The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-03-06

all-Wlse and merclful RFoVl0ence, W.
can reasonably hope to escape the
scourge, if we implicitly obey His laws
1t is right to state, however, tina
cholera respects no season of the year
no climate, scarcely any country OF
people; and moreover, we are free K
confess that we know nothing of it
cause; so far this remains mysteriously
hidden from human ken. Still We dC
know some facts in regard to choleFi
even as an epidemic We may no
know its cause, but we ara certain thai
II originates in ASia; that it is imported intC
Europe and America; that il is therefore
infectious, and may be quaraRtinsd; lastly
that its mortality is Influenced By II
hygisnie condition of the places it in
vades. ] his last circumstance, it seems
to me, should specially claim the st
tention of the society.
Should the question Of the propaga-
ton Of cholera be agitated this evening
and the words c01stagiOn and infection be
employed to prevent meaningless dis
cussion, it is to be hoped these term.
will strictly confined to their etymolo
gical signifcations.
Last November the Asiatic cholera
was brought into the harbor of New
York, and it is reported to exist now
on the island of Guadeloupe, in the
West Indies. A wide spread and fatal
disease, it is published, already exists
among the cattle in Canada; and
should disposition to looseness of the
bowels prevail here, we should be pre-,
pared for visit of this dreaded epi.
demic AS medical philosophers, il
becomes US to do all we can to avert
its fatal effects. We may never find a
cure for cholera, but we certainly can
do much to mitigate its rayages. The
great, allimportant aim of medicine
Eow is the preUsaGOH Of disease.
Nashville can never becoma very
desirable or healthy place, unless the
sanitary condition of its streets, alleys,
stables, and privies is greatly i'm.
proved. Notwithstanding all that the
present authorities are doing, there is
not an entire square of good pavement
in the city; so that whenever the
weather is the least wet, every person.
and especially every lady that moves
out of the house, must return as Wet
and muddy as if the walk had been
made through country lanes.
The city is well supplied with water
has almost unequaled facilities for sew
erage and drainage, and an unlimited
supply of material for paving, but these
advantages have aVailed but little SC
far. One of the striking pecuharitiea
of this city is that after each rain its
citizens have 10 use muddy water There
have been recently reported some most
striking facts bearing on the hygienic
influence fpure water. In 1884 eight
| hundred soldiers were transported from
| Bona in Algiers, TO Marseilles, in France
in three ships. From two of these
ships $50 soldiers, which they carried
were landed ali well, not a case of sick,
ness occurring. The third, named
Argo, carried the remaining I20-thir-
teen of these died on the voyage, and
90 others were disembarked in differ
ent forms and stages Of psludal fevers;
only 9 out Of l20 escaping disease. These
ships made short passage and arrived
the same day. The difference in their
| hygienic condition was definitely traced
to this source. The Argo was supplied
with water for the soldiers from q
marsh, while her own crew, who re-
manned healthy, as well as the entire
company (soldiers and crew. of the
other two vessels had good water. The
water in the Argo had a dissgreeable
taste aud odor (This is recorded by
DR.. Bondin and is quoted as good au.
thority by Prof. E A. Parkes, NJ D.
F. r. s., and of the British Army
Board.
The Remington diarrhea, as it was
called, which prevailed SO recently
near Philadelphia, is clearly attributa-
BILE to bad water. The supply from the
Schuylkill having been cut of, the citi-
zans fesorted to the Delaware, into
which the sinks and privies emptied.
A severe diarrhBa broke out in Ken.
sington, which even affected the day
laborers from New Jersy. The water
from the Schuylkill was reintroduced
andthe disease ceased. By accident this
supply was again stopped, and the
disease redeVeloped. When some one
denied that the offensive water pro.
duced this diarrh9a, the workmen from
New Jersey proved it by bringing the
water they used during the day from
that State, and thus escaped the dis
ease
Now this disease so closely resembled
cholera in its symptoms, it is expressly
stated, that it was best manged by cal.
omel, opium, acetate Of lead and piper.
inc mustard to the abdomen; hot foot
baths; heat and friction with brandy
and beef tea.
We have at least certain test for
pure water in the permanganate OF
potash; a single drop of the saturated
solution Of which gives beautiful and
permanent pink color to pint of dis
TILED water. Any organic matter IL
water will destroy or prevent this color
1t took four drops of this solution to tiz
this color in ten ounces of Washington
City water, which is supplied from the
Potomac river; eighteen drops for the
surrounding marsh water, and no lesi
than tWenty-seven drops of it for the
water from the canal OF the city.
i cholera has ever respected q 10 cal
ity as far as known to me, it has beer
the long leaf pine bsrrens, with its pure
free-stone water.
AS to the effects of filth in increasing
the mortality Of cholera, we have tn,
official report that 7-lOth Of the
cheB0HHiers Of Paris fell victims in tn,
recent visit Of this disease to that CT y
The rag gatherer" in that city plies hI
vocation 81 all hours during the day
and often far into the night, amidst thr
garbage in the cutters aud streets, picB
up bones, paper DC, as well as rags, b,
means Of short stick armed with 1
r curved nail or hook, depositing then
! in basket, which is strapped upon hi
shoulders.
: We who were in Nashville in 1851
during the last visit of cholera, vii
2 recollect that the fatal cases, l40 il
, number, were confined almost exclu
f siyely to the two filthy valleys leadin
from Wilson's and Judges springs 4
the river. If it comes again, these 10
calities may expect 10 be the chic
sufferers in this city.
We cannot but spprehend a visit O
this epidemic, from its existence a
nresent in West India island, from tn
epizootic already on this continent from
The fact OF its introduction into Ne7
: York hsrbor last fall, but fortunatel,
, there arrested, which may not be tn
! case sqain. Asyet we have no disposi
) ton 10 bowel affections Should disr
. rbna prevail extensively this spring
then we should prepare at once for il
advent These GUaHt e0'Hries-thes
! antecedents to cholera, are to my min
proofs of its epidemic character, it
5 propagation by atmospheric influence
and not by contagion. To which ma
= be added its greater fatality in filth
! cities, aud certain portions, and evel
| nartioular streets and stories of house
t Ia these towns, and it, almost exemI
+ ton in those Of an opposite condition
) and its pretty constant western prC
{ gress. Cholera is certainly not q sp
E 2 Se disease, as are the contagious n
, amount OF municipal cleansing, dome
! &c publication, or personal hygien'
!, have ever yet prevented smal
1 pox, syphilis, gonnorrhoea, itch, tn
: we'll known acknowledged oontagiol
e affections.