The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1871-08-10
The Asiatic. Cholera.
(From the New York Herald.)

|
The reports which we have received
within the last few days of the pres
ence and the spreading Of the Asiatic
cholerai in various parts Of Europe; con-
vey the warning that histerrible East
Indian destroyer has perhaps set out
upon another pilgrimage round the
world from the East TO the West. For
months past we have had, from time
to- time, hints and rumors of the exist
ence of this epidemic and of its rava.
ges In various widely separated locali-
ties in the Russian empire. Now we
have the more definite information in
letters from Cronstadt and st. Peters
burg describing the progress of the
disease in European Russia rs alarming
in the extreme, and that it has advanced
to the German frontier; that the Ger
man government has quietly established
q sanitary Gordon along its Russian bor-
der but that, in spite of these precau-
tons, the disease has made its appear
ance in all the Baltic ports. 1t appears,
also, that it has carried off many VIC
Tins in Poland, whence it threatens
to spread into Prussia, Gallicia and
Hungary. 81 = q 81 .- b,
Now, willie we have no purpose or
desire to create a needless alarm on this
side the Atlantic, we are, nevertheless,
warned by experience that the broad ex-
panse of the dividing ocean is no bar
ricr against the Asiatic cholera advanc-
ing westward over the European Con-
tinent. The history Of this terrible dis
ease, as travelling epidemic from India
to all other parts Of the world, is very
remarkable and very mysterious, but Is
nevertheless, very instructive. This
Asiatic cholera had existed in India for
many centuries, and had been very de-
structive at different times among the
swarming population Of those burning
regions as a local disease, just rs that
other tropical disease, the yellow fever
from time to time breaks out with unu-
sual virulence in its strongholds, such
as Havana and Vera Cruz. But in 1917
the Indian cholera, as n raging epidem-
ic, developed in the sweltering delta of
the Gauges, broke away from its usual
confines, and eastward, northward and
westwardly set out upon its mission as
a destroying demon to every quarter of
the globe. Slowly advancing at first.
in 1920 it appeared at Bombay, where
it swept off hundred and fifty thou
sand persons. In 1921 it pushed to the
northwest. following the courses of
commercial rivers and travelled roads
to Persia, Arabia and Asia Minor
Then it seemed to pause awhile; but in
1923 it reappcared and devastated Cen
trail Asia. Then steadily extending to
the shores of the Caspian Sea. in 1929
it broke out in Southern Russia. Thence
pursuing the commercial route of the
Volga and its tributaries it advanced to
Moscow in 1880, and, rapidly spreading
over Europe, it appeared in England in
October, 1881. On the 9Th Of June, 1882,
it was introduced by an emigrant ship
into Quebec, OH the 10th it appeared at
Montreal, on the 2lst of the same month
it appeared in New York, and by Octo-
Der it had spread over. all the country
east of the Mississippi to New Orleans.
We had it again in the United States at
various places in 1884 and again in 1919.
On this occasion the epidemic had APP
parently travelled from Asia across the
Continent to Europe and across the At
lantic TO the West Indies in the com
paratively short space of single year.
II entered the United States this time
by way of the Mississippi River, in
March. and broke ont in New York in
May, and, spreading over all the conn
try to onr remotest froutier settlements,
did not wholly disappear till November.