The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1884-07-14
THE CHOLERA.
PARIS INFECTED BY TIE PLAGUE
China, Weak in War, Proves Formidabl,
Nevertheless-Cochi China, Sends
the Cholera TO Paris-EurOpe
Alarmed-Quarantinc


Marseilles, to which place it was
brought by refugee from Toulon, who
has since died. AS the facts slowly
leak out, it becomes more and more
probable that the suspicious which at
tached from the first to the transport
Sarthe, lately arrived from Saigon,
are too well founded. The Sarthe
had cholera on board when she was in
Eastern waters, but the last death was on
the 9TH Of April, and there were no cases
on the voyage home; hence the UNWILLING
ness of the authorities to admit the pos
slbility Of Importation. But the same
kind of break in the succession of cases
has happened often before, more uslI-
ally, perhaps, in yellow fever than in
cholera, and the explanation Of it is now
perfectly well understood. The Chol-
eraic discharges keep their power of
infection Tor long time, especially if
they are left TO ferment out of sight in
some cl0Sed-ln space, or in boxes and
bundles of foul linen; and the infection
seems to have been lurking on board
the transport from Cochin, China, in one
or both of these forms. One
of the first deaths was of man
who had been employed in clean
ing out the ship, and several
of the other early eases were among the
long shore folk. 1t appears that there
had been sale by auction of the clothes
and other effects OF the sailors who had
died in Tonquin and Cochin China, and
| it is just possible that the clothes of
some Of those who died there Of cholera
may have been included, although the
order was that all such effects were to
be burned on the spot. 1t is the exist
| ence OF isolated cases, in various parts
of the town, that gives some color to the
theory, taken up and adhered to by the
authorities in Paris, that the disease is
the ordinary summer cholera which has
attacked number Of persons with unu-
sual severity. 1t would be well for the
south Of France, and possibly for the
whole of Europe, if that were all. The
exodus of one-fOurth Of the inhabitants
of TOulOn is at once an evidence Of what
they think Of the epidemic and has al
ready had the natural effect of dissem-
mating it.
now THE DISEASE TRAVELS.
But cholera is not a disease which of
itself travels ut all rapidly. In 1865 it
came to Marseillcs from Alexandria
about the 10Th ofJune; it was in Toulon
and Montpelier in July; at Aries and
Avignon in August; at AK Cette, Bor-
dcauX, Paris and Amiens in September.
According to all former experience
therefore, very fair warning has been
given to the rest OF the world, and our
vigilance should not be suffered to relax
because the cases telegraphed from Tou-
| Ion may happen to be one or two fewer
to-day than they were yesterday, or be-
cause there is no news as vet of an out
break elsewhere. What we may safely
take for granted is that Asiatic cholera.
after an interval of eleven years. has
once more obtained a footing ON the Eu-
rOpean shore OF the Mediterranean, and
he would he bold man who would CON
iidently predict what the summer and
autumn may or may not have in store
for us.
This being so, it is gratifying to oh
serve that our own Government has al
ready determined not only TO enforce
but to renew the act specially passed
last year, to enable them to provide
against an outbreak of cholera i'm the
country. Lord Darlington and his de
partment still think that there is suf-
icient evidence to provo the existence
true cholera mt Toulon, but this action
Will in no way fetter the action of the
local Government board. The eleven
years which have passed since the last
cholera epidemic came to an end in
Europe have been years of considerable
sanitary activity. 1t would be-
surprising, indeed, ii the multi
tudes of sanitary congresses, and o
books and lectures on the public health
had not left us better prepared to doa
with postilencc which is, of all nest.
: lcnccs, the most amcnablc to reason. 4
home we have, besides the tomporar,
act of last year, preventive organia;i
ton, which was only getting into shap,
when the epidemic of 1860 left us-th,
and there can he hardly any uucstio,
that we owe it to our local goyernmen
: board that cholera was absolutely cE
. ciuded from the United Kingdom dur
: ing the years from 1855 to 1873. when /
was still disastrouSly prevalent on Oh
= other side Of the North sea.
QUARANrISE,