, 1866-01-30
THE CHOLERA.
Portability Of the Disease-.Important
Meeting of tho New York Health
ConmIssioners--.Facts and
Statements for Our City
Authorities and
Physicians,

LUG -NcW 3oSk NEJtAd C1fe3 t1t 1ouoE10g report
OF m important meeting Of the CommIsetone.s OF
Hea1sh In that city:
Dr.. Ssy1t, the Resident Physician stated TINT in
formation had BEEN obtained. By ihe lsss arrival
frcm Guadaloupe, that the cholera Nas introduced
who had died Of the disease while on the piss
ape from Aafteillea. where the disease prevailed;
md the t.c thzt she woan who ashed &c clothes,
md all her tamily, died almost Immediately; and
that number OF persons attracted 70 he. house BY
,hs , suoae1 s, mortality we're also attacked, naas OF
In REV Of this Information, which proves ts.t,
The port0tikfy Of the disease and second, thc Ab-
soate necessity OF the Rigid enforcement OF quar-
of plopcr seeommodssioas for tbs m purpose, be o.
fred the following resolution, which was adopted:
Res Iosa, That the Chairman OF the Commission
@ !" e
nsge upon him 10 cali the attention Of the Leg1sa.
tnre othis important subject
The chairman then appointed the resident physf-
ci4p 10 perform this tnfy.
Dr; ssyre then read aletter from o.: Charles 4.
Lee. Professor Of Hygiene In the Buffalo Medical
and sanitary aitainments and the auihor Of several
standard medical works, which contains yiews cor.
sobo1at,ns The previous action Of this Board, and
also some new ideas IN regard to the mode Of pro-
lacston and portability Of cholera He atated that
he had shon n this letter TO number Of the A.st
medical gentlemen Of this city. who regarded these
thclt general circulation.
-~ ~'~ ~ ID Janusrv II II. 1a5d.
Lewie 4. SAM. N. u.
Dear eis: some time since you did me the
houor Of requesting my opinion In regard to the
contnGioukDess Of cholcra. Circumstances beYond
quest, and erca now can only briefly indicate the
c1oclnslors at which have arrived n.e. close and
vssed personal observation Of Its prps1rss both IN
on oWu md foreign countries.
In the t1rt plaoe, tten. have seen no reason to
he1ieTe that ihe dlsease Ia eref communicated d.
rEety from one perron 10 another, even under the
words, 1t l. not coniagous according 10 eommoa
nnden1anuine Of that word.
On The Other band, facts abnrdantly prove that
routes Of ttavel and commercial intercourse. /
hold also that We hayr satfsfaciorY es1dence that
The dlecase te communicated ,hsongh the evacna-
/ could addree nany fnetnnccs where there can Sc
no queetton that the choteEa has been conveyed to
hitherto healthy localities by meme Of nfecet
only By an sppafently u7dfne d1as7hEa Persons 30
ntrc1ea may doubtless trarel from place 10 au-
ashs,: Without tesious asye,opnsn. q the dtsease
which may give riee to deadly epidemic Itfsth
fert 20 Erncre.ty overlooked, or not recognized,
Int mode ass aG u 20 asa q Zs 5s ss
Thu tscs si4o aspla1s: .hose apparent snouaNe4
defined conrSe In Ito wandcrinss. hat spreads in1f
fercntly in different directions 10 daennt quarters,
nov sih n The wind ana Ro* asn.. T. follow
deHiating from them, but travelling no faster in
ary cnee than s1ips, railroad carr, and men traveI
ssle, and whih have been suppo. ID 70 oe oxios 10
the poison ol choIera being carried BY winds, arc
1hnf satisfactorily explained.
Although cholera Is undoubtedly Communicated
by the ircsh de}eetlons injected think bere
cnn be Little doubt that, II the poison may NOT be
actually present IN 1ne stoois tuE, discharged, Il
certain 1condidons favorable 10 its Development. .
Ihesc conditions nEc now pretty we'll understood
The contact Of such discharge with putrld animal
and vegetable matter il very certain to develop the
poison Of cholera. and m impure atmosphere from
he preseDee OF similar matters favors its rapid die
reinina.ion. The accumulation Of 9TH and Organic
ement houses, md Inc tatufs',on of the esfh win
he he frestes Intensity snd diffusion or The
ih.+e, however. may be added the great tmprudence
With which cholera discharges arc empled into
common p7sies: CUTTERS and tcwers, wh'eh serve
rec,on Hence ne fnd that ia localities visited By
tho disease the houeee and streets In which those
infected reside the paces Of the Eeatest danger
sp1eads Pr rapidly. 1tlseIine a1rt thoee ion, Gthy.
vo11pr canes Host abound; t0ssWasds savnEine
Mhoih exempt. md which were probably deemed
Fate from any dsnect Of IN attack.
think The exper1enee On bosF3 the Atalanta
r1cws. 1he dheAse originated IN The steesast,
where IL may hssc been brought bJ one individual
la1,orinR under eAotsr1ne. A The used
fst chm pastspcrre Or the e1cW- not Of these
latter were attacked BY the disease: while Arcc
numbers Of The stcet1se passengers VINO e1losise-
moi this theory also afford good explanation Of
Inc fact lint the disorder u generally more active
on lines Of travel by water than BY iand! Nth91sh
By well Known md acknowledged tacts, an rsady
10 admit thst there nre some phenon,era which