The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-07-10
views Of surgeon-tseneraI Hamilton.

Washington Special
Surgeon General Hamilton said he kept close watch
of the progress of the epidemic and the Treasury De
partment taking the most rigid measures to pro-
tect this country from infection Not only were the
quarantine officers douby careful but Secretary Fol
ger had issued order to all customs officers instruct
ing them to require evidence that none of the baggage
of immigrants returning travellers had been shipped
from passed through the infected districts since the
Goth of June last.
do you think the cholera will come hereq"
Not this year, at any rate, and perhaps not in an
epidemic form at any time The health officers on
the alert and viii discover they not prevent the
arrival Of infected immigrants and clothing: United
State consus have been instructed by the State Depart
ment to notify it of the departure of people the ship
ment Of goods from the infected districts and they
do theif duty shall be able to stamp it out soon
it appears Cholera is the hardest disease to quar-
antine against, as thegerms come in the ost unsus
pected FORMS and it may appear at any time there
FORE to prevent an epidemic the most ESSENTIAL thing
is keep the cities clean so that it can get no foot
hold The greatest danger lies not in the inporta-
ton of the germs of cholera but in the failure to
establish and maintain such sanitary conditions as
will make iteasy to stamp it out.
"How did the cholera start in 1973?"
ut was brought from Norway by some immigrants,
and made its first appearance in Minnesota, which
was their destination The germs came in their bag
gage and every person VINO vas present when thar
opened at New York, they passed through that
city, there might have been terrible epidemic; but
in the country, where there plenty of fresh air
and natural conditions of cleanliness, it not
bad
Have yon been watching the present epidemicq"
YES 1t is the same that swept Egypt last
and carried off so many people there 1t has
crept along the Mediterranean until it found the
dtons favorable in Toulon and broke out iercely
there. Toulon is city of, perhaps, 100, 600 men,
many of whom are sailors, and from their habits are
naturally subject to disease of an infectious nature
Marsees is city similar to Toulon, only very much
larger and IN very bad sanitary condition, just pre-
pared for such plague"
Where did the cholera start?"
ut is question whether it was brought from China
by the French came from Egypt, but my own
opinion is that it from Egypt because there
cholera at Tonqun when the French there. 1t
may have come to Egypt from Calcutta where the
disease prevails the year round or from Mecca which
is distributing point for infectious diseases. The
natives in India use tanks for drinking water, and
they never clean them they become very foul. DIR.
KOCH the great cholera expert has discovered that
cholera germs originate in these tanks and epidemcs
usually find their birthplace there The holy city of
Mecca said, is the great distributing point for
cholera-a sort of clearing house for such diseases
Hundreds Of thousands of pilgrims constantly
irving there from all parts OF the East and constant
point bringing plaques with them and carrying them
away
sourcea"
mo, almost every outbreak can be traced along the
routes which these people travel and the cholera is
spreadby these agencies Itnever goes faster than
travel and has appeared at places where travel
ers do not CO. In later years it has spread more rap
idly because means of travel are more rapid.
How long does it require for cholera spread
the world?'
THAT depends upon circumstances, OF course. It
used to require about six years for an epidemic to
reach America from India. The Indian epidemic Of
1926 got here in 1882. That Of 1841 did not reach
New York until 1848. That of 1851 reached New
Minnesota in 1873. The cholera that was so bad in
l848 was brought by immigrants, and in 1865 it
country by the soldiers We have not had any Asiat-
ic cholera in this country since 1873, because it
hasn't prevailed in Europe and do not think it could
gain much Roadway nowadays, because of our inn
proved sanitary conditions that everywhere prevail