Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-10-09
A STUDY OF CHOLERA.
Effect OF Age. Diet, Drink, and Mind on
the Disease.
(Dr. Edmund Charles Wendts Treatise On
Asiatlc Cholera.l

mr. Edmund Charles wendt's Treatise on
Asiatlc Cholera.l
Sex and OCCUPATION do not appear TO
influence the liability TO attack. but age
does. Fatality increases after the age OF
IS in a very decided manner. In England
The greatest fatality has occurred under l
wear and over S.. The liability to contract
the disease is apparently greatest between
the ages OF 10 and 40, bat 1t ls noteworthy
that the relative mortality Is the slightest
for about the zane period.
Infants under year OF age are not partl-
cularly prone TO acquire cholera. but when
seized with the disease the result is almost
invariably fatal. Habits may influence the
susceptibility to cholera IN more or less
pronounced way. Certain writers hold
that habitual drunkards before the stage
OF organic vlsceTal changes are no more
prone to infection than the temperate; IN
deed, it is even claimed that when OF the
better classes they enjoy q relative lmInu-
nitv from the disease, because of their
avoidance of water The weight of evil
deuce. however, fayors the opinion that
alcoholic drinks may assist the production
Of cholera.
1t was found that during the epidemic
of lS4SI49 in England the deaths on sat
urday. Tuesday, and Wednesday were
above, while on Thursday, Friday. and
| Sunday they were below the average.
| Weekly wages are generally paid on Satur,,
| DAYS, and the Mondays in London and
other cities are days on when certain
proportion of the population Will indulge
| in intoxicating drinks. So during the epi-
| demic OF 1865 the mortality in Berlin sud
| denly arose on certain days. and was clear
| lv referable to excess in drinking. Nervous
ness, anxiety, depression of spirits, gTlei'
! fear, violent emotions, and even actual ID
sanity would all appear to predispose the
| : l. anf ,a 1fanaEn
| quite aside from these and other snoWn
| conditions 1t should. of course, be borne
| in mind that while they may impart en-
| erpy TO the viruience Of cholera and favor
| it's rapid spread, they are utterly power
| less to produce the disease independently
| of the existence of its specific poison.
The professional reader will doubtless
find Of chiefest interest In the volume
those chapters dealing with the diagnosis
| and prognosis of the disease, its morbid
anatomy and pathological histology. ITS
| treatment, and the processes OF internal
and external disinfectlon. Lett sriilce US
here. III a final reference to a mortality OF
cholera, TO say that the time OF death IS
well shown by an examination OF the re- re-
cords OF the first Partisan epidemic; 4,SOI
fatal cases were reported Of this number
there died after the disease became estab-
lIshed:
2O4 cases in from to hours.
| els cases IN from 10 IL hours.
1872 cases in from IL TO Is hours.
LIB cases in from Is to a hours.
S23 on the second day.
SOB on the third day.
$50 on the fourth DAY.
2l0 ON the fifth day.
125 on the sixth day.
~ on the seventh day.
III on the eighth day.
80 on the ninth day.
36 on the tenth day.
III between ten and fourteen days.
10 in the third week.
According TO English reports the average
Duration OF an attack may be put down al
SIX days. In fatal cases the average wa:
found in London, during 1854. to be 2.6S
in cases of recovery, 0.06 days. This seem:
to illustrate common prognostic expe
rience, namely. that the longer the ISSUE
can be held in abe, ance the better are tn,
patents chances Of ultimate recovery.