Smyrna times., 1885-08-19

THE widening circle which cholera is
taking, over 5000 cases and 1000
deaths day, with serious outbreaks
besides Spain in France, Algeria.
Southern Russia, Tonquin, &c, causes
a renewed inquiry as to its causes and
cure. Sanitarians have made one fact
plain, namely, that whatever NAV be
the origin of the disease and the
method by which its germs are trans
ported from infected localities. imper-
feet sanitary conditions are essential
for its development from secondary CEN
tres. Any town having pure water
supply and an adequate system of
drainage is reasonably secure against
cholera. This has been the belief in
England for many years and it has
been confirmed by experience. That
country has had uninterrupted COM
munication with India, where the dis
ease prevails in its most virulent form
yet the germs had not been introduced
IN the seaports, which are invariably
in excellent sanitary condition On
the contrary, the French and Italian
cities where the mortality was greatest
last year have been among the dirtiest
in the Mediterranean basin: and in
Spain there is general ignorance of SAN
itary science.
notwithstanding the pretentious dis
cOveries Of DIR. Koch and the exp4ri-
ments Of Spanish charlatan in iuoc-
ulation, it is to be doubted whether the
scientific world knows much more
about the precise nature and mode of
propagation Of cholera than it did in
1919, when America was devastated nv
its ravages. The theory generally ac-
cepted at the present time attributes
the disease to the presence of animal or
vegetable germs, which find access tn
the blood either by air, water or food
or through the pores of the skin. Pro.
fessor MezzerOR. in letter published a
IL" days ago in the New York Tribune
ridicules the hypothesis and contends
that the chief cause of cholera is q
poisonous gas emanating from the
earth before and after earthquakes and
volcanic eruptions. His arguments are
ingenious and fOrcible aud if he does
not succeed in convincing US that his
own theory is to be received Without
serious reservations, he at least places
the advocates of the germ hypothesis
upon the defensive.
Professor Mezzerof, a resident Of
Brooklyn, goes on to say:
In proof of this position could
give very large number of facts from
recorded history extending over three
thousand years aHd more. So far a. I
have searched history there has not
been one instance where cholera
plague has not either preceded Or fol-
lowed earthquakes and volcanic erun.
tiOns. OF the many thousand histori-
cal proofs in nay possession shall only
give few notable examples. Let ms
begin with the Christian era, although
we could go back to the days of Moses
and find the same things occurring.
Ia the year oil A. d. there Oc-
Cured in England and Scotland a
dreadful earthquake, which was imme-
diateiy followed by most terrible
cholera plague. that in a few weeks
killed 100000 in Scotland. In 252
there were exhalatiOns from the earth
that smelled like the stencil from dead
animals, and in few days a most Ter.
rible earthquake occurred, after which
a cho8eEa of the most destructive char
acter followed. In 361 earthquakes
shook adj the cities around the Medi-
terraneaB and every one of these cities
was soon after visited by a severe
cholera epidemic. Ia 45R an earth
quake destroyed the entire city of An
EiOeh, and before the earth had ceased
trembling cholera plague broke oCs
and desOlated the surrounding country
and spread to all Europe. IN 4SO one
of the most destructive earthquakes
visited t'onstantineple and nearly de-
-stroyed the whole city, and several
days before it ceased cholera broke out