The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-08-02
THE CHOLERA.
4 History of its Epidemics.

severe, within the last fifty years
Mecca. upon the occurrence of an
outbreak, ordinarily takes precedent
among the gravely suspected sources
of disease. During the whole of last
summer cholera prevailed to an I'M
usual extent in Japan. There was
also about the same time very de-
structive epidemic raging in the Sou.
lou and Philippine Archipelagoes.
For the last hundred years or more
cholera has been treated as an ''insti-
tuition" of India, and the morality
bills are on large scale. The last
notable outbreak in India was
amongst an assembIage of pilgrims at
Allahabad, in January last year. The
first historical epidemic, so far as
Europe is concerned, commenced to-
wards the close of 1929. Cholera then
reappeared in Persia, and, gaining a
foothold in the Caucasian provinces
bordering upon the Caspian, it enter
ed Russia in Europe. The capitals,
old and new, and other parts of the
great empire came under the scourge.
Grave alarm spread over Europe,
where the dread disease had put it
self in evidence for the first time. 1t
passed from Russia to Austria, Hug
gary and Germany, the victims in
the latter country alone numbering
more than 100000. Upon the 26th of
October, 1881, it was brought in ship
from Germany to Sunderland on
February 9th, 1882, it appeared in
Edinburgh, and on February 18th in
Rotherhithe and Limehouse, and
on March 18th it was re-
ported from Dublin, and during
the year it prevailed extensively
throughout almost the entire king
dom. The exact numbers are un-
known, as there was then no regis
tration of deaths, but the deaths of
52,547 persons were reported through
various sources to the board of
health. France, Spain and Italy after
wards got their turn. Between
March and August II 900 people died
of the disease in Paris, where, as in
Hungary, the people, being suspicious
of occult poisoning, were excited to
madness and murder" From France
the cholera crossed the Atlantic, and
spread through Forth and Central
America, From Germany it had pre-
viously Travelled into Turkey. A lit
tie while afterwards it presented it.
self in Arabia, Egypt and the Nile
district, and it was general through
out North Africa in 1875. In 184l Il
great epidemic broke out in India and
China, and, developing upon the lines
of the former epidemic, it reached
Europe in 1847, and, passing over
the continent, Travelled to America
and the West Indies, there being
10000 cases in Jamaica in 1850. 1t
was in October, 1913. that the first
cases became known in England. On
June 3. 1849, the deaths in Paris num-
bered 119. On June IL the board OF
health in England reported that since
the latter end of March the disease
had broken out in twelve different
parts of the metropolis. in twenty
seven towns in England and Wales,
and seventeen towns in Scotland. Up
to this time there had been in this
country about 1000 deaths out of To-
600 attacks. During the week ending
September Is the deaths in London
were 1888, the ordinary average then
being 1908. BY order of the queen the
following day, Sunday, prayers were
offered up in all the churches for the
removal of the scourge. The number
of deaths from cholera from June II
to October 2, in London alone, was
1851. The sickness disappeared in
the middle Ct October. Out of pop
ulation of 17,564,656 in this country
SO 1913 died of cholera and 1887 of
diarrhea.
England has had experience of
four epidemics of Asiatic cholera.
The two remaining outbreaks of
which we have to speak were much
milder in character than those already
described. On September 4, 1858, the
disorder again broke out with great
severity in Newcastle and North
Shields, and other adjoining towns
suffered greatly. In July, 1854, it
again made itself felt over the whole
of the metropolis. The epidemic
reached its height in the second
week of September. almost on the
same day that the epidemic in 1S49
occasionetl the highest mortality.
| Indeed, as DR.. Sutherland reported to
the general board of health, there was
Il remarkable similarity throughout
in the progress and development of
both epidemics. In the week ending
September 9 there were 2050 deaths
from cholera in London. The cpl
demic reached it's maximum in nine
weeks, but the mortality did not
fall to that of the first week
until thirteen weeks after the maxi
mum period. From the 1st of July to
the 10th of December the total NOR
tally from cholera in London was
1865. and from diarrh9a 26O1, while
fIom typhus it was 1347. On the
north side of the Thames there was
one death to 1853 inhabitants; on the
south side the proportion was one to
every 108. During the autumn the
terrible disease spread in many parts
of the kingdom, and in some cases the
epidemic was severely felt. 1t was in
September of this year that Lord Pal
merston issued his famous rebuke to
the presbytery of Edinburgh, which
had suggested national fast. when
man has done his utmost for his own
safety" said the home secretary,
"then is the time to invoke the bless
ing of heaven to give effect to his eX
ertions." In July, 1854, the alarmin :
intelligence reached England that the
cholera had appeared among our
troops in the Crimea. Regiments were
reduced to 300 or 400 sickly men. 1t
took the Guards two marches to get
over the ten miles of ground lying
between Alladyn and Verna. During
an expedition to KoStendji nearly 400
Frenchmen were swept away. Ror
two years the epidemic prevailed ex-
tensively on the continent, ten thou
sand persons dying at Naples, and it
also spread with great virulence over
North and South America. Ten years
elapsed before the awful scourge
again visited Europe. From June to
July, 1865, it had ragged at Alexan-
dria, and in August it was causing
deaths at the rate of 1000 day in
Constantinople. The deaths at Con-
stantinople had reached nearly $4,000,
when the great fire on September 8,
which destroyed 1900 houses, besides
mosques and other public build
ings, pretty summarily closed the Ca
reer OF the epidemic. At this time,
also, it was found in Russia,
Italy, Spain, and France, and
Austria lost 1000 lives. In April,
1855, the cholera reached England,
via Bristol and Liverpool, but the
number of deaths, it was great salts
faction to those persons who had
been interesting themselves, between
epidemics, in the promotion of sani-
tary reform, to know, did not ma
terially affect the returns of mortality
in the whole kingdom for the year,
In the London district, how
ever, 597Sipersons died of cholera, and
and 1897 of diarrhea, principally in
the East-end. In describing the "cat-
| astrOnhn in which A500 DariShad in