Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-08-09
CAUSE AND COURSE OF CHOL.
ERA.
Special Effects of Improper Diet, Inn.
pure Water, Over-CrOwded Sleeping
Rooms, and Fear

Rooms, and Fear.
From the New York Graphic, July "A.
DIR. j. G. Peters, honorary member of the
Board of Health, who has Just returned
from the South and West, whittier he went
to investigate the nature of the eholeraic
disease which has been prevailing in those
sections of the country from New Orleans
to st. Louis, Cincinnati, and above, was
visited by tho writer yesterday. The Doc
tor objected to being interviewed, but gave
many new and interesting statements con-
corning the origin, progress, and trea .ment
OF cholera, and the result of his inyestiga-
tons. The following is the substance Of The
conversation:
'sDoctor, is there any doubt as to the ma
tUre OF the disease now raging South and
West?"
"There is no doubt about it, whatever.
1t is Asistic cholera, without shadow of
error or mistake. In short, scarcely any
disease more virulent and fatal can be con-
ceived."
"Do you think the better classes are
less likely to be attacked than poorer per-
sons?"
sin the course of my Investigation, l
found that where the better classes were
attacked they had been in absolute contact
with the disease, or had it brought into
their houses by the relatives and visitors of
their servants. Where three or four, or
more persons were crowded into q small
room, no matter where, the first case will
almost surely be followed by others. La
large, airy, and cleanly apartments, and
among cleanly people, the disease is gener-
ally confined to one case"
"What is your opinion of DIR. Bell's
theory, that choleraic poison is confined to
the lower portion of dwellings, Easements
where there is little or no sunshine, and
DOS not extend o. effect parsons in the
upper stories ."
SIT is undoubtedly an error; in fact, his
whole theory of cholera being superinduced
or springipg from miasmS is erroneous.
Persons living in the upper parts Of houses
are as likely to be attacked as those on the
first floor. Should they partake of water
impregnated with choleraic virus, they
would be speedily attacked, and die like
flies"
EFFECT OF IMPROPER DIET AND FEAR
"How VIII improper food affect persons
during cholera season."
'1mproper diet renders the attack m re
fatal, but does not cause cholera. My be-
lief is that cholera is specific poison, pecu-
cUliar and distinct from all other poisons."
"Has fear much to DO with increasing the
disesse, Doctor"
aFear of cholera may produce profuse
diarrhpa and exhaustion, and may XII the
person who has the virus in his system
more quickly, bus cannot produce cholera.
The idea of fear causing cholera, as q gen.
o-aI fbiY,o, fc r1-1raiu all
that wealthy lady of \ ashvile was reputed
TO have died of fright, but subsequently
learned that her servants had introduced the
disease into the house,"
"lsn't lime-water exceedingly injurious?"
"Oh, yes; lime water will intensity az at
tick of cholera, because the rice-water dis.
charges are always alkaline in character.
Rain-water. cistern-water, or freestone-
water are less injurious, unless contaminated
with choleraic discharges or other organic
impurities. The use Of thoroughly boiled
water is the safest water BEVERAGE"
"Whare are the limestone regiocs?"
''In the Ohio Valley, Tennessee and Ken
tucky; in fact, they are too widely spread to
detail.o
DIR. BELLS THEORY.
DR.. Peters had lengthy interview with
the venerable DR.. T. S. Bell, who has seen
every class of cholera and visited every
house in which the disease has occurred
since 1882. Singularly enough, the neigh
borhood of Louisville aboundS in m,laria,
and cholera rarely or never occurs there.
DR.. Bell has selected malaria as the princi-
pal localizing sg9nt aud absolutely creating
force of cholera-a force which be regards
as more potent than that of the importation
of persons and clothing affected with chol-
era virus. The views of DR.. Bell are al
most universally adopted, and have exerI ed,
in the opinion of many, most pernicious
and blinfpg influence on the medical pro-
fession of the West and South.
INFECTION FROM NASHVILLE.
In advancing towards Nashville most all
the smaller towns furnish distinct evidence
of the importation Of cholera from that
city. Many of the first cases occurred in
small hotels among the fugitives from Nash
vile. Landlords and others have died, and
inmates fleeing to other parts have often
carried the cholera virus with them. In
these places, also, DR.. Peters found that the
influence of drinking water contaminated
with cholera dischaIg ges began to show it
self in the shape of sudden, fatal, and ex-
tensive outbreaks. The upper and cleanler |
portions Of the town of Bowling Green and |
other places supplied with good drinking |
water, were free from disease, while the in |
habitants who lived along the banks of |
small and filthy streams, over which |
prlvies were built, aud into which filth
and all unmentionable things were
thrown, so that they were
common drains a7d sewers of the town,
died IN great numbers from the use of water
taken from springs only few feet distant
from that streams. In Nashville all these
influences were still more apparent. Al.
though the contents of Trimble's Sp-ing and
Browns Creek and about one-twentiebh of
The sewerage and drainage of the city is
9mptied into tie Cumberland river above
,he water works, yet such is the rapidity
and volume of the river that no general
water poisoning occurred In the city. But
1t Trimble's spring and along Browns
creek, at Wilson's spring and creek, at
Judges spring, and along Lick Run, which
we're in the same condition as hose de-
cribed at Bowling Green, the wretched
died by hundreds, and the prin-
ipal motality of Nashville has been Con-
ined to them. The same condition of
hings prevailed at Mu-freesboro.