Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1885-02-21
CHOLERA.

uOt Ndlttu uPOh tuc WAiSS u tiiS "iA'
across continent, but it is introduced
generally by person sick with tie
disease, or, more rarely, by infected
articles of merchandise, and more cs-
pecially by rags soiied with cholera
discharges.
The disease is not communicable
from one person to another, as is the
case with measles or smallpox, and
therefore, in strict language, It is not
contagious. And although it is ofteh
observed that those in immediate attend
ance upon the sick, are somewhat more
liable to contract the disease than 9th
ers, yet this can readily be accounted
for without resorting to contagion as
the cause, and it Is found that by OBJ
serving certain precautions this liabiii-
>ty is not only lessened, but reduced to
absolutely nothing. Cholera is there
fore not personally contagious.
The germ giving rise to the disease
is doubtless a living organism of ex-
treme minuteness, which is generated
in the system of one sick with the NAL
ady and which must be introduced into
the stomach and bowels of healthy
person in order to produce all attack Of
the disorder. This germ, DR.. Koch
of Berlin, believes he has identified,
and from its resemblance in shape to
the punctuation point of that name.
he proposes to call it comnQ-bdcilluS.
For the last 10 or Is years the belief
has been gaining ground among physi-
clans and sanitarians that the cause OF
the disease was living germ, either
vegetable or animal in nature, and of
extreme individual minuteness; and
although Koch and others are SO con-
fident that he has isolated the true
bacillus that produces cholera, yet the
medical world has not by any means
accepted his theory. Indeed the OBJ
servatiors of many workers in this
field, but more particularly the recent
exhaustive researches of Klein and
Gibbe in Calcutta and Bo mbay, whith-
er they, as commits ion, had been
sent to investigate this point, have
|
Koch's bacillus as the true cause OF
Asiatic cholera.
/ But still it may be regarded as all
established fact that some living micro
: scopic germ, be it 6acterium, bacillus,
microbe, ,nicr0phite or what not, i.
the cause Of cholera, and that it is nee
. essary for this germ to be introduced
into the stomach of an individu al to
excite all attack of the disease.
While this may be done in various
, ways, yet it is found that, drinking
, water Is the almost universal medium
, by which its Introduction into the
: stomach is effected.
Now it is necessary in order to have
what iscalled an epidemic of cholera
that these germs have good breeding
| places. These are afforded by impure
; water, moist filth of ali kinds in oul
J streets and alleys, in our cellars ant
| back yards, and the accumulations il
privy vaults. In such rich soils
favorable to their propagation, they
, multiply until every drop of water
, swarms with myriads Of them.
AS has been well said, dirt (soiD i!
, favorable to the growth of grain, bu
10 amount Of dirt will ever grow s
; crop Of grain unless the seed bs
, first introduced; so no amount OF filtl
will ever generate cholera until the
seed, the germ, be first introduced into
it. A medical writer of high reputt
has said, "It comes most often, stay.
longest, and is most destructive in the
, densest and tilthiest cities and in the
, worst quarters of those cities"
The question here naturally arises
, what can ne done in combating th.
disease with disinfectants? Unior,u
nately, we have none or next to nOnt
} that are of value. Carbolic acid
quicklime, chloride of lime, the com
pound sold under the absurd name o
: bromo-ChlOralum; the fumes of tar
; c'pperas, white vitriol, b Tie vitriol,etc
= are all delu>ive and worthless. The,
destroy bad Odors, but have no cffrc
on the lurking poison. Corrosive sub
Innate is more promising. Ii will b'
futile to rely upon any oi these,as it wa
/ in 1919, when two medical men triet
: the effect of conclusion by firing artil
S lery in our streets to dispel the epi
t dcmic influence hanging over us
. The cholera was not III the least frigh.
g ened at the cannon's "opening roar.
5 but pursued undisturbed the ever
' tenor of its death dealing career. Th
l loss of all arm by two worthy yOum,
men from the premature explosion o
p. the gun was the only perceptible re
Y suit.
: Cleanliness and fresh air in ,h
Y sick room, in the streets, al
t leys, cellars and back Yards ar
: doubtless our most reliable disiniect
:, ants.
: Shortly after the epidemic of 1888,
s medical journal edited by DR.. DAME
Drake, called attention to the remark,.
l Bile fact that not single family in Gin
e cinnati that used cistern water had TN
&. disease. AT that day there were YER
S few cjsterns in existence in our cities
n but the immunity of those using sue
d water attracted attention. With th
/ aid of the germ theory OF the disease W
It can now understand why it was 60
8 In cities at the present day, however
|, cisterns are not SO safe, for often
d crack in the cement high above th
h water line admits surface drainage int
Y it, or what ia ten fold more pernicious
/, Il seepage from the sewers with whic
IL our cities are now networked. |
!, places like Lexington without a systeI
i of under sewers, cistern water is tn
y most wholesome. Well water i
J. towns or cities is never wholesome
, and during the prevalence OF cholers
= is absolutely poisonous. 1t is obviou
Ii that into q well there is drainage frOl
Y the surface and subsoil in every direC
}. ton, and what is even Disgusting I
: think of, from every privy vault with
:, 50 or 100 yards of it. The boards ,
d health in large cities have alwas
found it necessary to abate wells d
g nuisamces.
Is feel quite hopeful now Inat con
?: gress has placed ample means in til
Il hands of the president to he used b
D, the National Board of Health in a
J. emergency, that the disease may |
e, kept out OF our country. For the fir
"a time in the history Of the disease Al
5, we III possession of knowledge aS TO i
es cause, propagation and spread, til,
Y will aid Us in guarding against Its a.
i'll proach.
p Although The public press announc,
+ that it has disappeared from Europ
e, yet it still fingers in Toulon and sever
n. places i'll Italy, and it may be expcctt
that it will rage over southern Eurol
be in the spring, and Notwithstanding Il
ne vigilance of health officers, it NAV fl
ne an entrance somewhere along our lol
y, line of seacoast where we would scare
ill ly lOOl> for II