Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-07-30
CHOLERA.
A Government Report on the
Disease.

Results Of Surgeon MeCIeIIaa's In.
vestIgatIOns-The Preventive Meas.
ures recommended = Quarantine
First and Cleanliness Next.
Washington Correspondence Of the New York
Tribune.
The cholera epidemic which prevailed
in some parts Of the United States in
1873, and which nearly depopulated'
many towns in,the Mississippi Valley,
| caused so much alarm that Congress at
its next session passed a Joint resolu-
ton directing the Secretary of War to
/ detail a medical officer of the army to
visit the towns In which cholera had
prevailed, to collect as far as possible
ali facts of importance in regard to the
| epidemic, and to make a detailed report
| 20 the President. For this important
| duty Surgeon Ely Mcclellan, U. S. a,
was selected, and his report, completed
last winter, is now passing through the
| press at the government printing Office
/ and will soon be ready for distribution.
Dr. Mcclellan has divided his work,
which is probably the most exhaustive
on the subject ever published in this
country, IL two parasitic first CON-
/ prising a complete history of the cpl
demic IN the United States IN 1873,
with chapters on its etiology and pre-
vention; and the second containing a
! history 0f the travels of Asiatic chOl-
era both IN the old and IN the new
world. An appendix Of more than two
1 hundred pages has been added, contain
/ ing a list of books and articles relating
TO cholera, carefully prepared by Dir.
| John 5. Billings, Assistant Surgeon,
| United States Army, which will be
| found Of especial value to all medical
men who wish to carry their investiga-
tons on the subject more into detail
than DR.. McClellan's report goes.
After giving a clinical history Of the
epidemic Of 1873, DR.. Mcclellan, in his
chapter on its etiology, lays down seven
propositions as the result Of this part
Of his Investigations, and each Of them
is supported by several pages Of argu-
ment and Illustration. These PROPOSE
tons are as follows:
l. That Asiatic cholera is an infec-
tiOus disease resulting from an organic
poison, which, gaining entrance into
the aImentary canal, acts primarily
upon and destroys the intestinal cpl
thelium.
, That the active agents IN the dis
tribution Of the cholera poison are the
OBJECTIONS Of persons suffering from
the disease IN any Of its stages. That
IN these objections there exists an or
ganic matter, which, at a certain stage !
Of decomposition, IS capable Of repro
duCing the disease IN the human organ |
ism to which It has gained access.
). That ChOleTa-deJecta coming IN |
contact with and drying upon any OBJ |
jects, such as articles of clothing, bed |
ding and furniture, will retain in
definitely their pCwer of infection. |
That in tins manner a sure transmits |
siblllty Of the cholera infection is ef- |
feoted, and that a distinct outbreak Of |
the disease may occur by such means
at great distances from the seat Of |
original infection.
f. That the specific poison which |
produces the disease known as cholera |
originates alone IN India, and that by |
virtue Of It's transmissibIlty through |
the persons of infec. ed individuals or |
IN the meshes Of infected fabrics the |
disease IS carried into all quarters Of |
the world. That cholera has never yet |
appeared IN the Western hemisphere |
until after its route Of pestilential |
march has been begun In the Eastern |
world, and that its epidemic appear |
ance upon the North American CONT |
nent has invariably been preceded by |
the arrival Of vessels infected with |
cholera-sick, or laden with emigrants |
and their property from infected dis
tricts.
5. That the respiratory and digestive |
organs are the avenues through which |
individual infection is accomplished; |
that through the atmosphere of infect |
ed localities, cholera is frequently com
municated to individuals; that water |
may become contaminated with the |
specific poison Of cholera from the at !
mosphere, from surIace-washings from |
neglected sewers, cess-p pools, or priVIcs, |
and that the use of water 50 infected |
will induce an outbreak of the disease. |
6. That the virulence of a cholera |
demonstration, the cOntagiOn having |
been introduced into a community, IS |
Influenced by the hygienic condition Of |
the population, and not by any geolOgi- |
cal formation upon which they may |
reside
?. That one attack of cholera i'm |
parts to the individual no immunity |
from the disease 1.-THE future, but that |
the contrary seems to be established.
In his chapter on "The Prevention |
Of Cholera as illustrated by the Cbol- |
era Epidemicsof 1873" Dr. Mcclellan |
places the greatest stress on rigorous |
quarantine He says that sit has |
been clearly demonstrated that the City |
Of New York was in the year 1873 |
secured from four distinct importatlons |
Of epidemic cholera by the rigorous |
quarantine Of observation, which, |
under the superintendence of Health |
Officer Vanderpoel, has more nearly |
approached perfection than any other |
similar institution which the United |
States has known" In these instances !
searching investigation was made into |
the history Of each case; each patient |
was isolated and disinfectants were iu- |
diciously employed. But q quarantine
to be effective must be equally enforced
in every port of entry, otherwise,
while New York is effectualy closed |
10 the introduction Of the visible
/ disease the poison may enter at
other places and spread all over the
! country. The danger from infected
fabrics is equally great with that from
| infected individuals. The goods of en-
! igrants from infected districts. packed
at home and not opened until the emf
| grant reaches his new home in the
West, may transmit the poison and
! cause a distinct outbreak of the dis.
ease when it failed to make its appeal
snce on shipb0ard So, IN 1873, al
| .l----.h thn r-islLL- aisansn We MT