Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-04-28
THE VIRGINIA.
Interesting Report from DIR.

Is
The following is the report of DR.. Elisha Harris,
Registrar of Records upon the origin. development
and progress of the disease on board the Virginia.
It was made from personal observation and re-
search. and by request of the Board of Health. DR..
Harris says:
STATISTICS.
The number Of persons sick with cholera, or with
decided DremOnitOry symptoms, which remained un-
arrested at noon Of April 20, Sc. This includes
no ordinary diarrhoaa or other illness than cholera.
ors ne f6a H y number OF deaths % rs f2m shoera @ i re-
<date of first case) to p. NJ. Of the date above
named, 81.
EVIDENCE OF THE NATURE OF TIE DISEASE.
The disease IS Spasdmodc cholera. The only testl-
mony desired bad, viz: The aspect and obvious
symptoms and phenomena of tho patients. Eight
We're in the stage of collapse, three suffering
the characteristic muscular cramps of cEOlera, and
tie Others were exh hibitng all the phenom Of that
maLady in the various gradations from the uncon-
trolled flow of rice water excavations to the shrupk
en- and cold skin and mental babitude that super
yenes upon ne longer combinations Of t1e eyacua-
tons. Yet the general average type Of the disease
was not as saw 1t rs malignant l have frequent
iy witnessed There will he fair percentage Of re-
coYerles ~ the cases. During the voyage the death
rate in the number of patients treated has been
small
The total number cases of fchoIerac dfarrhoea and
fully deveioped cholera during the voyage was be-
tween 200 and 80 The surgeon has been SO over
worked that he tailed to keep records except of the
deaths. lie informs me that every person died with
the characteristic symptoms of cholera.
ORIGIN AND PROGRESS OF THE DISEASE.
Holland. from whence he had made his way directly
through Rotterdam and Hull to Liverpool was pro-
baby the first case. lie died of cholera April T. the
eighth DAY out from Liverpool 1t appears, however
that feeble woman, who was received on board at
QuosnstoWn and coming directly from " Wales, feeble
and sick before and at the time of embarkation had
sickness Of which she died on the lth of ApriI
The surgeon believes there was evidence that her
illness was cholera.
NOTES on TIE FIRST CASE.
Inc man wa with his family, wife and two little
enldren ard after taraying few hours at Rotter
dam, embarked with 4Gi or 500 others for HULL was
not then nor subsequently i'll uHtil he was two or
three days out at Two days before his death his
sickness attracted hisswfeS attention It continued
until COLLAPSE which was noticed six or eight nours
previous to his death.
The. berth which his family and the dying patient
occupied was in the after Orjop-dech deck which il
below the water line Of the vessel in the middle por
tion CT tho ship, having its ventilation by hatchWays
and wndsalIs.
SUBSEQUENT DEVELOPMENT OF THE EPIDEMIC.
The second case occurred in child Of three years,
found dead on the morning of the 18th. Within As
hours IRON the hrst death, the epidemic was
nounced IN all parts of both the orlop deck and
main-decks where all the seerage passengers nearly
one thousand in number, were berthed. During the
hve succeeding days, until reaching our harbor the
progress OF the epidemic was not essentially checked
except as individual cases Of the premonitory dar-
rhoea were controlled.
PROGRESS SINCE ARRIVAL.
At =. NJ, April lS the number of patients under
medical treatment with symptoms of cholera, more
or less developed at the time of arrival was 80 or
about that number, as the surgeon informs me- The
number of eases seen by me, living, was 50, but one
who RESPONDED TO my questions at noon 2 corpse
at T. N. Fourteen. Including this one, have died
since p NJ, April 18th. From these records it ap-
pears that obout 10 persons have been taken i'll since
the vessel arrived, or in period of l2 hours.
From these statements it appears that the develop
nient OF the epidemic IS still in progress but the Off
GERS assuIed me that the disease appears to be less
tr0uotesoloe, and that medical treatment is more
cttectuai hope this is true, though it is also true
that the cholera does rot present the high deah-rate
nor as much the aspect Of a!ignity has been com
monty witnessed in cpidemcS On ships
THE PLACES FROM wHICs THE PASSENGERS CAME.
Up to the present all my inquiries have not elected
single fact to show that any person among all the
passengers has had any knowledge of cholera
IN the places from whence they came, or through
which they have passed. (Since making these ob-
at Altenberg, small city in Sa1ony from the vicp-
iy Of which some Of the passengers came and through
which some Of them may have passed. Cholera is
known tn have prevailed also in villages in the
neighborhood of Altenberg during the winter The
iact Is also worthy OF note that two Of the former cpl
and TO the Western continent by way of Rotterdam
the, port from which large portion of Low Dutch
and interior Germans take their departure for Eng
land to come TO this continent)
Your commlttee have not pressed this matter sepa-
rateiy and would simply report that the cities Of
Rotterdam and Hull were the principal points at
which the 6erIaEn passengers congregated on their
way to Liverpoo 3fle cities of Wittenberg, in the
Kingdom of Westphalia ana Of Garlsrhue, the capt.
tai of Baden sent many Of these passengers and the
towns of Holland sent about as many more Some
came from Denmark the places of departure ofothers
were not known; but it appears probable that some
CT the passengers travelled from various places fur
ther interior than the cities here named The exact
history Of every persons exodus from Europe should
be ascertained in this case; for if cholera did not
be verified IF
SANITARY CONDITION OF THE SHIP.
mere is nothing peculiar or particularly excep-
tIona IN Ee sanitary arrangements and condition of
the irginia. 1t is in good condition as is usual
in ships her class. There is less offensive odor less
filth between the decks thans usual in crowded steer
ages. But we note the fact that in the oriop sec
ton that is below the waer-line and amidships, the
epidemic first became known and in that section II
was most prevalent and fatal