Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-07-15
KING CHOLERA.

1 DR.. Peters, of New York. Visits NASH
Willie 1n Search of Cholera Statistics
| He Says We have had AsiRttc
Cholera, and Will Probably Have Ii
Again Soon.
DR.. John @. Peters, of New. York, the
| author OF "Notes on the Origin, Nature,
Prevention and Treatment of Asiatic Ohol-
era" has been in the city for two days past,
collecting fats in relation to the first ap.
| pearance and other circumstances attend
ing The late visitation of cholera to this city.
He comes IN the interest of the Health De-
partment OF New York, and is making a
tour through all the cities where cholera
cases have been reported.
No better man could have been selected
for this important service, as DR.. Peters is
physician of thirty years extensive prac-
tice In New York, is an Office holder in five
medical societies in that city, being Presi-
dent OF one, first Vice-President of another,
Senior Censor Of third, and is a member
OF the Committee on Ethics and Admis-
sions, IN two others, an | is, besides, well
known authority on cholera and similar dis
eases.
A representative of this paper, knowing
the Interest our readers would take in the
views and opinions ola gentleman of the
doctors standing, interviewed him at the
Maxwell yesterday.
THE BIRTH PLACE OF THE DREAD DIS
EASE.
In answer to an inquiry as to the place
where cholera originates, the doctor replied
that 1t invariably makes its first appearance
in HindostaD, in the vicinity Of Bomba
and Calcutta, from whence it is distributed
all over the civilized world. Asistic cholera
never appears in this country without hav-
ing existed in Europe the year previous.
There was an abundance of it in
Europe last year, and there can
be no doubt but that it will be brought into
New York this year by ocean steamers.
From thirty to forty thousand immigrants
are being landed at Castle Garden every
month and shipped westward Immediately.
1t is possible that 1t will in this way make
its appearance out West before it does in
New York.
HOW IT REACHED NEW ORLEANS.
"What do you think of its having been
imported to New Orleans last May?" asked
the reporter.
81 am sure it wasbrought there by Ger
man steamship. 1t was also brought there
from the Baltic and Mediterranean seas,
from European ports where it prevailed
last year,"
"How do you account for the light NOR
talitJ in New Orleans, if they had true
Asiatic cholera there?n
"New Orleans is c'eaner to-day than it
has ever been before. They were expect
ing visitation of yellow fever and the city
authorities bad the city thoroughly cleaned,
and every house disinfected with a new
nd nhoaT1 nj MI ich 10 row, ,,O,,,,
lar there. As it is, they had 141 cases of
admitted cholera in that city, aud 90 cases
of what they called cholera morbus-a por-
ton of which | am sure were cholera.
In New Yolk, cholera mOrbus does not kill
in from seven to twelve hours, and the best
physicians l have questioned in the
West ard South, say it does not
kill In that length of lime in their localities.
consider 1t really misfortune for the
country at large, that New Orleans was so
well prepared for the advent of cholera this
year, as when the disease did appear, it did
not assume the proportions that they
thought Asiatic cholera would assume.
There was no quarantine at New Orleans
until the 10Th OF June.
COMING AGAIN,
"You think that the cho'era will be dis
tributed throughout the West and South
later in The year by means of the immi-
grants landing in New York;"
eyes, sir. We DO not fear cholera there
much, because the class Of people who
bring it from Europe do not stop there.
There can be no doubt but that their bag
gage and clothing vii. be subjected to
more rigid examination than ever before,
and all means taken to guard against the
disease"
VEGETABLES, BUTTERAuLK, ETC.
"What Go you think about eating veg;ta-
bles where cholera prevals?"
at is perfectly safe 10 eat vegetables at
all times, provided they are sound. Asiatic
cholera is just as true and specific disease
as smallpox, and while nth and imprudence
will intensity it, no amount of filth or i'm
prudence will cause it. If you have the
poison Of cholera in your system, bad rum,
bad meats, bad vegetables, bad fruits, bad
diet, bad water-bad water ten to one
against all bad vegetables and everything of
that kind-will intensity it. l believe that
if Asiatc cholera had not been brought to
Nashville, this season would not have been
an unusually unhealthy one here.
WILSON'S SPRING.
"Since coming to Nashville you have
been told of Wilson'S Spring, of course ?"
eyes, visited that locality to-day. If
the rice water discharges which come from
the stomach aud bowels of persons attack
ed by cholera, should have GOT into tt ose
springs, it would have produced 3 fearful
outbreak of cholera. As it was the water
was very esltny, and those who used
it, were worse of than those who used bad
vegetables, fruits, etc"
LOUISVILLE.
alt is rather strange that Louisville |
should have had so few cases Of cholera,
when we had so many here and while it |
prevails at Cincinnati as it does"
Not at all; Louisville is very clean city, |
with wide, well paved streets and alleys. |
1t has sandy soil reaching down some |
distance, and underneath this bed of |
gravel some twenty-five feet deep, and by |
this means the fifth and foul water is absorb |
cd st once, sinking far below the surface"
POSSIBILITIES AND PROBABILITIES.
The doctor recited the following circum-
stances attending the first appearance of |
cholera in Nashville, and said be considered
{ hem as being of great weight in determin-
ing how the disease was brought here;
l. In May last, some negroes came up
denly in Memphis, and the rest came to
Nashville, since which time theic where
abouts cannot be traced.
5. Some Germans, direct from New Or
leans, came TO this city and died about the
time the disease first appeared here.
4. | have heard of the cholera having
been brought by passengers on steamboats,.
Indeed, there are scores of ways in which
it could have been brought here, and by
some of which it surely did get here.
2. There were lot of conVlcts work.
ing on the railroad twenty-One miles this
side OF Memphis. The cholera made its
appearance amongst them, killing some of
them, and the camp was then broken up
and the c5nVicts were brought to Nashville
and returned to the penitenti'ry, from
whence a few we've soon after discharged
and came down into the CITY,"
The doctor stated that the opinions
he holds regarding cholera, are those which
have been reached after long years Of iuves-
LEGATION and study, by such eminent physi-