The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1885-05-22
FOREWARNED is FOREARMED.

DR.. j. c. Peters writes III Hdrper'S
Weekly of April 25th, a succinct
history of the cholera scourge;
showing the conditions and causes
of its origin and propagation, and
pointing out how, by very ordinary
processes, the. ravages of the dis
ease may be stayed. Cholera, the
terror of mankind for centuries,
has now, by the Investigations of
science, been discovered to be, if
not curablc, at least q preventible
disease. 1t has travelled over con-
tinent and ocean, from time TO time,
carrying death and lamentation
wherever it rested. Every success
siye swell of this tidal wave of death
seems to have had India for its start
ing point. 1t has been known to
exist there since 1908. At seven
different periods, its terrible waves
have been dashed upon the shores of
Europe, Africa and America, besides
striking eastward and northward
over the great centres of population
in Asia. 1t has had, like caravan,
distinct routes of travel. These
routes have been carefully traced,
and are,-(D Through North Per-
sia and Central Asia; (2) by way
of the Persian Gulf; and (3) by
way of the Red Sea. AT every sue
cessivc outbreak, it spread towards
the west. 1t has in several instances
been arrested in its progress through
the temperate zone by the frosts of
the winter season. That the scourge
starts from India need not be re-
garded as u phenomenal fact. 1t is
an instance of the incXorable char
acter of the laws of nature. The
elementary principles of cause and
effect applied to- certain we'll
known and established scientific
facts are quite sufficient to ac-
count for the periodical germina-
ton of the cholera plague i'll India.
And it is invariably in those cities
where similar conditions eXist-and
precisely in proportion to the extent
to which they do eXist-that the
scourge falls with greater or less
terrific force. DR.. Peters enumer-
ates, in his article referred to, the
conditions on which India has be-
come the mother of pestilence for
herself and the rest of the world.
The first reason assigned is the i'm
mense population of 2SO, 100000
Reason the second is in the habits
and modes of living of the people.
The people are generally poor. The
water is bad, and is made worse by
the filthy habits of the natives, who
wash themselves, their clothing ano
utensils in tank water, and then use
water out of the same tanks fol
cooking and drinking. Their food
consists mostly of rice, and that
not always half cooked. Fue
is scarce, hence cooking is reduced
to a minimum, and nearly everything
is eaten cold. They have very littl'
salt, scarcely any milk or butter
meat and fish are wanting, and tea
coffee and spirits are not in common
use, as in other countries. Wher,
the germs of cholera exist in th
water supply, they have chance o
being killed in the boiling process
but when little or no tea, coffee, o
cooked food is used, the germs ar
taken into the stomach, where the.
soon develop themselves. House
in towns and villages are closel.
packed together, the spaces betwee
being used for conveniency and a
manner of filth. The huts have, TO
openings, only small doors, but II
windows. And when disease break
out in one hut, or in group OF them
the people all crowd into their neigh