The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-07-11
THE CHOLERA.


Our dispatches report the cholera grad
ually increasing and spreading in Europe.
4 deal has been written about the mys-
terry OF cholera. There is no more lnysterv
about il than there is abou. yellow fever
and number Of other diseases II =. seem
30 flourish in feeding grounds of extraor-
binary filth. such IS are furnished by the
seaport cities OF Southern Spain, France
and adjacent Italy. The description OF
the infected districts Of Southern Earope
during cholera visitation always recalls
the horrible filth and outrageous viola
tons OF sanitary science DESCRIBED By the
press IS existing ST Memphis. Tenn:
New Orleans, La; Meridian and other
cities and towns Of Mississippi during the
isst great visitation Of yellow fever in
is77. The mystery Of the cholera Is the
mystery Of ignorance. Incidence. indiffer-
enoe. recklessness, that unites 20 force in
suited nature 10 exact vengeance for dei-
anoe Of public decency and sanitary WIS
dom.
Florence Nightingale. who nursei hun
dreis Of cholera patients during the
Crimesn war, believes the disease not
communicable from person 10 person;
tina. il IS a local disease depending on
pollution of earth. air, water and build
ings; that the isolation Of the sick cannot
stop the disease, nor quarantine, nor
eordons and the ike; tina; the only pre-
ventive Is 70 put the earth. sir, water
and buildings into a healthy state by
scsvenging, EEae-washing and every kind
Of sanitary work The people Of the cities
Of Southern Europe, from Russia ami
Turkey 10 Spain. live largely on frQit,
drink all kinds Of vile drinks, sleep IN
dir. and nastiness, breathe sir polluted by
sewage. and cannot therefore. escape
cAoler&
The cholera is = thing Of which no intel
hren; community 81 well ordered living
snd vel managed sewer pipes need have
alarming fear, even when brought into
! close contact with il. 70 saw nothing Of
getting into panic :: a distance. This
I Is all the mystery .. cholera II scoQrsed
North America frichtfaily in ISL; from
Cnebec 20 New Orleans, from Halifax 70
-. Louis, no community Of consequence
I On the lines 81 travel escaped is ravases.
! hut We have Il ~ seriously suffered from It
since lS4s. The reason IS thar we have
J been terror,Eed into keeping our cities de-
Gently clssn since iSS2. when we had =
Iced ground in every ci;y, whether BY
the sea Or Inland
There are medical men who express sRr-
prise that there was no cholera in the
Middle Ages How dc they know9 The
. Rack Death scoOrsed az Europe and slew
thousands where the cholera SEW han
drels. How can il Re shown by the icoo-
rant and inadequate descriptions OF those
DAYS thst the BLACK Death was not chos-
era People once acted n reference -
terrible diseases IS stupidity IS di3 the oil
+ AlheniAns, who, when : pestilence came
some 4lo wears before Chr -, said Is was
because Apollo VAS angry and deemed /,
an irresistible fate which must hold swav
until the wrath OF Apollo wss aprsssst2
hut the p,srue came anon Athens because
tia; great city, while she had the PartAe.
non, the masterpieces q painting a. :
sculpture; while she had $ genius Ter war
snd poetry, had uos practical een;-s
saeneA - construct = single sewer.
Apollo was seldom angry az Rome
heoAase Ro-ae early knew how a.
build sewers. sGUedncss ard roads, ans
Athens when she learned hos - drain
heS ct,y never hal cAase aftegssrG - be
wsi the wrath ~ Aro,la Nasty Atheu.
hai rs 'eArfa! p.asC because TIE most Az
IstiDErus. race IF the ancient World Es5
n0t know enough 10 clean CITY, Rome