The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-09-16
In SPITE OF SCIENCE.
How an English Soldier Was Cured
of Cholera by a Draught Of
Cold Water.

and 1 have often wondered that British
soldiers out here are, on the whole, such
a steady, well behaved lot of lads. Com
pare a soldiers life in a small Indian sta.
ton with being quartered even at Malta
or Gibraltar, and either of these places
will seem like paradise; though the
"Rock' is by no means popular, and is
always called a prison by the troops for
the time being in garrison there.
Well, we found Areet horribly dull,
and it was with great satisfaction that
we heard an order had been given for
our company to march to Vellore to
strengthen the garrison there, which had
been very much reduced by cholera.
1t was then about the middle of March,
and consequently later than is usual for
moving troops, IS the days begin to get
very hot on the plains In the Carnatic
about that time of the year. But ours
was special duty; and as we should only
march in the very early morning, we did
not fear the Inconvenience of the mid
day heat, but looked upon the whole
thing as rather a lark, and a welcome
change from the monotony of garrison
duty. AS to the cholera, not one of us
gave it a thought, Not likely it would
touch one of usI
It was on the second day after leaving
Arcot that Private Thomas Atkins, who
was my right file, suddenly had to fall
out. I expected him to rejoin the ranks
before long; but did not trouble myself
about his absence. It was not until we
reached camp and had finished breakfast
that I heard anything more about him.
/ then learnt that he was buriedi
knew cholera was awfully sudden in
it's attack and effects, but / had not i'm
agined the possibility Of its carrying off
a healthy man quite SO rapidly. OF
course immediate interment must take
place in case of death on the line of
march. I had liked Atkins much, but !
fancy his death and burial were so sud
den that the rest of US failed to realize
the truth of what had happened to u
comrade, and half expected to see him
turn up again, Anyhow, we soon forgot
the incident.
Late in the afternoon I was listening
to a description of Vellore by one of u
fellows who had been there, and specu-
lating ON the chance of seeing the croco-
dies which Wppoo Sultan had placed in
the moat around the fort, as the best
possible sentinels to prevent prisoners
from escaping or any of his troops from
attempting to desert. when suddenly /
felt spasms and sickness.
"Holloal old fellow, how blue you
lookl" remarked a companion sitting
next to me; and as he spoke my COM
rades shrank terror stricken from me. 1t
needed no doctor to tell me what was the
matter, The cholera had seized me!
I was hastily conveyed to the tempo
rary hospital, where our assistant sur
geon already had several cases of the
disease under treatment, and ! was laid
on a charpoy. I rapidly passed from
the first to the second stage of that NAL
ady, and by 8 o'clock at night the inces-
SAINT vomiting and purging had reduced
me to a condition of weakness approach
ing insensibility, / was consumed by a
burning, raging thirst, but the dresser
disregarded all my e~ntreaties for a drink
of water, The system Of treatment for
cholera in those days allowed the pa
tent nothing more than just to have
the lips moistened occasionally with
weak brandy and water, and this simply
aggravated the torture of thirst. Now
adays champagne is given, and the suf-
ferer is allowed to drink pretty freely.
The hospital was, of course, only a
pandal, hastily constructed with palmy-
ra leaves, with a large cuscus mat at the
entrances at each end. Two large chat
ties of water were placed just outside
each entrance, from which a cooliefrom
time to time threw a ~pannikinful on the
cuscus faiths, so that the wind, blowing
through the wet mats, might cool the
temperature inside the pandal, This re-
suit certainly wa attained, but at the
cost of intensifying the pangs of the pa
tients, whose thirst was tantalized by
hearing the splashing of the water.
/ had begged, sworn and menaced at
intervals. but no one paid the slightest
heed to me; and / wa sinking into that
condition of torpor which is the immedi-
ate precursor of the third and fatal stage
of cholera when | heard voices in the
pandal. The assistant surgeon was
making his last round for the night, ac-
companied by the hospital dresser.
With a violent effort l reused myself
and eagerly listened for their approach.
! wanted to hear my fate pronounced.
They stopped at length where / lay,
and the doctor examined my body.
"Mottled!' / heard him remark to the
dresser, ! was nearly deafened by the
singing or rather drumming in my ears,
so I lay perfectly ~motionless, so as not to
let a single word of what they might say
escape me, if possible.
"He is insensibls already" the doctor
continued, land will not last long. So
Wetherall will make sixr'
s'Make sikh" I said to myself, snake
six WHAT" "Six corpses, of course, for
burial at daylight tomorrow morning."
3 voice seemed to laugh out, with fend-
ish EMULATION,
The dresser said something which /
could not distinctly hear, but the answer
enlightened me as to the subject they
were discussing,
"Oh, yes, there will be room enough;
In fact, for two more, if necessary"
They had gone, and the place was in
darkness save for the glimmer of a CO.
coanut oil lamp. l heard the scratching
of mumooties just outside the pandal.