The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1873-07-20
CHOLERA.

CHOLERA.
The Advantages Of Cistsra Water as"
Preventive.
To the Edlicrof The Dallas Herald
S,R-.In view Of the fact that Asiatic
cholera, that most appalling of all dis
eases, Is at present spreading rapidly
throughout the United States, aud the
fact that Dallas and similar railroad
towns will soon have three approaches
by rail, thereby rcnderlnghcr themorc
liable, II being now admitted by oil
that cholera follows the line of travel, !
have for sometime thought II a duty !
owed the community IN which ] live,
to give them the benefit Of my conclu-
slons, based not upon theory, hut close
study and practical experience, extend
ing over u period of twcniy-iour years.
have been present and In the midst
ofevcry epidemic Of this disease, that
has visited the United States, having
lost, my, father with II in 1883. Again,
when a medical student In 81. Louis,
during the year 1910 encountered II,
and yet again In DccembcrlS5O when
embarked on board the Steamship
Mexico, at New Orleans, bound for
Galveston, Texas.
We had scarcely passed the Balizc,
with four hundred passengers aboard,
when II was announced that cholera
had broken ont among the deck pas
scngers German emlgrants, to the
number Of over two hundred. Il was
requested by Captain Place, command
ing, and DR.. LcwisJones, now of Gal
weston, Commodore stockton, and
General Todd, United States boundary
Commissioner, to take charge as med
ical officer, assuring methat my wishes
should be implicitly obcyed. wewere
out forty-eight hours, aud lost one cab
In and seventeen deck passengers, aud
landed In Galveston with tho disease
In full blast. The passengers going on
shore, at once commenced the use Of
cistern water, and the disease suddenly
stopped. Each vessel that had preced-
ed us had brought to Galveston more
or less cholera, and they so continued
as long as the disease remained in
New Orleans; and YET it did not spread,
nor has there ever been mn epidemic OF
cholera In New Orleans.
Twas told by Drs. Smith and Hol-
land, together with other physicians
with whom | was thrown In treating
the convalescents from the steamships,
that there had never been an epidemic
Of cholera on the island. asked them
now they accounted for IT. They re-
piled, "Why, sir, the salubrlty of our
climate!' As they were old and learned
physicians, took their statement as
oracular,. and thought no farther on
the subject.
l afterwards settled in Indianola,
and here again, IN 1859, Twas called to
treat cholera. A negro man, my own
servant, was the first to contract the
disease, on board a schooner at ancho,
off the town. He came on shore and
died in sixteen hours. During the sue.
ceedlng thirty daysI lost sixty-four pa.
tients in my own practice. Here |,
was, for the first time, that my atten,
ton was, by Major John Henry Brown
called.to the fact that the use Of cister,
water was a preventive to cholera
Therewere but few cisterns in the town
most Of them wooden, and in fact j
think Major Brown owned the onl,
underground ciatern In the place; We
not one family This own included, VIII,
used 'cistern water exclusively con
tracted the disease, though the tow,
was more than declmated. As to tn,
circumstances which led Major Brow,