The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-07-17

his patient. There was q favor1te Well near the
| tavern into which the negro had emptied the
/ discharges of his patient The consequence of
| the imprudence was that seventeen persons VINO
used the we'll died within short time. Strange
to say, the young man who brought the pesn-
lence to Lebanon rallied for while, but eyenJu-
ally died, and became the eighteenth victim.
fsTalking of 1allying, an extraordinary thing
| happened in 1873 A doctor was summoned to
attend cholera patient who was at deaths door.
| The doctor saw that he could do nothing; and re-
fused to prescribe. The friends of the patient
however urged him so much that he wrote
prescription, to which he appenned these words:
/ TO be given to the patient every hour until he
/ dies VIII you believe me when tell you that
the patient actually recovered Yes, that is a
| positive fact
s'As to the vulgar belief that cholera can be
transmitted by letters, no such case has come
under my notice 1t may be, however, for DIR.
logan, the United States minister to Chill, told
me the other day that diphtheria was unknown
/ in Chill until few years ago, when friend of
his, living in that country, received letter from
America written by person in whose house
diphtheria was raging. 1t is confidently be-
| heved that such was the origin of diphtheria in
Chill. In 1854 cholera was introduced into Lon
1 don by plums which had been handled in Ham
burg by persons suffering from cholera.
That animals are subject to cholera seems to
| be proved by the death of Juno the favorite dog
| of an English regiment which occurred last
year and made no small stir at the time. In
Cincinnati I also heard that chickens had died Of
/
| an infectious disease has been transmitted from
one person to another is that in which stuffed
rabbit which had been handled by diphtheria
| patient gave the disease to healthy person.
/ Filthy sewers, impure water and the soiled
| clothes of patients are the usual vehicles of
| transmission, and every care should be taken to
| keep them clean and free from the germs of dis
| ease. The damage that has been done by care
1 less washerwomen in spreading the disease is in
/ calculablen
'Does the present cholera differ in any way
from its predecessors, Doctorp
Eyes. 1t is the first that has started from
! Tonquin. Of course, it orignated near Calcutta,
i but it was strange that it should have gone to
Tonquin and not over its usual course. Note
| here that cholera has never yet crossed the Pa
| cific, though it has often crossed the Atlantic
| ocean. It has swept over China, doing great
1 damage, but has never come to us by way of the
Pacific. Note also, that the popular theory
| which holds that cholera can be carried slowly
by wind is disproyed by the fact that it has moro
i than once come in the very teeth of heavy
monsoon Besides, no wind has ever blown so
steady over Europe as to enable us to account
| for the progress of cholera there In regard to
/ the present cholera, confess am disappointed
/ that it was not stamped out at Marseil1es and
| Toulon, or, in fact that it was permitted to
! enter Europe at all Certainly the number of
cases should not have been allowed to increase.
| Koch is undoubtedly right in saying that, as it
has spread so far, it will probably 60 over
| Europe.
s.Afe the germs of Asiatic cholera at all like
4 those of other diseases, Doctorgp
sThe micrococci which are the germs Of bac-
4 terra, and coexist with them in the human sys-
tenn, are round, colorless atoms; while the bac-
/ terra are rod-like bodies, resembling striped
| muscular ibRes Both are microscopic. The
bacteria or different diseases resemble each
other closely, and before the art of staining and
| coloring them was discovered it was difficult to
/ distinguish Asiatic cholera from others The
| mierococci are much more dangerous than the
i bacteria as they are harder to KILL
i tTc af oNnbl "a bof Acia fio ali
ever become domiciled in Europe and this coun-
tryl"
II think not though it is true that smallpox,
| scarlet fever measles and diphtheria have all
4 been brought to us from the East. Cholera,
! however, seems to be like tropical plant which
/ may be produced in lighthouses bat will not be-
come naturalized Still, there is no certainty
4 on this point
How many kinds of cholera are there,
/ Doctor2n
give. Cholera morbus septic cholera, bilious
& cholera, cholera infantum, and Asiatic cholera
/ The first four may be defined as diseases which
resemble and may be suddenly changed into
! Asiatic cholera The characteristics of all of
i them are simultaneous and repeated vomiting
! and purging, painful spasms of the stomach and
bowels, and occasional cramps of the external
/ muscles. But to return to our subject would
urge the readers of the Herald to feel no fear if
cholera does come here but to lead their usual
lives, eating good wholesome food keeping their
/ bodies clean and their homes well ventilated To
4 the health authorities would say:''See that the
streets, the sewers aud the docks of this city are
/ kept clean. and that the dwellers in tenement
houses have sufficient medical attendance
/ through the entire year.
What is the distinguishing feature of Asiatic
i cholera, doctorlv
ut is this, think, that the poison or germs
of cholera Invariably destroy the epithelium or
/ soft skin lining the mucous membrane Of the
bowels, and lay it bare as if it had been hayed
Hence the redness and congestion Of the mucous
membrane From the red surface the serum or
| watery portion of the blood flows in large guam
titles Just as it does from an ordinary blister on
the skin. Previous to 1866 these enormous dis
charges were attributed to weakness and relaxa-
ton of the bowels, and was the first to point
out that they were due to the destruction of the
i epithelium. This is not theory but a fact
amply proved by postmortem examinations and
/ showing the necessity of destroying the germs
| and not alone OF restraining the discharges and
i soothing the raw mucous membrane.
| Here may mention that much mischief has
been caused by popular medicine largely com
| posed of red pepper, ginger and brandy and
4 which, though useful in cases of cholera morbus,
| is among the most injurious that could be
4 selected in cases of real cholera. The reason is
that the GOODNESS of the surface Of the body, or
! what is called collapse is caused by the tremen-
| dous irritation of the bowels, and that any
further irritant naturally increases the collapse
j Strange to say this medicine has been largely
used for the past fifty years. No skillful DOCTOR
/ however, would dream of recommending it.
/ Henceforward the scientific treatment of cholera
will be based on the use of germicides. OF these
sulphate of iron, suggested by me in 1866, gallo
acid and all the dilute mineral acids, especially
| the sulphuric are also aStrngents The
/ dilute sulphuric acid, especially the arc
matte tincture, has attained the highest
/ reputation as a preventive and cure of
Asiatic cholera Corrosive sublimate, which
| would probably be used by scientific physicians
! is not alone poisonous, but very dangerous
since it can only be used in a minute form. One
particle would kill 10000 germs. STILL it is the
1 kT10y Qf KnQh