The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-08-06
THE TERRIBLE TYpHUs.
Sickening Rayages Of the Fever
Among the Russians Around
COnstantInOple. san

COnstantIn0pie. saI
A correspondent OF the London Daily
Nars writes from Constantinople: Turn.
Ing from the Turks to the Russians, the
most important fact TO be noted is the
fearful havoc which dlsease is making
among them. Throughout the empire
the death list is and has been terrible du.
ring the last month. Out OF thirty.three
doctors in Asia Minor DR.. Ryan informed
me that no less than twenty two had died.
Probably half Of those who have been In
the country have been down with fever.
Everywhere 10 and around Constsntin.
opIe death has been busy. A short time
ago DR.. Master Of the Compassionate
Fund, was carried of by typhus. No
statistics OF the slightest valne are kept
Of the number Of deaths among the pop
ulation Of the capital, or possibly Europe
might be appalled, At our death rate. In
the Turkish army, too, there are many
fatal cases Of typhus and typhoid, II i.
unnecessary to remind your readers oil
the loss which they have sustained from
typhus, or rather from combination Of
typhus and typhoid. In the opinion oil
Dr.. Patterson, the superintendent Of the
British hospital 10 Constantinople, and
whose wa,chful ears helped 10 sooth bis
last hours, poor MscGahan died oil com.
biuation Of these diseases. His system,
like that OF many thousands OF Russian
soldiers who like him had spent months
in the malarious plains Of the Danube
and Of Bulgaria, aud had become satura'
ted with the malaria, and fell u too easy
prey to the terrible disease which attacked
him, All the many friends whom he had
made here-aud none who knew him
could help being his iriend-recall after
bis death that be was never himself since
be arrived In Constantinople alter his
Journey over the Balkans. In like man
ner thousands among the Russians have
died 10 and around San Stetano and the
lines. Gen. skobeloff a few days ago de.
scribed his station 10 me as rapidly be-
coming 4 graveyard, and all that l can
learn from those who have visited the
Russian lines during the past few days
confirms what I have myself seen, Bad
as things are In Constantinople and In the
Turkish lines, they are still worse among
the Russians. The Stamboul as.
serts, on the strength OF official docu.
ments. that there are not less than thirty
ave thousand sick Russians In Roumelia.
No doubt the heat that We are now ex.
perienciug has much TO do with the great
sickness and mortality which prevail.
But other causes are not far 10 seek.
The Turkish soldier Is by religion an ab.
stainer from alcohol. and total abstention
Ia certainly better than the drinking Of
the wretced New England rum, which is
the liauor the Russians have to fall back
upon. The great cause Of disease among
them 10 undoubtedly their bad sanitary
arrangements. The Russian army Is bet.
ter differed and batter fed than the Tur.
ki.h, but the sanitary arrangements are
far inferior. The Moslem, who has the
habits OF an Asiatio, In whom certain
habits OF uncleanliness invariably pro-
duce disease takes precautions which
northern nations, and especially Russians,
are too apt to neglect. But the Russians
omit the simplest sanitary arrangements.
The stencil 10 and about San Stefano Ia
something indescribAble, and along the
Russian linea. rulings are not much bet
ter, the disiniecting power Of dry earth
seems absolutely unknown. Not TO speak
on more disagreeable topics, which OBJ
trude themselves all along the Russian
lines there are at Hademkeui great heaps
Of ro,,ins bread. At ChAtalj there 10 4
large quantity Of rejected -four In bags;
rejected because the -four was Of bad
quality when delivered, and has been
mixed with various foreign substances
including lime. Large quantities Of these
rejected provisions, as we'll as oil damaged
provisions, are TO be found Of every STA
lion 10 state Of ferment, and giving ey-
idence OF their presence at 4 great dis
lance. Given rotten provisions, no sAni.
tAry arrangements Of the most needlu
sorLa AAt,undrained country, great heat,
an army exhausted by hard marching
coarse food, exposure 10 malarious dis
trictS, and not given to habits Of person
al cleanliness, and the wonder would b.
that disease should not be widely prev
alent. .l