Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1871-09-21
The March of the Cholera,

In the years from 1921 to 1928 the
cholera, which had first left its home of
centuries among the marshes of the
Ganges in 1917 passed through Central
Asia to the northwest and reached Oren-
burg, on the eastern borders of Russia.
To reach Moscow occupied thirteen
months, the disease appearing in that
place in September, 1880. In nine
months afterwards it arrived mt st. Peters
burg, June, 1881, In the same year it
spread over Central Europe and appear
ed in England, Sunderland, in October.
In the next January 1882 Edinburgh
was visited, and London in February.
1t reached Paris in March, and thence
spread through France. The terrible
disease first appeared on this side of
the ocean at Quebec, on June s, 1882.
Within two days it appeared at Mon
treal, and on June 81 at New York.
Cunously enough, there was no evidence
of its presence at any place between
these cities. From New York the dis
ease extended to all points Of the com
pass to Philadelphia, Rochester and
Albany in August; as far west as Gin
cinnati, and south to New Orleans in
October. We had another visit in 1884,
but since that time cholera has never
been an epidemic in the country, though
in had appeared at various places rs an
endemic, and in 184S-49 it travelled
from New Orleans up the Mississippi
and Ohio rivers to the lakes and Canada.
1t is subject of discussion whether the
disease of 184S49 was the true Asiatic
cholera, most authorities agreeing that
it resembled that disease, and might
have been a mild type of it. 1t is some
consolation to us, and, we fear, source
of dangerous carelessness ON our part,
that the cholera revisited Europe in the
years 1885, 1886 and 1897, without
crossing the Atlantic. This year in
February, a few slight cases of cholera
were reported at Moscow Early in
March the disease made rapid progress
at st. Petersburg, assuming an epidemic
form during the last weeks Of April
and the first weeks of May its severity
at the Russian capital decreased. As
the warm weather began it again be-
came more virulent. In the middle of
June it broke out in other parts of the
empire, in Tamboy, Jareslay, Novgorod
and Olonetz At the last accounts re-
ceived from Russia the violence Of the
disease seems to have diminished in
most parts of the infected districts, ex
cept at Moscow, at Borissoglevsk and
Kirsanoy, within the government of
Tamboy, and in some districts within
the government of Vlaclimir. There
have thus far, it is said, been over seven
thousand cases in st. Petersburg; five
hundred at Cronstadt, the port of the
great city one hundred and six cases
were reported in two days at Riga, the
maritime outlet of Moscow; and there
have been twelve hundred at Wilma.
The epidemic has now reached Ham
burg, which Is such an important ship
ping port that it may be chosen by the
cholera as it's place of embarkation for
America Hamburg is two hundred
miles west of Stettin. Altoona, which is
a port on the Elbe, about ten miles be-
low Hamburg, in the Duchy of Holstein,
has population of about 40, 900. At
this place sixteen deaths from the chol-
era have been reported. In KGnigsberg
there were three hundred and twenty
nine deaths during the week ending
August 25 of these one hundred and
twenty-seven were children. On the
9th there were one hundred new cases,
with twenty nine deaths in Knnigsberg ;
and on the 2Sth there were eighty new
cases, with fifty deaths. The disease
is spreading rapidly in Eastern Prussia,
and with violence. The last news from
Gumbinnen, aplace sixty-six miles from
Kpnigsberg, says that out of q popula-
ton of 479 in the little village of Chino
chon there have been seventy-nine cases,
with forty-six deaths. With this great
enemy marching toward us and threat
ening us with the terrible experience
which followed its similar threat in 1881
and 1882, every possible means should
be taken to avert the threatened danger.