Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-08-09
THE CHOLERA.
What Surgeon General Hamilton says of
TfS SYMPTOMS and Treatment.

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The National 7rjbtne OF Washington pub
lished in 4 recent issue an interview with
Surgeon General John 3. Hamilton OF the
Marine Hospital Service concerning the
cholera. lie thinks the probability of the
importation of the disease depends largely
upon the efficiency of the quarantine. The
precautions, he said, may be summed as
municipal cleanliness, isolation hospitals
and International guarantees. The streets
of cities should be thoroughly swept and
cleaned, sewers should be flushed and the
inhabitants should either use filters or boil
their water in order to guard against impu-
rites. For the time being the whole pofCe
force should become practical sanitary in
spectors. The third important requisite Is
the establishment of an isolated hospital.
Such a hospital as doubtless people have
forgotten, was established at Boston during
the epidemic Of 1919, and all cases discoy-
cred by the police and sanitary inspectors
were taken there for treatment As a result,
the progress of the disease was materially
checked. For the purpose of a hospital, a
temporary wooden building, with furnace
for the destruction ofiufccted bedding, and
the excavations of the patients, would an
swer. The first symptoms of the disease,
he continued, is cramps, followed by Vom-
iting and diarrhca-an aggravated cholera
morbus, in fact As the disease progresses
the watery portion of the blood is carried
off with the excavations, and thus the pa
tent finally dies from exhaustion and col
lapse. This is characteristic of the third
stage of the disease, in which viii be seen
the shrlnkcn, pinched facesand the staring,
glass eye. At this time, too, there Is great
thirst owing to loss of water from the sys-
tenn. There is great variability in the du-
ration of the disease-sOme patients have
been known to die in 4 couple of hours,
while others survive fortY-eight hours or
more. The first thing that a man should
do if seized with cramps, is TO call phySl-
clan There are but two methods of treat
mcnt, which differ widely in their ChacaC-
ter. The first on the theory that the dis
ease is a poison introduced INFO the sys-
TEN, and which should be Immediately
gotten rid of, and that symptoms observed
are merely natures evidences OF the fact.
This method is the so-called Tyler treat
ment, which originated in ALauritiuS some
where about 1888. 1t consists simply in
the use of powerful emetics and purgatives
promptly administered before collapse can
take place. The second method, and that
commonly in use, consists in administer
ing opiates and stimulantS for the purpose
of aTreSting cramps and diminishing the
sccretions, and stimulantS in order to sup
port the system. The popular mixtures
sold by druggists as cholera remedies are
compounded on this basis In addition to
these remedies, under both methods re-
sort is generally had to application OF heat
to the extremitics of the body. The most
efficient means of fighting the cholera,
should it once become epidemic in this
country, is the destruction of excavations
from patients, especially those which would
find their way into the common sewer and
thereby discharged into some river. con-
Eliminating the water from which the citi-
zens ON the stream further down derive
their supply, and thus communicate the
disease. The germs OF cholera are readily
carried by water from place to place, as
well as by clothing, cargoes, rags, etc. In
my opinion the most important thing to
do, should the disease make its appearance
in this country, is to insure the destruction,
by combustion, of the excavations from
cholera patients.