Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1866-04-11
The Cholera.

The telegraph has brought news that the
ship " England" has arrived at Halifax with
one hundred aud sixty cholera patients on
board, besides forty who had died on the pas
sage. That dreadful scourge is thus on the di-
rect line of march towards this country. Are
we prepared for it in this city p Have the ap-
pointed guardians Of the public health per
formed their duty to the people We are
constrained to say that they have not. On the
contrary, they have shamefully and criminaly
neglected the plaineSt duties of humanity, and
shown themselves utterly inSenSible to their
grayeSt official responsibilities. Our readers
will bear US witness that we have time and
again urged upon the Common Council the inn
portance Of inStituting proper sanitary mea-
Sures at once, regardless Of expense and labor.
We have made appeal after appeal to the
Council, but all in vain. 1t did nothing, and
now the cholera is coming to find us uuprc-
pared. Ii is fortunate for the city that a new
Council has Just been elected but IL is untor-
tunate that more of the old members were not
left out. The Council just expired proved IT.
self to be an inefficient, Incompetent body. 1t
seemed to be without the intelligence To dis
Germ its plainest duties in that greatest Of all
emergencies-the imminence of a deadly
scOurge-Or to be without the energy and
courage to meet its manifest responsibilities.
The first duty ofthe new Council will be to
grapple with this crisis. If it shall happily
exhibit-what the former Council so plainly
lacked-a capacity TO deal with the emergeu-
CIV, the community will experience a general
sense of relief. II is fortunate that in entering
upon its important duties it will have the val
liable assistance of two medical bOardS-the
Medical Academy OF this city aud the Board
of Health. We publish to-day two commni-
cations from these bodies to the Council, which
contain suggestions OF the highest value. The
communication of the Board of Health is OIL
eal, and is in the nature Of a supplement- to
former reports that Of those eminent phySi-
clans, Doctors BOLToN, CUNNINGHAM and
DEANE, who represent the Academy Of Medi-
cine, composed of the faculty Of this city, is
voluntary and unofficial. This latter is a most
comprehensive paper, and abOUnds in useful,
pracLlcal Suggestions, iOOhllS 70 u ulNlSlou ni
the city into numerous wards physician and
a police agent to be assigned to each, whose
duty it shall be to make frequent dOmiciliary
visits and inspections, to see that the premises
are thoroughly cleansed disinteetants applied,
&C., &c. To this end the members of the
Academy of Medicine tender their gratutou>
services.
Those who read former articles in the WHIG
will be struck with the identity Of the recon-
mendations embraced in this communication
with the suggestions urged by ourselves. 1t is
unnecessary, therefore, now that We should eN-
press our approval of this document; but We
avail ourselves Of the occasion to urge upon
the new Council the great importance, the ab-
sOlute necessity ofprompt and energetic action.
Not day should be lost. The highest duty
that at present devolves upon that body is that
ofprOtecting the city from the fearful scourge
with which it is menaced. As we have fire.
quently said, money should be no cOnSidera-
ton. The nobleSt function Of money is to save
life and every cent expended to ward of this
scOurge is expended to save life. The people,
poor as they are, would cheerfully bear any
amount of taxation necessary to enable the
Council to place the city in proper sanitary
condition.