Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1885-07-16
AsIATIc CHOLERA.
Origin Of the Disease and its Hiss
t0ry-Prevemtive Measures

Origin Of the Disease and it's His-
tOry-Prevemtive Measures
That the disease came from Asia some
three or four centuries ago, that it ragged
in London two centuries ago. that along
about 1870 years ago in Japan similar
disease ragged, and that in 1917 and for
some years after India was devastated are
familiar facts. From Bengal to Madras,
from Ceylon's isle to the other isles Of
the sea, from China to the Persian gulf,
to the shores Of the Caspian, to Astrak-
han, Orenburg and Moscow, and so on
by st. Petersburg, Dantzic, Berlin and
Hamburg, to England, the disease took
its way. In June, 1882, only year after
reaching England, it appeared in New
York. For two or three years it prevailed
with more or less violence in this country,
and then dropped out Of sight and mind.
In 1847 it again started from India. In
the spring Of 1S4S it reached European
cities, and rapidly moved to New York
and New Orleans. AT the former Amer
ican city it was checked by quarantine,
but in New Orleans, the weather being
yerv hot and other things favorable for
its reception and propagation cases null
tiplied rapidly, and soon it haG extended
into Texas and up the Mississippi TO Mem
phis. The next year GS4O following its
appearance in Europe, it broke out in New
York, Philad delphia and many other
places on the Atlantic coast. Starting
afresh in New Orleans, it overspread the
valley of the Mississippi, took up its
habitation with those who were toiling
over the plains toward the land of gold,
and did not from there entirely depart.
For a half-dozen years there were occa-
sional cases on the shores Of the Pacific,
but along some twenty years ago the
cholera took new start from the east.
1t struck Mecca in 1855 and the pill
grims were its food. The city has 40,
900 inhabitants, with an annual influx Of
100, 900 to $50, 900 pilgrims, who stay
week or month. So things 60 on until
last August the disease broke out in Ma
Piles. On the 18th day of September
there were 386 deaths. This was the
culminating point. There was the usual
subsistence, but now the winter and
spring have passed, it breaks out again
and threatens this side Of the Atlantic.
Dr.. Bartlett, from whose rapid review
these facts have been drawn, thinks the
history Of the past makes it probable
that we shall have disease in this coun-
try this year, and he asks these pertinent
questions:
'sWhat has actually been done in any
city, town or village to meet such an
emergency2 Are there hospitals ready
for the reception Of paticnts3 If one
case occurs, it is the source from which
there will arise many, unless active
measures are adopted to prevent it..
There is disposition not to report such
solitary first cases. Have the neces-
sary arrangements been made for
an inspecting corpse Are the
details for djsinfecting provided forG
Are the people thoroughly instructed as
to the measures they must adopt to rem
der the spread of the disease impossiblei
Are the authorities Of cities, towns and
villages taking active measures to cause
the removal of all filth and disease breed
ing material, which is the favorite habi-
tat of the cholera germ? We say the au-
thorities Of towns and villages, because
facts prove in many places there is much
more carelessness in regard to drainage
and the purity of water supply in the
rural districts than in citiesn
1t was only on the Goth Of July last
that Professor Koch gave to his asso-
ciates in Berlin the results Of his investi-
cations of the disease in Egypt, Calcutta
and Toulon, and affirmed that little
organism shaped like like a comma %,
so small as to be seen only with a higt
power under the microscope, was the es
sential cause of the terrible pestilence
Soon after two Swiss physicians, Rietscf
and Nicati, in the laboratory of the
Pharo hospital at Marseilles, successfully
inoculated number of guinea pigs, dogs
and rats with cholera microbes, and
within two days the guinea pigs died
after having exhibited the symptoms o.
cholera as seen in human beings; th'
dogs died in about four days after inoc
ulation, having exhibited the same symp
toms. Koch's experiments in Indii
showed water-tanks to contain al
abounding supply Of the comma bacillus
and it was from these tank
the people had obtained thei
water just before an outbreak o
the disease. So, admitting, as scientific
men do, that the germ theory Of thC
origin of the disease is correct, the ex
planation Of IFS propagation is simple
The germs are living organisms, trans
ported easily from place to place. who's
growth is favored BY moisture. 50 tina
they fnd water the best medium o
transit
Among the assisting causes, DIR. Bart
lett mentions fear first. Panic is pow
erful auxiliary in circumstances lik
those which may occur. Any frightened
! person presents the first symptoms Q
olera, and this serves also, as the book
show, to spread the disease; q persol
breads an attack, and to avoid it, leave
the ,,lane ,uhere the enidemic Is nrevaiI