Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1866-06-23
The Cholera Mt New York.

HE Cholera at New York.
The New York Herald, of the 18th inst.
mentions the following cases of alleged cho-
lera which were reported by DIR. Harris as
having been received on the day previous |.
Rufus Durker, farmer, arrived from his
home in Grafton, New York, on Thursday
morning, and became the guest of relative
residing at No 157 Waverly place. He was
in good health, spent the evening with the
family, ate moderately and slept well, in an
apartment that was as perfectly ventilated
as most dwellings. He took an early break
fast, and then went down town, accompan-
led by his friend, and while in the lower part
OF the city was seized with copious, pain
less diarrh9a. At 10 A. M. he was conveyed
to Waverly place, and at hale past eleven
DIR. Warner reported that the patient was in
a collapse; he died before ten p. NJ The
case is reported as typical of cholera, and
was treated according to the regulations of
the Board of Health. .-a.-E
DIR. Harris also reported two additional
cases of supposed cholera in Oak street. One
occurred yesterday, at No 30 Oak street, and
resulted in the death of the victim yester
day morning The other case is said to be
at No. Oak street, and is still undecided.
1t is not positively asserted that either of
the latter cases can be called Asiatic cholera
cases. Oak street is situated in very filthy
locality, and is known as an unhealthy
neighborhood The health authorities would
not positively assert, however, that either
may be attributed to the epidemic.
If the experience of the past six or seven
years on board the floating hospital is to go
for anything, cholera Is not communicable
by personal contract During this period,
among all the nurses or visitors who have
waited upon the victims of this disease not
one has received an injury therefrom. In
deed, so thoroughly have the superlnten.
dents of that hospital believed that cholera,
yellow fever and the like are not contagious,
that they have had no hesitancy whatever
in taking their family on board and remain
ing for weeks at a time, while there were
patients there sick with one or both of these
maladies, or unto death. In 1862 the super
intendent of the hospital took his son on
board as a clerk, and his little children were
not harmed by long stay where men were
brought daily sick with the most malignant
form of the most malignant fevers. Cholera
is communicable by means of infected cloth.
ing. Find some means af disinfecting the
| clothing and there is no means left by which
the disease can be communicated. -
STEAM AS A DIsINFEcTANT.
| That steam can Go this has been proven
beyond oil question or doubt. 1t is but a
short time since that DR.. Farr, one of the
most distinguished men in Europe for his
own knowledge of sanitary affairs, in letter
addressed to the foreign corresponding sec
retary of the Health Board, made the state
ment that in London and Liverpool the use
of steam as disfectant had taken the place
of everything else. Its utility for this pur-
pose, as many other things of the highest
| Importance to mankind have been before,
was first discovered by accident. During
the Mexican war the United States steamer
Vixen, which was on duty off Vera Cruz,
had become so grievously infested with yer.
min that the officer in command determined
on roasting them out. Sending all hands
on deck, the matches were fastened down,
and the steam from the yessei's boiler pour
ed into every room. 1t is not to be suppos-
ed that the vermin long survived the three
hundred degrees of heat which the steam
thus thurst into every nook and granny
But that was not all; there was surgeon on
board who had eyes to see, and seeing, put
what he saw to some use. He discovered
that Immediately after the steaming of the
ship that the crew, who, until that time,
had been very sickly, began at once to mend,
and were soon in good health. In other
vessels close by yellow fever broke out as ii
would probably have done in the Vixen but
for steaming the cockroaches. In one OF
these, steaming was tried as disinfectant
and with the greatest success the fever dis.
appearing at once and not showing itself
again. .- ... I'D. .-..... ...... .
A year or two ago two vessels came into
this harbor from the same port or ports in
the same region, one of which had the yel.
low fever on board in the worst form the
other, upon entering the harbor, showed no
symptoms of the disease, but as precaution
was three times fumigated with chlorine
gas; yet in month afterwards several cases
of the fever made their appearance. But
the ship that had the fever already showing
itself when she came in was steamed, and
had no additional cases or board then or
afterwards. a .. -.