Daily Los Angeles herald., 1884-07-25
Cholera cures"
philadelphia Ledger. /

In regard to the oxygen cure for chol-
era, mentioned in the Ielegraphie reports
from Toulon, ii may ba noted that 1t re-
calls story OF previous epidemic,
where remarkable cures were said to
have been made by volunteer nurse.
This person went from house to house
wherever there was case of the dis
ease, and had the sufferers placed in the
sunlight of an open window, directing
them to take long, deep inhalations
With every breath the spasmodic ten
denotes were checked and the recove,ies
were said to be numerous, as the suffer-
ers gained confidence in the treatment.
That was simple application of the
oxygen cure, and undoubtedly n much
safer one than the indiscrimiuate appi-
cation of compound oxygen" would be
The above story used to be told with
great satisfaction by the late DIR. Her.
ing, some OF whose literary heirs could
possibly recall the place where it wa,
said to have occurred,
1t Is very certain that the more of pure
oxygen each French city provides by its
cleanliness, the less danger there will be
of the spread OF the disease. Cleanliness
is the best of quarantincs, and with pure
water to drink, free from any possible
impurity from cholera patients, a city is
well guarded The abundant use OF lime
in whitewash in all dark or foul smell.
ing corners is n good way to oxygenate n
place; and boiling the drinking water is
very safe plan in all such epidemics.
From this time forward the pubic
may expect to be dcluged with popular
recipes for the ''sure cure" OF the Asiatic
epidemic, some of which may be as dan.
gerous to life as the cholera itself.
There is story going the rounds that
Cuban soldiers on the march were cured,
in sudden appearance OF the disease
among them, by giving chloroform in
water, and the proportions are stated Of
a large dose to be administered in water.
Half an ounce OF chloroform taken inter.
nally has produced general commissions,
lockjaw, foaming at the mouth, with a
feeble, irregular action of the heart.
There is no antidote to the poison of
chloroform. In its action upon the It's.
sues of the lungs and mucous membl ants
it tends to prevent oxygenation of the
blood. Another suggestion is to put per-
manganate of potash in the drinking
water. The permanganate destroys the
organic matter in the water by burning
it up with oxygen. An excess of per.
manganate, however, is not wholesome.
Since the drinking water is the point
to be guarded in all invasions of
diarrhma troubles. there is no better
method than the old remedy, which was
put in use at the Philadelphia Gas
Works in 1910, by direction OF DR.. G.
CressoR. The workmen employed at the
Gas Works were directed to add to each
pint of Schuylkill water one or two
drops of sulphuric acid, which was fur
nished to them for the purpose. $50
far as my knowledge goes" DIR. Cresson
says, in pamphlet on Drinking Water,
published in 1879, land was constant
ly at the Gas Works during that Sum
mer, not a single case OF cholera occurred
ameng them, although the employment,
location and habits of tue men prcdis-
posed them and favored an attack of the
epidemic, OF which they were in the
midst"
DIR. Koch, who is one of the European
Investigators in the track OF the disease
in Egypt and India, seems to have come
to the same conclusion, as the announce.
nent is made that ho considers a few
largely diluted drops OF sulphuric acid
the imperial remedy for cholera. 1t
will be seen that Philadelphia physi-
clan has the credit of publishing a prior
experience. 1t is thirty-iive years since
the sulphuric acid remedy was proved a
complete success at the Philadelphia
Gas Works.