The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-08-28
CHOLERA.
The Route Of the Disease-The Necessity OF a
Rigid Quarantine and OF Great Clsanli. sss--
How the Epidemic is piseminated-
The Way to Treat It.

To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD:-
The cholera. which reached the United States in
1882, commenced IN HindOstan IN 1925 and 1927,
passed through Central Asia by way OF Cabul Balk,
Bokhara and Khiva, and reached Orenburg, on the
eastern borders of Russia. in August, 1929; 1t
carried to Moscow In September 1880, ana to st.
Petersburg In June, 1881 From these places it was
conveyed to the following Baltic ports, viz. Cron-
stadi, Riga, Memel, Konigsburg. Dantzic and Stet-
tin. From these Baltic ports 1t was carried to the
east coast of England, especially from Riga; and
from England ana Ireland 1t was brought over to
the United States IN emigrant snips
The disease is now certainly prevailing
in st. Petersburg, where there have been
over seven thousand cases. 1t has reached Cr0n-
stadt the port of St. Petersburg, the number OF ave
hundred cases, and cases from thence have been
stopped from entering HULL on the east coast Of Eng.
land 1t has also certainly entered Riga Qoe cases
In two days., which Is the maritime outlet Of Mos.
COW; 1t prevailing in Wilma Q,2o0 cases), on the
River Niemen, not far from Its entrance into the
Baltic. 1t Is epidemic In the Prussan Baltic ports
Of Konigsberg 40 to 80 cases day. Dantzlc and
Stettln, ana from all these places there Is almost
daily communication bv steam and sailing vessels
with England Tho London Medical Times OF
August g. 1871, says:-"We should not be astonished
any day to hear OF its arrival at Hull, G1msby
Liverpool or Newcastle. and although we DO not
rank with the nervous people we think we have
good reason to feel xious t1at the local sanitary
boards several ports should be stirred up into
activity, and that should our first line OF defence DO
forced every and every village In the country
should be prepared resist the advance OF tho cpl
demic."
AS Asiatic cholera Is always an imported disease,
and only be brought into this country by ships,
good quarantine Is the first line OF defence and 1t
should be recolected that cases have occurred four
teen days after exposure.
But some cases viii always slip through even
the best quarantine; Tor 1t is now wen proven that
single case OF the disease perhaps OF the slightest
degree and quite unsupported by the patent HIM
self and those around him, may, II local crcum-
stances or NTH and carelessness cooperate, exert
terribly infecrive power on considerable masses OF
the pOpuati0n.-S7l0n.
Thus patient with slight cholerine may travel,
apparently well, from New York to Boston, Phlla-
delphia Bufralo, CINCINNATI ST. Louis, Chicago, or
some other distant place, ana recover 80 perfectly
and easily that he has hardly been aware that he
has had more than q slight diarrhoea or summer
complaint and yet may have distributed the disease
In many and distant places
But those places must have been nlthy, for the
choleraic Injection does not seen able largely to
injure any population unless filthy state of things
prc-exists The infectve material must have OPP
portunites OF action which decent cleanliness would
not have Afforded It. It renders other stagnatinQ
filth equally poisonous with Itself, and the disgust.
Ing leaven Of the disease then spreads the air or
water. to be breathed or swallowed by the popula.
ton
Clean streets, good sewerage, proper house drain
lions almost absolute security that choera, Il inrro
duced among them, can nave no means OF spreading
It's Iniect0n.-SiOtOn
This IS the second line Of defence which should
be thoroughly carried out In every city, town.
village and house. Municipal authorities and
householders should be equally ON the alert. The
afiO Of rosf
every town ana house into which cholera Is INTRO.
duced.
The proper mana cement OF the patient win do
much to counteract the effects of carelessness In
quarantine ana In cleansing Of towns; for cholera Is
SO little contagious that If proper precautions are
taken there Is scarcely any risk that the disease will
spread to Others. But ignorance, earelessness and
bad sanitary conditions may develop Its peculiar
contagi0usness with terrible force, aud enable IL TO
operate az considerable distances from tie sick gSr
son. All matters which the patient discharges from
OF enoerac darr@s are nectiye. Inc pstsnt
power OF meeting other persons Is represented
almost exclusively by these discharges, and they
must be dislnfected immediately by the addition OF
saturated solution OF copperas and carboIc acid
The infecttve influence or cnoleraic discharges
attaches to whatever bedding clothing towels and
bike things have been contaminated by laem.
These should all be thoroughly dlsinIected on, wna
j. better Destroyed S Of once; Dr. gad OF Briso
cholera prevention In cities disinfected fne rice
water discharges Immediately on their issue lrsm
the BODY; ned paus and prives were drenciled Win
dslniecLants; all bedding ana linen, and clothes |
soied with CHOLERA discharges were burned. IN |
case Of death the body was fairly embedded in car.
bolatc OF lime and the CONN quickly fastened down.
Then Tue house was thoroughly fuinigated, white
washed and the floors scrubbed with solution Of |
perman2anaie oil potash or chloride Of line. IL M
well TO add tat q! the very beginning OF the medical
attendance the carpets were taken UP, curtains |
taken down, all supernuous articles of furniture and
clothing removed from tue sick room. The bed was
placed In the middle Of the room. so as to nave free
ventiiaton all around and 10 render the patient |
easy oil access on every side; and then, with bare
walls and no0rs and every article not absolutely |
indispensable to the comfort OF the sick person |
removed from the room, the struggle With disease
was mantained with every reasonable prospect OF |
relief To the patient and an almost absolute
tainty That the con'agion would extend no farther.
WIN these precautions while Bristol was IN daily, |
rapid aud almost incessant intercourse with the |
great cnolera fields OF london, Liverpool anu Rot
terdam IN 1863 Dr. Buld succeeded IN staying the
epidemic at once, although the city was lrieI on |
almost every point by cases which ha, escaped qua
ranUne, and alter the Infection had broken out In
less than twenty six kanC0