Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1884-08-09
THE POSSIBILITIES OF CHOLERA IN
CLARKsvIIlsE.
Second Paper.
To the Chronicles:

Il
To the Chronicle:
The question discussed in our las
paper was thus stated:
"SHALL WE HAVE CHOLERA IN
CLARKSyILLE?"
AS subject for our present discus
sion we now put the second query:
WHAT SHALL WE DO TO PREVENT
TT
/ Observation-Disclosures this head we
have nothing to rely upon at all; con.
stitutional difficulties have been SC
pertinaciously presented by state gov
ernments especially that of Louisiana
that the Federal government can do
nothing and the State governments
can do nothing in concert The way
in which State sovereignty has been
put forward by the above named state
has been SO unfortunate as to predju-
dice many minds against the whole
doctrine. But this matter cannot be
further discussed here; it is a very
curious chapter in political hygiene
| which may be treated of in some fu-
ture paper.
The very elaborate quarantine ar
rangements now adopted by Europe
an governments may delay the arrival
of the dreaded enemy in our own
ports, but we have done nothing to
keep it out when it appears there.
We must therefore concentrate our
attention on local sanitary measures.
Cleaning. Filth is the fertilized soil
in which all epidemics SOW their seeds
and produce their crop of death. As
general misapprehension prevails on
this subject, l will now discuss it in
detail, avoiding as far as possible tech
nical expressions and carefully explain
ing those l am compelled to use.
1t is often denied that filth is
cause of diphtheria, of typhoid fever,
ETC., and the argument used is that
butchers and men engaged in cleaning
sewers, though constantly in contact
with garbage in its most repulsiye
forms are not especially subject to
these diseases. But, on the other
hand, where any malignant epidemic
does prevail it is admitted that filthy
localities are visited with special ma
Lightly. Now here are two facts ap-
parently in conflict but which can be
easily reconciled and explained in the
light Of modern science. To raise
any crop two things are required, soil
and seed. Your soil may be ever SO
we'll prepared and you will never
raise a wheat crop unless wheat is
sown. For crop Of epidemic disease
filth is the appropriate soil, meaning
by filth any animal or vegetable mat
ter in a state of decomposition. Filth
we say is the soil, the seed must be
produced elsewhere. We now proceed
to seek it
1t is the greatest discovery of mod
ern pathology that in many diseases
minutesbodies are discouered in the
blood or other constituents of the hui
man system; these bodies are called
6dcjui, they are capable OF indepen-
dent life when separated from the
body and, (when introduced into the
fluids of another body. they pro
duce the same disease as that by
which they were produced; each
species produces but one disease, the.
bacillus of diphtheria win not produce
consumption nor that Of typhoid fe-
yer produce cholera The bacillus of |
cholera produces cholera alone and is
the seed for which we have seen the |
soil prepared. The bacillus is the |
seed, the filth, especially filthy water
is the congeneal soil in which it in
creases and multiplies abundantly,
its specific disease in any
human being into whose system it
may be introduced.
Now there is this popularity in the
bacillus 0. cholera that it is developed
in the stomach and bowels of the pa
tent, that it is poured out in vast
quantities with the discharges and
that its most prevalent mode of extern
ding the disease is by its being admit
ted into the alimentary canal of others
mainly by the contamination OF water
with choleraic discharges and the sub
sequent drinking OF that water. [Dr.
Koch is of the opinion that the only
method of receiving the infection is
by the admission OF choleraic bacilli
into the stomach, but this point is
disputed and / desire to admit no dis
puted principle into the article; it is
sufficient that that made through the
of contaminated water is by
Iar the one most prevalent
Since then the contamination OF
water is the chief method of
the disease, the leading
can be stated in very few
words. /
/. Don't aHo,0 t0dter to be contain
mated By choleraic discharges.
2. Don't drink any ,Oater i0hich lies
nder the slightest sltspicion of being
10 contaminated.
These two principles are so infin
tely more important than all others
hat | am reluctant to dilute their
erce by adding any others But some
minor precautions should be added
huS
Persons attendant upon choleraic
patients are liable through distracted
lttention to take foOd with unwashed
hands and so to imbibe 6dcHi. OF
course all discharges should be disin-
ected and buried deep in the ground,
md clothing and bedding which have
been saturated with them should be
either burned or boiled for q consid-
erable time. In regard to disinfec-
ants l believe the mineral substan ces