The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-02-12

/ uniform laws, KNOWN tof ffegulate the
! propagation of this family ofpoisens.
whether cholera, tried by these rules,
will stand the test of contagious di-
sease.
AS was before stated cholera fingered,
for number of years, about the mouths
of the Ganges, before 1t asserted its EN-
pEe cover The world3 SDuIing these
wears, the ordinary channels of trade
were unrestricted, and the same tacili-
ties existed for propagatmg the disease
1 by contagiof, that were found at sub
4 seouenf period, and vet It maintained
Iitsl endemic Qharacter Having once
! tthroWnIof this character, it did not
spread gradually in every direction pnt
taking northwesterly course, It anect-
ed thousands Of PERSONS almost atnth
! same time ,lino every city and country
| through which 1T passed. In this gem
er,il course it eontinuedt to go until item
| circled the whole earth. Some pecuT
! Iiarity in the atmosphere seemed TO be
ever this existed continuously, there
was to be found its steady line OF
| m8rch.YsJJH Hy5NCD 1ftI III
But it has been stated rs an argument
! in favor of contagiony that the disease
| follows closely the line of commun1ca-
tfonJ between different corntrIes, and
! detweeu different points of the same
/ country. This fact, which is admitted
to be true, proves nothing in favor OF
icontapfon; it only adds color to, the view
| of its propagation through an atmos-
pheric medium. Untilthe eintroduction
of railroads, the great lines of commu-
nication were the rivers, navigated by
steamboats,, andthe oceans and inland
| seas navigated by vessels of large size.
To say nothing of such rivers passing
through the richest and most densely
tlEidpu1hted norton of each yepuntry,
thus generating an impure state OF at
mosphere general " these large vessels
are ordinarily the receptacles OF dirt,
lslnd the abodes of crowded and filthy
population. Nothing is more natural
than that disease, propagated by at
mospheric infection, should be found TO
travel along such channels.
But has cholera ever been communi-
Gated by contact alone? Many facts
have been adduced to prove that it can
| he. but such facts, as they have fallen
under my observation, were all eNpll-
cable upon the principle of ofatmospheric
! infections; and as there are much more
abundant facts which cannot be e2-
planned upon the spppositton Of conta-
gion alone, these ought at least to have
| due weight in a the settlement OF the
question. Having witnessed all the
epidemics of cholera which laye pre-
vailed in this country, shall conhne
myself mainly to facts which fell under
my own observation.
Laiein the fall of 1882, there occurred
Iin-the lower part of the city ot:AHheel-
ing few cases of what was believed to
be true Asiatic cholera. They all ap-
peared, about the same times, andIin
| persons betveenf whom mo possible
Communication could be traced. All
of them proved fatal, having occurred
\ in persons whose constitutions were
| broken DOWN by They
=, kfA,,s1hF1E me FSpE
| and physicians, and yet there was no
| extension of the disease. Cold weather
\ set in and nothing moro was heard OF
, cholera during the winter. All lively
fears were allayed, and the city fathers
relapsed into their usual state OF quiet
Il Now, upon the SUPPOSE
ton of communication by contact
! alone, could it possibly have happened
/ that not one of all those who attended,
| nursed and buried those who died, was
attacked by the disease? But 1t may
be asked, why, if the disease were
caused 3bylan atmospheric poison alone,
did it not equally produce the disease
| in others who were exposed to iI3 The
answer. is plain; simply-because the
poison had been 5propagated to a limit
ed extent only, and WINS not sufficient
Iy concentrated, TO produce its deadly
effect, except on such as were strongly
predisposed, by previous bad habits,
I
being damp, warm and oppressive, a few
| isolated cases of the disease made their
| appearance in the vicinity of the mar
1 ket square, which was Mt the time in a
| very filthy condition, and which was
some squares distant from the point
where the disease existed the fall pre-
| vious. Two days afterwards gentle-
man of high social and professional
standing, was seized in different part
of the town and died in few hours.
From that time forward the number OF
cases increased rapidly, and the whole
city became the theatre of its raYages.
This sudden outbreak, and rapid spread
of the disease, are not consistent; with
the rules laid down as characteriZlng
the spread of contagious diseases. But
numerous facts were observed, during
the prevalence of the epidemic, which
4 proved the disease to be enon-contagtouS.
| MANY persons flel from the city, after
the epidemic had fairly commenced, in
order to secure some place OF safety.
Numbers of these sickened and died
/ within few hours after their depar-
ture, and in no instance could it be as
certnined that the disease was commu-
nicaLed to those broughtin' contact WIKI
them. A memorable instance attracted
very general attention al the time An
eminent member of our profession, IN
the prime of manhood, and in the en-
ioyment of excellent health, came from
}, an interior town of Ohio, to tamtltartze
himself with the disease, and prepare
for its more successful treatment in the
event of its reaching the place of his
residence. He remained in the city
eightior tenhours, during which time
he became so shocked by the scenes ol
J suffering and death which surrpundec
him, that he determined to return &c
his home without delay. He reached q
] small, healthy, very elevated village
that night, where he sickenedr and dice
before noon the next day. He received
, every kindness and attention which
7 the citizens could afford, and yet nc
other case of cholera occurred In the
Another fact, in this connection, wa.
) generally observed, and freely com
mented on, after the disappearance o
, the epidemic. The ratio of those at
tackled, in proportion to the whole
number engaged, was much less amons
those actively employed in nursing anC
! ministering to the sick, than among
tthose who, from fear or other causes
. lIoarefCiliy avoided the presence of th'
: sick chamber. There wnS no deatt
, among the physicians, and most o
t them escaped entirely an attack OF thu
, disease. Are these facts reconcilabl,
with the uniform laws OF contag1on
, I think not. e,ii-TltJl
Eas cholera detfsite period of -iheu-
, LbRtion2 Is there any fixed. time ate
exposure, before the development of thi
lisease3 Si Has the poison the property
of reproduction within the blpodS-
, These questions are all ofthe saLhs I'M
: port, and are equally negatiyed by thu
: fIacts Just stated. In case of the medi
teal gentleman mentioned: he came from
, a few hours only ltof an atmosphere
. Headed with the poison. had his Suscept