The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-09-21
HOW TO CURE CHOLERA.
A PAPER ON TIE SUBJECT BY DIR.
SHAKESPEARE

On q hSRGAhE.
Misconception of Intelligent People.
Inspection Through the Intestinal
Canal Capitalization and Disinfec-
ton the Preventives.
From the New York Tribune,
The Medical Net0s of Philadelphia has
published a most valuable and interest
ing paper by E. o. Shakespeare, NJ.
d. of that city, on the preventive measures
for the individual during times OF actual
or threatened prevalence of cholera. Prob
ably no physician in the country is better
entitled, by ability and experience, to
speak on this question, which at the present
moment is one OF such momentous i'm
portance to every one. Most intelligent
people think they know something about
the nature Of cholera. and the method of its
propagation; but yet, in spite Of the copious
literature on the subject during the last few
months, the misconceptions in regard to it,
even on the part of educated people, are
very common. 1t is partly to remove these
misconceptions that DR.. Shakespeare has
prepared his paper, a summary Of which
will be here given.
He first emphasizes the fact that Asiatic
cholera, highly infectious and frlghtfully
mortal as it usually is when 1t obtains a
foothold amid ignorance, poverty and
squalor, is, acknowledgement in such a
favorite locality-of all the dangerous cpl
demic diseases the most easily and certainly
avoided by the individual, If only the
proper pecautions be constantly and scrupul-
ously observed. Cholera victims may be lived
with, handled, nursed, and treated With alb
L..
never once forgotten or neglected. The
cholera poison does not infect the air even
of the sick room; 1t cannot be inspired with
the breath; it does not enter through the
skin, or through outs, sores or abrasions Of
the body. 1t enters through the stomach
only, and assalls by way Of the intestinal
canal.
In the human being II is In the intestinal
| canal only that this infectious material
multipliss enormously, sometimes with ex-
treme rapidity, generating a chemical
poison that attacks and destroys the lining
| of the epithelium Of the intestines, causing
extensive flakes Of the latter to be thrown
of, while the raw surface thus expoled
| exudes great quantities of the fluids of
the blood-constituting together the
so-called rice water discharges, frequently
| so rapid and copious-aud which mean
while is thence absorbed into the system,
to play formidable role in a direct and
vicious attack upon the kidneys, heart and
nervous system. This infectious principle
has been proved to be the so-oalled cholera
bacillus-an extremely minute vegetable
parasite that multiplies in enormous num-
bers and with incalculable rapidly In the
| intestinal canal of the victim. Each drop
of the evacuation of the bowels and
of the stomach of a person who
Is suffering with Asiatic cholera
contains thousands of these infectious
| parasites. These discharges and everything
| soiled or contaminated by them are there
fore highly infectious and very dangerous
Cholera is never generated by fright, i'll
| health or constitutional weakness, filth,
| starvation, or anything else, unless the in
fictitious principle be first introduced into
| the stomach. Without the presence and
| multiplication of the cholera bacillus in
| the intestinal canal, an attack of Asiatic
cholera cannot occur.
The proper preventive measures, there-
| fore, are isolation and disinfection. And
| DR.. Shakespeare thinks these can be best
attained by the official action OF the state
| on the ground that the health of the whole
| community should not be made to depend
| on the Incompetence or neglect, or whim-
steal notions, or personal interests, or lack
Of authority Of the private physician" This
means temporary invasion of individual
| right; but the welfare of the community de-
H. All CAS6S VI SHOULD D0
| carefully watched, especially when they
occur among people of unclean habits. An
| attack OF what seems to be cholera morbus
among recently landed immigrants should
| also be watched with great care by oompe-
| tent physicians, especially as the clinical
| symptoms alone Of this disease furnish no
| trustworthy evidence as to its nature.
DR.. Shakespeare declares that until re-
Gently physicians did not know how to
| ranOUniza ali in
to guard the people against its deadly
power. The whole history of the disease
was marked by doubts and differences of
| opinion on the part of the physicians having
TO deal with it. But the observations and
experience Of the last nine years have
changed all this The baoteriologist Is now
able to determine the disease with
scientific accuracy, and the health au-
thorities of every place should
ask some competent bacteriologist to dag
| nose every suspicious case. 1t 10 only in
| this manner that a population can be III
sured against the establishment Of an ept~
| demic following the appearance Of scattered
cases of choleraio dIarrhHa and masked
| cholera, which, because Of their lightness
may escape notice, or because OF their SINH
larity TO other diseases may be mistaken
for the latter. No regard for personal SEN
sibilities should stand In the way OF such a
| scientific examination. There is reason to
believe that the prevalence Of the
disease in Hamburg is due to one mans
criminal neglect to perform this duty. IL
is needless to quote what DIR. Shakespeare
says about the danger from defective
| plumbing, filth and nuisances generally, for
the public is fully aroused to this danger.
| OF course filth does not create cholera, but
! il Is the natural dwelling place of the
germs. These germs will live long time
| in clothing, articles Of food and the soil
and it is agreed that they will live for
several hours in water, especially IL it con-
| tains organic or vegetable matter For this
reason it is most dangerous to use milk that
has been watered, unless It has been boiled.
Experience has abundantly proved two
laws which have an important bearing upon
the spread Of cholera: ~ The tendency TO
infection varies exceedingly among indi-
| viduals, and Is with the majority small.
| IN Tfst,,rhad nondfk,oaa ebo 20