Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-09-14
THE EPIDEMIC.

the weather IS sure to DRIFT towards
the all-engrossing topic before five
minutes are expired. The news
papers are full of politics, foreign
news, art, literature, personal news
are all treated of as matters of form
in the briefest manner, and crowded
into a corner, while the death track
of the fell destroyer spreads itself
over a broad half of the columns. /
1t is as well. Where people find it
impossible to withdraw their minds
from the subject it is better for them |
to say what they have to say than
to brood over it in silence, and we
believe it better in ourselves to give |
a little friendly counsel to our
readers, and a little cheering en-
couragement, than to steer clear of |
the subject as if it was too awful to |
contemplate. Looked steadily in
the face all dangers become less ter
rifying than when they are contem-
plated in the spirit of helpless, alb
ject fear. To come then to the one
question that is in the minds of
every GAINESVILLE citizen at this time,
SHALL WE HAVE IT AT CLARKs-
VILE?
We will deal in perfect frankness
with our readers and admit that the
disease hasso completely overleaped
all former limits this year that it
would be rash to say of any particu-
lar place that it cannot be visited
by this epidemic but, even if the
alarm lately existing at Erin were
with certainty based on fact, we
have the cheering remembrance
that, when cholera was raging in
that town, and at Louisville and
Nashville as well, this happy COM
munity escaped, showing clearly
that the local conditions here are
adverse to the propagation of cpl
demic influences. There is nothing
more certain than that what affords
a fertile soil for one epidemic is also
favorable to the spread Of others.
Typhus, cholera, diphtheria, yellow
fever all flourish in the same soil.
The last of these requires generally
a higher temperature than the
others, but, in all other respects,
they all revel in the same soil; so
that exemption from cholera, in
which temperature is no cOnsidera-
ton, is good ground for hoping that
exemption from yellow fever, where
it is, will follow, now that the
weather is cooling.
CAN IT BE AVERTED?
Much can be done to avert it, and
to mitigate its horrors if not. We
endeavored to show in an article
last week that the local conditions
at ali the places disastrOusly visited
were, so far as we were acquainted
with them, terribly in favor of the
rapid spread of infection. All the
local circumstances of this place are
in direct contrast to these, and the
city authorities are exciting them
selves most creditably to remove
any remediable fOmenta of disease.
In this respect the Board of Mayor
and Aldermen have acted most
creditably. They have constituted
three of their Board a Sanitary
Committee, investing them with all
authority possessed by themselves
to act in matters affecting the sani-
tary condition of the city. These
have associated with themselves
four of the physicians of the city,
Drs. McReynOlds, Bailey, Herring
and Wright, and act regularly I'M
der their guidance, employing the
whole police force in carrying out
their directions. AS result of all
this we believe the city to be in q
better sanitary condition than ever
before. All arrangements are made
for cleansing the city and for every
other method of providing against
infection that human care can de-
wise, and if individuals will carry
out this process by infinitely regard
ing the cleanliness of theiU homes,
we shall have reduced to mini
nl,m the probability of any diminu-
ton of the present excellent health
of the city.
IF THE DISEASE SHOULD COME, Is
THERE ANY PREVENTATIVE?
Yes; but don't go about with bags
of camphor and assafetida hung
round your neck. The preventative
is in the sedulous care of the sick.
Keep them clean and their rooms
we'll ventilated, without making
them either too hot or too cold ; re-
more iaStdRtdReOuSly and bury all
O6eRSire SecretiORS; change frequent
" the clothing and bedding, and
unless the skin is quite cold, as it is
in some stages, sponge it frequently
with luke-warm water. These OBJ
viOus attentions to the sick will
largely increase his chances of re-
covery and do more to prevent the
extension of infection to those who
are we'll than any disinfectants, the
efficacy of all Of which is limited.
Plenty of soap and hot water is the
best of all disinfectants when judi
ciously applied.
ONE MORE PREVENTATIVE;
a quiet spirit. Cultivate cOmposure
of mind and don't yield to panics
and abject terror. Everything which
produces depression of the nerve
favors the invasion of epidemics,
and there is no depressing agent so
powerful as fear. All you will say,