The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-07-10
THE CHOLERA SCOURGE.
How the Terrible Plague is Rag
ing in Murcia, Spain.
Nearly the Entire Population Flee
ing From the Stricken City.

!
mas a population Of nearly forty thousan
and the suburbs about sixty thousand NOR
! thirty thousand persons have fed from Il
place since the epidemic broke out Its stree
are deserted, eighty per cent of its stores a
closed and hardly a house remains in which
cholera case has not occurred. The yello
covered stretcher on which the cholera stric
en- SICK and dead are carried through d
streetS Is one of the commonest sights Deaf
nave become so frequent that the tolling
the church bells usual there on such events h
| been forbidden.
beginning on June s. the cholera has sin
| tnen attacked 3,2l5 persons in twenty-fo
days, and OF these /, 800 bodies have be,
already buried. Including the full norm
population of nearly 100000 people, one DE
! son IN each 80 has already had the choler
and one person in each IS of the populati,
has been buried within three weeks Under d
, most favorable conditions 900 more deaf
. are expected by the physicians before the ia
Under such circumstances the people ha
/ Invented new salutation. They no long
say Good day." but instead, "How many
! That is, how many have died today Al
/ for the week the death rate was so stead
| that by listening for a moment on the stirred
! even the hour could be told. Fifty stoI
! for noon and 100" for midnight. StartliI
| incidents abound in such city.
A vile smell came from one of the mai
closed houses. By order OF the authoritI
| the doors were forced and then the rottiI
! bodies of its inhabitants were found. Til
| had apparently died Of malignant chold
after closing the house, and
suddenly that they had been u
| able to summon aid The provinc|
! governor kindly placed public health y
, cial at the Herald correspondents disposl
The man came late on the first day al
apologizing, said, with little of the toned
man with a grievance, The official
tailed for your service has Just died of Ct |
era, and l had UNEXPECTEDLY to take
| place"
Quacks of all kinds, who believe frn.lyI
| the most extraordinary medicines, are
natural result of the panic. One mani
tailor, has left his business, and, though w
out medical knowledge, is received with |
| questioning faith by the poor He takes
fee; on the contrary, he gives to the poor
such help as he can afford
The epidemic has also its heroes ann
whom is the Count De Vale one of the r
est land owners of the province. 1t is nc
lie that he goes among the sick fearfes
BY common report he has already ri |
] away all his ready cash and has begun
mortgage his real estate to raise more flu I
for this purpose.
Murcia, like all Spanish cities noted in
/ epidemic for great mortality among its PEG
is the center of fertile valley surrounded
Through it flows badly smelling river the
tiers of which are twice damned near the c
center and are distributed by many ca
over the valley. The streets are narr
with high houses. and in many places the
/ trance of sunlight and air is still further
peded by curtains placed horizontally &C
The streets from housetop to housetop.
,antary condition of the city is better
that of most Spanish cities but would
! ,arve as model even for New York
People live carelesSly in spite of the chol
1t is not unusual 10 see melons and OF
green fruit piled on the balconies of
houses ready for consumption The CO
spondent's first visit was TO the hospitals
relief barracks. In the hospitals
Iaratively few cholera cases were found
all except the poorest people insist
lying at home rather than 20 to the hosp
In the hospitals a fair cleanliness preva
| but the smell of disinfectants was sickle
oven to a man in health. Patients we
tvery stage Of the disease hut all in the
ward had the same haggard, sallow loo
tear, which made the nature of
disease certain without further question
present arranged the hospital has bed
10 persons. but they are not all full in
of the fact that on the 18th alone 213 per
we're attacked 10y the disease. The
Eitchen supplies fair food to an unfortuna
limited number Of poor.
OU III river tlllbullhllt!ll II COlOUN OF
people taken from the most crowded
ments, are lodged in temporary barracks
fed by the town. 1t is n curious commeiI
| both on the cholera and on the hygienic
ditiOn of the city, that among these pc
living as they do in rudely constru ted
and houses open To the weather i'll
places. not n single chol IA death has We
Cured, although previously IN their city
ters each family had lost one or more l
| bers.
/ The correspondent next presented his
to the provincial governor, Sclor jesse
cazar, VINO throughout the epidemic has
the utmost bravery and devotion to tho
pile. He made the following statcms mt: -
~ thousand people have fled from thd
and suburbs, N ,uling all memt en-
the provincial congress, all the chief II
trates, more than half the city council
many of the city and provincial OIL
Eighty per cent of the city stores have
closed Sub. crib'ions begun to come id
they are insufficient in amount to relieN
distress
AS the result of many interviews with
ing men Of Murcia your correspondent
the following statements will prove true
corning the epidemic as it at present
tests itself
The cholera will extend Throughout
greater portion of Spain. Ii may last
late in the fall. 1t is not impossible that
era cases may occur next year
The disease socms to follow the cou
rivers 1t spreads always below the
first infected. Thus, the head waters
Tagus being now infected, the cholera
be expected to pass all quarantines and
Portugal.
Cholera sprea Is rapidly with great
lence along the course of a river. BY
its spread is uncertain and slow, depc
largely on personal contact between "
habitants of ncighhOrng towns.
A man of average health, not given
cesses, using only boiled water for ever
purposes as brushing the teeth, who e'
green knocked food, need not fear the c
in the least.
ANYTHING which reduces vitality,
temporarily, may at once lead to Oh
Women have more to fear from choleri
with proper precautions there Is little di
Extreme fear of the disease very Otter
to an attack Of cholera.
DIR. Ferran's incubation will not p
important part in this epidemic, hd
great its part may be in the next one.
Cholera germs live for an uncertain
They are known to live for months a
retain sufficient vitality to cause cho
persons exposed u them.
treat care regarding infected letter
clothing is therefore necessary.
Valencia oranges and Malaga raisl
this years crop may carry cholera gel
consumers even in distant countries.
are therefore among the things not To
THE American Sunday School unioI
ing its sixty Years of existence, has dlstr
l.. .. ,,1,r Z