St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-07-19
SANITATION.

1t is only within a few years that sanitation
as a science and an art has developed into
prominence 1t has as yet never had an oppor-
tunity to afford the world crucial test Of its
ability. In this country, there has been one
epidemic of yellow fever since sanitary
science has been in the field, and there seems
to be no doubt that 1t then did some excellent
but not perfect work. What it did was not
so much in ameliorating the severity of the
plague as in preventing its reaching localities,
and In estopping its temperance in the sea-
son following the outbreak. 1t is claimed
by many sanitarians that the excursions of
yellow fever along the Mississippi river has
come to an end through their precautions
and remedial measures.
The present year is one which will afford
sanitation an opportunity to give the world a
test of its powers. Its professors in Europe
have the cholera to deal with, and in this
country, it would appear that we are men.
aced with both cholera and yellow fever.
The latter has appeared in Mexico, and as
communication with that country is now of
the most common and open character there
is ample opportunity for the scourge to tray
ell northwards into the states. If sanitation
can bar the route from Mexico so that yellow
fever cannot pass the frontier line, and If
the same agency can confine cholera to a
line drawn outside of our coasts, and can be
obeyed when it says, ''thus far and no far
claims of the new science to be all that its
most enthusiastic disciples assert it to be.
In the matter of cholera, sanitary science
has a thousand times asserted that 1t can on
ly be taken from point to point by actual
contact of human beings. It lays down the
dictum that If cholera appears in a second
instance, in any place, it is for the reason
that it has been carried from the first case.
In other words, according to sanitary expon-
ents, if person is attacked by cholera, and
such a person be completely isolated so that
none of the cholera excreta of the victim can
be carried into the water, or the food of 9TH
ers, then there can be no extension Of the
disease. A great English authority in speak
ing of this phase of the matter says:
1.-The extension of cholera from place to
place is effected by agencies which are usual
" distinctly traceable, and in the great mai
ority of instances, by the drinking of con-
taminated water. The contamination Is due.
always, to the discharges characteristic of the
disease, so that Mr. Simon was able to write
with certainty several years ago that ssexcre-
ment-polluted earth, polluted air,
excrement-polluted water are for US the
causes of cholera" Whenever these pollu-
tons are permitted the diffusion Of the dis
ease is the invariable result The inyestiga-
tons of Mr.. Netten Radcliffe furnished the
remaining link necessary in order to COM
plete the chain of causation, and showed how
the excretions of 3 cholera patient had been
conveyed without disinfection into the river.
An isolated group of cases In an Essex farm.
to which the disease had in the first instance
been brought from Southampton, furnished
similar evidence, and there is no longer any
doubt, on the part of those conYersant with
the facts of sanitary science, that an inya-
sion of cholera is perfectly comfortable
event Thirty years have nov elapsed since
the last English epidemic, and the isolated
cases which have occurred In the interval
have been just sufficiently numerous to shoE
in what manner they should be dealt with''
If cholera is perfectly comfortable by the
sanitary science of England it is equally 50
By that of this country. We shan see wha,
success the scientists of Great Britain wiz
have in case the scourge crosses the channel.
If science shah keep 1t out Of England, the