Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-07-02

teachers. Though we may not no " set up
. satisfactory standard of excellence, much
| may be done to protect the schools from
| the curse of incompetency. ~ f.a..5
To elevate the standard should be the
aim of every Superintendent. ~
| ..,,.- JOHN NJ. FLEMING, s.s-
| II, ,.-.-r-,a State Superintendent.
CHOLERA IN THE OLDEN TIME.
= - ss - TT
An Interesting Paper from one Of our
Oldest Citizens.
To the Union and American:
III these times of disease it is natural for
the mind to revert back to former epidemics
with which we have been afflicted. / be-
lieve the first, and perhaps most fatal malady
we have ever had, occurred early in the
year 1916. Nashville at that time was a
mere village. 1t was called the sepidemic,"
or scold plague' Great numbers died,
including many of our Oldest and best citi-
zens. Whole families were swept off by the
disease. or some seventeen or eighteen
carpenters employed by one firm, all fell
victims 10 the malady but three CT
four. l. prevailed in different parts
of the country. 1 recoilect a family
who resided some six or seven miles above
Nashville on the Cumberland river, were
greatly afflicted by the mal&dy. Many, II
not all of them died, and several friends
and relatives of the family who went to
their assistance, also sickened and died
there. The next epidemic was cholera,
which made lis first appearance here in the
fall Of 1882. A highly respectable old gen.
tleman died in August or September, and
his death was attributed at the time by the
physicians to cholera; but no other case oc-
curing for some time afterwards, they
| doubted the correctness of their opinion on
the subject. The first unm stakable case
occurred in November-that Of 81. Hazel
a cabinet-maker, and much respected man.
After his death, there were cases occurring,
more or less frequen. throughout the fol-
lowing winter and spring. Doctor James
Roane died in February 1893. He was
greatly respected, not only for bis high pro-
fessional ability, but for kindness Of heart
integrity of character, ard unexceptiouable
department towards bis fellow men. 1t so
happened that was one of the last to see
him before he was stricken down. On my
return from the postofice, Chen located in
Deaderick strees) sterped into Decker &
Dyer's to look at their flies of newspapers.
Aooue % O'Clock p. m. DR.. Roane came H.
There had fallen two or three inches of
snow, but was quite sloshy. His feet as
usual were lily protected from such foul
weather. In answer TO my enquiry he said
he knew ofno case Of cholera in town, but he
had just left the inn. where he had pre-
scribed for two OF three, piomoDhary symp-
toms-ordered pewter mug of beer mulled,
with which he drank and remarked that hs
felt tired, and would go home and tIy and get
good nights rest. he died of cholera next
morning. What agencJ if any, the mulled
beer exerted in fetching about the deplora-
Bile result, l know not. Towards the close
of May, and thence to the middle or latter
part of June, it ragged with great violence;
and Nashville incurred the loss of many of
her best citizens. The penitentiary had at
that time, comparatively but few conVicts;
yet the deaths there from cholera
numbered about seventy. The
most unaccoUntable freak OF
cholera during its visitation that year, oc-
CURED at Shelbyville, Tenn. Towards the
latter part Of June, or esrly..in July-after
its subsistence in Nashville, it rushed on
hat place in the night, with the rapidity
and violence Of tornado. There had been
no ppearance of disease of any kind what
ever, ard the Inhabitants of Shelbyvilie, on
Friday night retired TO r, ST in apparent
good health, but before daylight that
morning, many were dead and dying A
panic and stampede was the result, and
many died in the country, and some on the
road side, soon after fleeing from town.
Out of 3 population of 600 or 700, about
one hundred and fifteen died. The causes
that produced the sudden and
dreadful scourge on the town,
has never been, and probably never will be
satisfactorily explained. SIT Is past finding
out" If remember Alright, the town of
Hannibal on the Upper Mississippi, had
similar visitation from cholera in 1882 or
1888. There too, it came on like Clap Of
thunder Of cloUdless day, without pre-
MONETARY symptoms, or warning of any
kind; and | think attended with much
greater fatality than ShelbyVlle. The diff
ferent times cholera has visited us since is
known to most Of our citizens. Cholera
has prevailed at all seasons of the year, in
the frigid, and in tropical climes, in noun
famous and in low countries; aud the pre-
vslenCe of cholera in az city or locality is,
think, by no means proof OF tie general
bealth of such city or locality. Take
Nashville for instance. 1t has been regard
ed, and justly so, as one Of the healthiest
towns or cities in the nited States. Hav-
ing been a Genizen here for nearly
sixty years, l ought TO be able TO form
correct opinion on this SUI ject. In ordina.
ry times we don't expect more, Or but little
more disease among adults at one period of
the year than another. We have for up
wards of fifty years been singularly exempt
from bilious fever, or chiils and fevers-
diseases which malaria or impure atmos-
phere, believe, eDgender. Even On Lick
Branch and Tan ! ard Branch bilious COM
plants have been rare. Some seem to think
that the heat of Nashville is greater than
most other places. This is, | think, s mis-
taken notion. This notion seems TO
have been predicated on the idea,
that because Nashville is founded on
solid beds Of limestone, that said limestone
must cause more heat than if it rested on
clay. Are not the streets Of every city
paved with stone in scme form or other?
| have suffered more from heat both in
New York and Philadelphia than l have
ever done in Nashville. ] he elevation of
the mercury in the thermometer proved
that it was not the result of mere imsgin-
alton, when it rose to 1n4 in the shade!
Our heated term is of course of longer
duration than it is in higher ATTITUDES,
but at times the heat is more
interse-eyen in Quebec-than here.
Our temperature is moro u1iform-is
not subject to the extremes of heat and
cold that more northern latitudes are and
having, to say the least, equal health, makes
ours a more desirable country for the resi-
dence OF man. A resident of this county
died a few days ago aged 101 years, and
the papers announced but short TINS
since another citizen of this county who
died at the age of 140, if my memory
serves me right. ANONYMOUS,
NASHVILLE, June 80, 1873.
EnOXEN NM rnITNTpV