Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-09-01
WILL KILL CHOLERA.
Natural Gas and Petroleum May
Keep the Disease, Away.
TIE VEGETABLE GERM EXISTS.
Colonel 7. P. Roberts Tells Of His Having
Seen 1t Recently.
OPPOSED TO LOWERING THE DAVIS DAM

''Pittsburg 10 less liable to be infected
with cholera on account of its natural gas
and petroleum resources than other cities
that do not have these advantages.
The above remark was made by Colonel
Thomas P. Roberts, civil engineer, of the
Monongahela transportation Company, and
member of the State Board of Health. He
was discussing the inadvisability of lower
ing Davis Island dam, as the water, he be-
lieves, would then become stagnant and
form vast breeding ground for bacteria of
any and all diseases Resuming his talk
upon the beneficial qualities of natural gas
as a vegetable germ destroyer, the Colonel
said he was satisfied the cholera germ was
of vegetable life.
"There is much talk among physicians"
he continued 'about the non-existence of
the cholera germ but 1 have seen the germ
myself while on exhibition before the
MicroscopicaI Society few months ago and
know of what 1 am speaking. There is as
vet no well-established theory regarding
the cholera either as to its causes or cure,
and one NAV clearly be entitled to theorize.
That there is some excuse for this state of
affairs is evidenced BY the fact that it has
only been within the last decade that the
germ theory has been generally accepted by
our foremost scientists Many there are
even yet who dispute the theory and claim
the comma bacillus is not the real progeni-
tor of the disease. These doubtless hold
the comma bacillus, or other germs found
in the waste discharges of the disease, to
l. L.. sc
illogical or morbid condition of health in
stead of being the cause direct This theory
when fully developed requires of its advo-
cate belief in spontaneous generation of
life. This question has agitated for years
the most profound students of biology, but
so far they are at loss to prove it a fact
and are obliged to accept the germ theory
as the only practicable one to account for
the phenomena of cholera and other in
fectious diseases
Where the Germs Belong
f'One fact appears to be demonstrated re-
garding all forms of bacteria heretofore dis
covered and classified. That fact is that
they all belong to the vegetable kingdom
although of a low and primitive order of
existence. Bacteria are mere cells of pro-
toplasm which multiply by subdivision and
are devoid OF chlorophyl. They are judged
to be vegetable rather than animal forms
of life on account of their resistance to
alkaline solutions Moisture or water is
necessary for their propagation, and, like
animals, oxygen seems to be necessary to
support their existence. 1t is pretty well
demonstrated that their native soils, includ-
ing the waters, are in the lowlands of
Bengal 1t was at Jessore in 1917 that the
first epidemic of the disease was made
known to European physicians II has
upon repeated occasions since that period
spread over Asia, Africa and America, from
the same basic region. The probabilities
are that in that district there is mean tenn
perature approximating $50, at which heat
they best flourish, with other favorlng con-
ditions for their growth and dissemination
through populous region. 1t is a mistake
to suppose, however, that cool weather, or |
even winter weather, will exterminate the |
cholera, because it has ragged upon several |
occasions in Europe in The coolest days of |
winter. AS one writer states: The in |
stances where cholera has been kept out by |
q rigid Gordon or the strictest of quaran- |
tines are few, and, he continues 'quaran-
tines may be called elaborate illustrations |
OF leakiness,' as we had an illustration |
only yesterday in New York, where the |
third-class passengers of certain steamer
were required to take baths in salt water |
and go into camp on an island for several |
days, while the cabin passengers, some of |
whom mingled with the immigrants on the |
voyage, were permitted to go to the city |
hands.