The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-08-23
New and Important Facts A bout the
Cholera - Quarantine Considered

CnOfera - quarantine considered
Useless. .Esszjty
From the London Times, Augusta.
The report on " The, Sanitary Condition
Of Malta and Coco, with reference TO tho
epidemic cholera in the year 1862 lust
published by Dr. Sutherland, brings to
light most important facts which ought to
appear conclusive both az to the useless.
ness Of quarantine and as to the posi-
bility Of preventing cholera by the. obser.
vance Of sanitary precautions. It appears
that "eighty-two per cent. Of all houses
where there were deaths from cholera in
Valetta yielded only single death, per
house that sixty per cent. of the deaths
took place IN lower floors of houses that
the distribution Of cholera IN 1855 was the
same as the Law Of distribution Of the plague
in 1878; that although the disease bad fire.
quently passed over houses In q bad sanitary
state without touching the inmates, it re-,
mains no less an undeniable fact that while
cholera attacked people living under OBJ
vionsly unhealthy conditions, it did not at
tack dwellings where the same unhealthy
conditions were ABSENT.
From these and q variety of other facts,
resulting from the most minute observa-
ton, It might, indeed, be easy to. conclude
that sound hygienic measures, if properly
enforced, might tend greatly to diminish,
If not altogether prevent, cholera. AS,
however, the measures in question meet
with almost insuperable resistance, on the
part of the people, and, on the other hand,
the impression that cholera is spread by
contagion will not soon be rooted out, it
would be. no easy task to prevail upon
those southern governments to give up
their reliance on the efficiency of quaran.
tine. So long as doctors disagree as to the
contagious nature Of the disease, and as to
the advantage Of ,interrupting communica-
ton, it is natural that those governments
should claim the benefit Of the doubt.
But the evidence of Dr.. Sutherland has
most unanswerably disposed Of even that
argument; for he proves that although
there are abundant instances of cholera
having been mitigated or arrested by no
very difficult or costly methods, among
these methods the obstruction Of human
intercourse has certainly not been one." He
states that between the 1st of August,
1866, and the 731st of December, 1866, no
fewer than zoos vessels entered Malta in
quarantine. b; ~
The aggregate burden Of these vessels
was 502, 1907 tons; their crews amounted to
%, 622 men, and they had 1868 passengers
on board. If all the vessels had ridden
out their i quarantine, no less than
1914 ,504 tons of shipping would have been
detained for day, and 1Ol ,632 men, with
1874 passengers, would also have been
detained for q day. |" As the whole of
this immense obstruction to commerce
took place in ships arriving from affected
ports, we should naturally: expect that "a
considerable number of cholera cases
would have been found on board or in
quarantine. And yet, what is the fact =?
Two vessels, each with a case of cholera
on board, were refused admittance, SO that
the only vessels which might apparently
have justified quarantine were not placed
in quarantine, but were sentaway. Among
the other ships passengers and crews
there was not single case of cholera"
And while the healthy vessels and crews
were kept outside, the disease ragged freely
inland, so that in point Of fact the island,
and not its trade, should have been placed
in quarantine. a,.