
that the disease RACES with greater VIC
lence on the water.
From these considerations lie draws
these practical lessons.
l. Quarantine regulations cannot be
too strict nor too rgidly enforced
. The most thorough sanitary mea
sures must be enforced and carried ont
in all places offered TO the invasion of
the disease, especially in large cities,
where every effort should be used to
have all houses, streets, alleys, privles,
drains, cess pools, DC, thoroughly clean
sed and disinfected.
3 All intercourse with places infect
ed with the disease must be absolutely
prohibited, or at any rate, guarded with
the greatest care and precaution.
t. Should the disease unfortunately
be introduced into place. cholera stools
should never be emptied into necessa-
ries and water closets in common use.
3. The police should be instructed to
pour into every privy and water-closet
suitable disinfectants, or furnish the
same for this purpose.
In postscript, he adds: The only
real security against this disease Is in
carrying cut the most thorough sanitary
reform in personal, domestic and civic
cleanliness and publication, and ii is
work which requires instant attention.
Not a day nor an hour is to be lost"
Dr. Sayer stated these views had been
communicated to a number of the first
medical gentlemen of the city, who re-
garded them of such Importance as to
demand their general circulation.