Morning journal and courier., 1885-02-25
THE AsIATIC CHOLlERA.

/ Striking Facts Presented by Professor
/ Brewer at Sheffield school Last
Evoning-The Mechanics, Course
of Lectures.
Professor William H. Brewer was received
by large audience at North Sheffield hall
last night where he delivered his lecture on
'Asiatic Cholera" in the Mechanics course.
To i'll ustrate his subject he had drawings of the
germs of that fearful disease showing them
in all their stages OF growth and also those
! producing other diseases. In describing
cholera and its spread from time to time he
stated that in its early stages il broke out in
Europe in 1881, and came across the ocean to
Canada in June, 1885,, latter which it came into
the United States. During 1888 it disap-
peared, having spent its strength. In 1885 it
came back and infested the South, the cities
of Charleston, S. c., and New Orleans, La,
suffering severely from it. In 1S4s it cross
ed the Atlantic ocean again from Europe and
ragged through the United States in the north
western portion, and remained until 1919
during the great California gold fever where
many pioneers suffered from it's effects It
again visited this country in 1856 and after
wards came in 1878.
In all the travels of the cholera it goes
with the man and his baggage. It travels
about as fast as man can walk. It is an
infectious disease and starts from q specific
cause. 1t may prevail in the soil of the land
and can be propagated by animals who COM
:municate it to person. The theories of its
: origin and spread many. In 1849 many
writer's attributed its spreading to the winds,
/ but on the other hand when
! II.
direction the cholera came from the other
In those days there were others who thought
il came from the tail of comet. Ny own
! belief is that it spreads only by being spread
by some impurity brought into the stomach
by water or food. At the time of its out
break in London in 1849 some of the water
companies, of which the1e were many, there
being no less than twenty-three at one time,
We're noted for cholera deaths by consumers
tof their water. There were two companies
who suffered in this way. They were the
Lambeth and Southwark Vauxhal1 compa-
MES. The Lambeth company supplied a
population of 1877, 900, out of which 1870
| deaths occurred from cholera, which was
1875 in 10000. The Southwark-V auxhaIl
company supplied a population of 268, 900,
out of which 1850 died, which was 11S in
10000. Later the Lambeth company
changed the location of its pumps further up
the river where there was less sewage and
there was marked improvement, while with
the Southwark company, who supplied its
consumers from the old infected source, the
death rate from cholera was 80 tiTues as
many as with the Lambeth company. In
1854 when the cholera prevailed in London
500 persons died in fourteen days from drink
ing water from the Broad street pump, which
was looked upon pure, but was the recep-
tacle of detection from cholera patients which
had been thrown into aneighboring cesspool.
need not say anything of the cost of
cholera. No city can afford to pay for the
cholera. 1t has cost the city of London an
enormous sum. All sanitarians agree that
epidemic. People should avoid getting
drunk in times when cholera prevails.
In closing Professor Brewer said, in his
opinion, the cholera will reach the United
States next summer and the health authori-
ties will endeavor to prevent its spread
New Haven, he thinks will be able to take
| care of it if it should reach here and
prevent its spread.