Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1884-08-08
Florence Nightingale's letter on the
-.-..a au.... III L.


In reply to an inquiry, Miss Florence Night
ingale, the Crimean heroine, kindly sends the
following dated Paris, July ls) to the New
York Herald
Sm beg to roply to your note asking
for practical advice in view Of the rapid
spread Of cholera"
That our whole experience in India, where
cholera is novor wholly absent, tends to prove
nay, actually does prove-that cholera 10
not communicable from person to person.
That the disease cannot be nscribed to
somebody else' that is, that tho sick do not
manufacture Especial poison" which causes
the disease
That cholera is q local disoaso-an epidemic
affecting localities, and there depending upon
pollution of earth, air, water and buildings.
That the isolation Of the sick cannot stop
the disease, nor quarantine, cordons nor the
like. These indeed may tend fatally to az
gravate tho disease, directly or indirectly, by
turning away our attention from tho only
measures which can stop IT,
That the only preventive is to put the earth,
air, water and buildings into healthy condi-
tion by scavenging, limewashing and every
kind of sanitary work, and, if cholera does
come, to move the people from the places
where the disease has broken out, and then to
cleanse.
Persons about cholera patients do not
'catch" the disease from the sick any more
than cases Of poisoning "infect" others. II
a number of persons havo boen poisoned, say
by arsenic put by mistake into food it ia be-
cause thoy have each swallowed the arsenic
1t is not because they have taken 'it-the
mysterious inhuenco-from ono another.
In looking sadly at Egypt-Egypt, where
cholera did not begin anywhere along the
route from India to Europe but at Damictta,
where no ship and no passenger ever stops,
and whore the dreadful insanitary condition
OF tho place fully accounts for any outbreak
of cholora-in sorowfully looking at Egypt
and ut Europe now, enc might almost say thai
1t is this doctrine of a special poison emanat
ing from tho sick, and which it is thought car
be carried in q package that has (mentally
poisoned u.s. People will soon believe that
you can take cholera by taking q railroad
ticket. They speak as if the only reason
against enforcing quarantine is, not that II ii
an impossibility and an absurdity to stop dis
case in this way, but that ii IL impossible tc
enforce quarantine. 'If only we could" they
say, 'Rll would be we'll"
Vigorously enforce sanitary measures, but
with Judgment. o., scavenge scavonge
scavenge wash, cleanse and limewash, re
movo all putrid human refuse from priyiet
and cessplts and cesspools and dustbins; lool
to stables and cowsheds and pigsties look tC
common lodging houses and crowded places
dirty houses and yards 'Sot your house il
order" in all sanitary and hygienic ways, &C
cording to the conditions of tho place, ant
''all will bo we'll"
The real danger to be feared ia in blaming
somebody else and not our own selves fol
such an epidemic visitation. As a matter o
fact, il the disease attacks our neighbors, WI
ourselves are liable to it. To trust for pro
lection to stopping intercourse would be jus
as rational AZ to try to sweep back an incom
ing flood instead OF getting out Of its way.
With tho most earnest wish that America
as we'll as England, may "set her house in or
der, and so defy cholera and turn its appear
ance elsewhere into blessing, pray believe
me ever her and your faithful servant,
FLoREEcE NIGHTINGALE.