New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-07-16

The spread of the cholera in France makes
imuoiisat the timely warning of the state
Board of Health on that subject. In the opinion
of the Board the appearance of the disease here
i, probable. That belief is based on former in
va,ious by cholera, particularly that of 1866,
when there were l,l37 deaths from il in thi,
city in seven months. In the previous year it
was epidemic in lower Egypt, where ii destroyed
onward of 10000 persons. 1t reached France
and Germany before the end of September, and
was discovered on cmigrant ships at the New
York quarantine anchorage early In November.
There it was supposed to have been thoroughly
stamped out, but in the following spring it was
spreading from several points at once i'll this
city.
The worst cholera epidemic in this city in the
last half Of a century was that of 1919. when
the disease caused 5,07l deaths 1t WAS brought
here then by French vessels. When they left
Uavrc there had not been a single case Of
cholera in all France. In 1873 the outbreak
was even more mysterious. 1t broke out not at
any port of arrival, but in the heart of the con-
tincnt, in the valley of the Mississippi. 1t was
traced. however, to an unsupported introduction
by way of New Orleans. 1t is doubtful if
quarantine can protect us against so insidous
foe. Quarantine can stop the sick at the
ports of entry, but unless fumigaton is
resorcd to in every case even healthy ship
from a healthy port may import the epidemic.
Goods or clothes packed in an infected district
may carry the seeds of the disease Hence, the
State Departments circular regarding the
original points Of departure of immigrants, and
the significance of the P0StmaStcr-Generars re-
oucst o. England that the French mails for
America. coming that way, be fumiSatrd. In
refusing to comply with that request England
has shown a disregard Of the necessities OF the
case. If she had displayed proper energy in
dealing with the epidemic last year in Egypt it
is not likely that there would have been such
great mortality there
The close commercial relations between our
ports and the Mediterranean make the posi-
bllty of the introduction of the disease here too
Obvious to be disrcgarded. tits true that the
quarantine regulations are much superior now
to what they were when the disease made its
anpcarancc here in 1866. Then the quarantine
hn,pitals were on the mainland, which per-
,uittrd the disease to reach Fort Hamilton. and
find its way along the shore TO Brooklyn and
New-York. Now The hospitals are isolated on
the bay, and are well guarded, and an i'm
urovcd system of iumigatiOn Is in use. The
o1rangcnen ts on Hofmans Island are not what
they should be, for the reason that Governor
Cleveland ignorantly or foolishly vetoed the
appropriation OF -, 800 made by the Lcgisla-
turc to improve the bad condition Of things
there. But in case of need some way would
probably be found to overcome that difficulty.
A good illustration of the efficacy of the quar-
antine system is shown in the fact that from
/ Nav 10 October, SIC, ninety nine vessels hay-
ing yellow fever on board arrived in port
/ There were many deaths from the disease al
quarantine, but it did not spread 20 this city.
The conditions, however, which make til,