Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-09-10
THE PLAGUE PROSPECT.

is becoming moro and more serious
owing 10 the arrival OF infected ships
ut New York. II this source Of danger
continues, President Harrison intends
to take steps that will lead TO the pro-
hibltion Of the landing OF emlgrants
from infected ports.
Professor Nircbow, an eminent
Frenchmap, insists that cholera in.
fiction can only be communicated by
actual contact, and that II cannot be
carried In the air. We do not believe
this Ia correct. This and other
epidemic diseases are liable 10 break
out where actual contact with persons or
articles exposed to surroundings whore
cases OF the particular malay have
occurred has been apparently impossI'
bic. This can be said OF instances OF
outbreaks Of diphtheria In isolated
places In the mountains Of this region.
During the last visitation OF cholera
TO Great Britain the idea was general
that the injection was carried about At
that time In the mir. In those days
when travel, even between towns, was
exceedingly limited for want OF faoili-
ties, the circumstances connected with
the spread OF the plague, apart from
scientific investigation. seemed to war.
rant the Inference that the Infection
was conveyed by mrlal transit. Num-
hers Of simple experiments were made
TO test this theory. One Of them,
applied IN a village which was
badly Infected, Is remembered by
the writer. A fresh leg Of mutton was
hois,ed ON high pole In one Of the
sections where the disease was raging.
The mutton was only exposed for a
few hours, yet whom taken down It
was positively putrld. This test may
not be considered actual proof, but II
showed the presence OF disease germs
OF some kind In the atmosphere, and II
they could be held there they could
certainly DO carried about by earial
cvrrents.
The cholera germ Ia no small that Ia
diminutivenees can hardly ho de.
scri bed by comparison. Each OF these
germs, when II eliminates, breaks and
two complete cells are the result, and
80 the production goes ON by this rapid
process Of multiplication. The indie.
scribablo Smallness OF the germs adspts
them for conveyance bv at
mospheric motion. We believe
DIR. Cyrus Edson to be right when he
says, In his article In the current mum.
Der Of the North American "Review,"
that "each person infected becomes In
turn q centre OF Infection for others,
and the disease would therefore move
from country 10 country like the
widening circles In water, were there
no travel whatever. II this theory
DO correci--it seems indisputabie--then
New York Is In imminent danger,
aside from any and nil precautions that
may be taken. A gale from seward
might easily nulliiy all measures to
prevent the introduction Of the dread-
I'D disease.
DR.. Edison gives some advice In nd.
vance o. an outbreak In this country.
He says:
"Should the cholera come hero we must
then SEQ to 1t that all germs are destroyed
by heal before taking thom into our
bodies. II In necessary, too, that the
most absolute cleanliness, especially OF
Tho hands, be observed and particularly
for those who handle food. The germs
may easily he found ON such things ms
straps In cars, balusiers on public stair
ways. door knobs, money and tho like.
! cannot too strongly state tho fact that
tho chances OF infection, were the cholera
10 break out to any extent, would b. al
most innumerablo ard that no amount OF
procaution, therefore, can be too great,
fortunately for M, when we are In
health we eau resist disease germs, oyon
n they are taken into tho system. Tho
care for ourselves during cholera out
break il, therefore, merely that caro-
we should properly tako ut all times. We
must take plenty OF sleep, n fair amount
OF exercise, eat very plain food thorough
ly cooked, drink water that has been
boiled and allowed 10 cool In bottles on
leo, lot raw fruit alone, wear light Han
nols, and In general lead Ms rational
life as We may
The dispatches bring information of
u suspected case Of cholera In Chicago,
the victim being Swedish immigrant.
Two doctors who examined her con.
dition before death state that the chol-
era symptoms were very strong, while
another says that It was case Of heart
disease.