Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-08-01
PHASES OF THE PLAGUE.
SENSELESSNESS OF THE WAR
ON THE PHYSICIANS.

Reuuce the surplus Population O
France-Consul Mason Reviews tn
History OF the Epidemic.
MARsEILLEs, July 31.-The lowe
classes dislike and oppose physicians be
cause they have gotten a notion tha
physicians have been instructed to hell
the cholera along in order to get rid o
the surplus population. A paper reat
by medical man in Berlin lauding tn,
cholera as sweeping of beings untitled
for a struggle for existence has beer
widely reproduced in France, and ha:
helped toprejudice the people against the
| doctors aud to confirm them in their
belief that the government has adopted
views similar to those Of the Berlin
| essaylst. An instance of the popular
hostility towards the physicians occurred
IN this city yesterday. A doctor was
going into the slums to attend patient,
| when he was confronted by party of the
! SICK mans neighbors, armed with knives,
who chased him away and prevented his
ministering to the sufferer.
There were deaths from cholera here
between O'Clock this mOrHing and noon.
There were only II deaths from cholera
at Marseilles during the twenty-four
| hours ending at 8 o'clock tonight.
| There is marked decrease in the mum.
| Der of cholera cases throughout the dis
trict. The Municipal Council has resolved
to erect, in prominent place, a tablet to
commemorate the noble self sacrifices Of
the doctors and Sisters Of Charity who
were victims Of the epidemic.
DIR. Patras, who died yesterday, will
have street named after him. There
have been seven deaths from cholera in
the Department of Ordche.
CONSUL MAsoN's REPORT.
WASHINGTON, July 31.-Secretary Ere
linghuysen has received from Consul
Mayson at Marseilles, by mail, a report
on the alleged origin and character of the
cholera now prevailing at TOulon and
Marseilles, and the attempt to arrest its
spread in all European ports. Col. May-
son says: In view of the important ma
ture of this sudden outbreak, it's disas-
trous effects upon international commerce,
the dispute as to its nature and origin,
and the extraordinary measures
which have been adopted to resist
its progress, it has been thought
requisite that this consulate should pre-
sent more detailed and specific record
OF this interesting episode. 1t will be
seen, in respect to the resources of the
defense against epIdemics which are sup
piled by modern sanitary science, that the
present event offers examples and illus
tratlons which deserve the attentive study
of municipal governments and the guar
dians of public heal h in all countries
which have commercial relations with
Africa or other tropical sources of conta-
giOus disease. With regard to the origin
and nature of the cholera at TOulon and
Marseilles there has been hot and acri-
monious dispute since the first case
occurred at Toulon on June %.
HOW THE DISEASE WAS BROUGHT IN.
+ Although the dispute is not yet officially
settled, the facts are sufficiently plain.
On the one hand the Mayor of Toulon,
who would be naturally held responsible
for the neglected sanitary condition of
that city, has insisted from the first that
the disease is genuine contagious Asiatic
cholera, imported by a supplemental gov
ernment transport which has been en-
ployed in the expedition to Ton
quin, and having had cholera
on board at Saigon, returned to Toulon
and was admitted to port by the naval
authorities and placed IN the dock for
repairs. On the other hand, the chief
medical officer of the French Government,
supported generally by official journals
and the medical authorities the navy has
pronounced the disease merely sporadic
cholera, due to the filthy condition of
Toulon and neglect of ordinary sanitary
measures there. This opinion was sus-
tanned generally during the first week of
the epidemic by the commercial press of
Southern France, which naturally
sought to allay the excitement
and avoid the disastrous COM
mercial results of q cholera panic,
Between these two extremes there has
been brought forward, after some delay,
verdict of board of physicians sent
by the French Government to Toulon
upon the first announcement of the out
break to diagnose the malady and dictate
measures of resistance to its progress.
These gentlemen visited the hospitals, the
suspected troop ship, and the most in-
fected quarters of TOulon. They made
examinations of dead victims of the
cholera and were at first disposed to pro-
nounce the disease sporadic, the element
of contagion being for time notably
wanting.
CLEAR CASE.
On June q a young officer of the marines
returning to Toulon after leave of absence
was attacked within day of his resump-
tion of duty, and died after few hours of
terrible agony, his case presenting all the
marks, and the announcement of true
Asiatlc cholera was made. On the same
day student from the Lycee of Toulon,
who had returned several days before to
his home in Marseilles, was seized with
Asiatlc cholera at the latter city, and
died after an illness of eight hours, which
defied all remedies. On the day following,
June %, a custom house official employed
at the quai du canal in Marseilles
was brought home at 2 o'clock in a
critical state, and died at the Pocolac the
same evening. 1t was clear and indis-
putable case of Asiatic cholera. Mean
while there were under treatment in Tou-
lon about so cases of cholera, of which
all but 6 or were pronounced mild, and
the deaths there from choleraic causes
had at no time since the first outbreak
exceeded 9 per day. With these facts in
view, the government physicians returned
to Paris, and on June 80 pre-
sented their verdict, which probably
stated accurately the real truth,
viz: That real contagious Asiatic
cholera malady existed at Toulon and
Marseilles, but that large proportion Of
the cases were Of mild type and present
ed only recognized features of sporadic
cholera. The real danger was present.
1t had appeared in the first month of the
summer, six days later than the first out
break of the terrible visitation of 1865,
and it became a question how far YigOr-
GUS and intelligent sanitary measures
could prevail against an epidemic
which. had come so early and
had become so thoroughly established.
This contest of human intelligence
against contagious death is still in
progress, and it is the purpose of this
report to note briefly some of its more i'm
portant features. Both Marseilles and
Toulon suffered terribly in the cholera
epidemic of 1865.
THE NEW MARSEILLES.
During the nineteen years which have
elapsed since then, Marseilles has been.
in several important respects, almost re-
built. Her pavements, her sewerage sys-
TEN, he water supply, and method OF
cleaning the streets, removing night
soil, inspecting and regulating
tions and hospital facilities are all proba-
bly, unsurpassed in excellence by those
of any European or American city. The
old quarters Of the city, ancient Mar
seilles, which was scourged so sharply
by the plague in former centuries. has
been pierced with broad avenues, streams
of pure water flow down the cutters of
the narrower streets and alleys, and the |
pavements of the principal thoroughfares
are washed and swept with care and fre-
quency, which leaves nothing to be de- |
sired.
HANDICAPPED BY THE SEA.
The terrible lesson of former epidemics
has been well learned by the municinal |
government, and long before the first |
rumor Of trouble at Toulon MarseiIIes |
was cleaned and made ready for the |
summer heats, but with intelligent |
which the city has eYinced in |
the construction of her drainage system.
there is an insurmountable difference |
which all Mediterranean cities are alike |
to face. Their sewers flow |
into a tideless and generally placid /