Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-07-03
CHOLERA PHENOmKNA.


| - CHOLERA PHBNOMENA. --
The psstilence has sufficiently absted in
thiEcity to encourage the calm study'of its
most prominent features. A correspondent
whose communication appears in this parer
OF the I'd instant over The signature of
Synonymous, states that in the summer of
1893, Shelbyville with population of6OO
or 100, lost in Short time 1l5 bs cholera.
His words are: "On Friday night the in
habtapls retired to, rest in, apparent good
health, but before daylight many were dead
audsdying r. .'Tletown of Hannibal, on
the Mississippi, had similar visitation"
| II there have been no Instances quite SO
sudden and appalling this year, the expert
encea 81 GieeheSiIle and other places, dis
tinguished tor general healthfulness, proves
that cholera poison differs from all other
diseases and inalaris, IN its essential phenc-
meta. Its manifestations In this State cam
not be explained BY any chemical. action,
Its primary germs have life, k7 those of
rust and mildew, bigh. on grapes, and are
mainly carried from place to pace in the
bodies ofafected persons, often without
their knowing that any
seed of cholera is near them.
There Is abundant proof Of its being car
red across the Atlantic, and from place to
place, on land, in the clothing and soiled
bedding Of persons who have died of chol-
era, or had the disease aud recovered. Dry
i,i1g the germs do not kill them, no more
than dying seed corn and wheat destroys
the vitality Of these seeds. Where all the
conditions. are. favorable, rust on wheat
mnltipties its germs or spofnlles With
amazing rapi0ity. In Nashville, Shell
byville and other places, cholera germs
have shown a similar fecundity. They
are now spreading in the country.
So soon as some of the essential conditions
Gail, the cholera abates as suddenly as it be-
gan. In 1877, when the cholera first at
tracted much attention in India, the Mar
quis of Hastings was moving slowly with an |
army through the low, unhealthy district of
Bundeicund. ga reign ofterror followed its |
appearance, and the army became temper |
arily demoralizeG. The epidemic lasted
only eight days, but during that time one
thousand seven hundred and sixty-four sol |
liers, and eight thousand native followers
died. The sudden subsistence of
the malady allowed the progress of
the army, and its health became
rapidly re established" Here was an at
tack as sudden as one might suppose from
millions of locusts, rising ont of the ground
in locust district, whose ravages in propa-
eating their species lasted eight days, and
ended their race. All the phenomena are
uitdI-there is nothing chemical in the ma
ture Of . new cause. Cholera dust, like
thai of ripe, dry puff-6all, mingles readily
and largely with common dust in
dry seasons in Hindostan, on
the camping ground Of pilgrims.
According to Macpherson, pilgrims strew
the road to Juggernau with their bones,
and thickIy seed tie soil, whether wet or
dry, with the germs Of cholera. In treat
ing of the redistribution Of cholera DIR.
Peters mskes the following statement: DIN
1854, one wing of cavsry regiment just
arrived from England in high health, as
cended the Ganges in boats; at certain
period of the voyage it arrived at part of
the country where the cholera prevailed in
the villages on the banks of the river, but
with which they did not communicate.
Them cases of the disease occurred in
the boats, aud the men were ad-
Vised to push on rapidly.
In a. few days after, when they had past
the limits of the existence of the disease on
the banks, it ceased 10 show itself among
tll . troops. The other wing Of the reg-
u, cent followed some time Afterwards, by the
same mode of conveyance; became affected
with cholera at The same place, and lost it
again at the same point" Cholera dust in
the air, and inhaled into the lungs produced
the disease above named, or cholera germs
in river water drank by soldiers in che in
fec, ed district. To our mind the case is
clear that chemical action did rot produce
the malady.
Satisfied that this Asia c plsgue has a
vital origin, and no Other, it is important to
learn how long the life in cho!era germs
viii live in dry state, like life 10 dry gar
den seeds. Some seeds refuse to terminate
il ,ir ed; our common chestnut is seed of
hat character. But as vitality in the re-
PROD uctive cells Of most cellular plants is
not e.esiIy destroyed, although easily sus-
pended and made dormant, We infer thai
his ger eral law applies to cholera blight.
With a full supply of cholera seed, fresh and
genuine, on the Cumberland in 1888, wesee
10 necessity, Gas DR.. Peters does)of going 10
pilgrim ca mps on the banks of the Ganges
or any new or better seed. The better
opinion is that in forty years, OF from 1888
o 1873, this Asiatlc plague has become full
Y acclimated on this confident. During
he Rev dictionary war Hessan troops in the
British service brought from their homes
n Europe in wheat straw the pupe Of
small fly, called in Germany cecydomiQ de-
'tructOr, and "Hessian fly" in this country.
This pest now covers the continent where
wheat is raised with no new Importation.
N bringing horses from Europe, man brings
he grubs Of BOTTLES in them; and
hsse insects trouble horses not less in
be New than in the Old World. In the
'SHpg way, all the parasites that attach
themselves to man in ary way to his in
ury, srS lab ~ be brought o this con-
inent, either by the Chinese on the West
n by Europesns On the East. Immunity
5 not to be- expected, with hundreds of
thousands passing over sill nations by steam
u a few months, xad everywhere scattering
,rosdcRst the living germs of pestilence.
steam transportation on land and water
,alls for progress in the application of
cience TO the publication of cities, and the