The record-union., 1892-10-29
ASIA4IC CHOLERA.
Chances of Its Becoming Epidemic
in This Country.
Cleanliness and Care of What we Eat
and Drink the Only Safeguard
Against 1t.

Aslatic cholera, so-called from the fact
that it is a disease endemic in parts of
Asia. is malignant disease of the blood,
caused by the presence in the intestines
Of bacilli in countless myriads. This ba-
cillus, discovered by Koch, and named
the comma" bacillus because it resem-
bles the comma in shape ) increases by
segmentaton; that is, it divides itself into
two parts, each becoming Of full size and
dividing again. Cholera may only be
caught by taking the bacilH into the
mouth and stomach in some way. They
are infinitely small, 50 small that have
no words i'll which to convey an idea of
their lack of size. They may be carried
in the dust blown about the street, but
the media through which they usually
reach human beings are the water drunk
or the food eaten. The spread OF cholera,
it being a purely infectious disease, and
requiring the bacilii to be swallowed, is
through the persons infected or suffering
from 1t or through their infected cloth
ing. How long the bacili will remain
active i'll a dry state is not definitely
known, but for practical purposes l can
say that any clothing exposed to infec-
ton IS dangerous SO long rs the bacilli
I'D ' u iAOb DGSu AlllGus AllOltIU, ike Ooiel
diseases we call epidemics, spreads along
the ordinary routes of travel. Each per-
son Injected becomes in turn center Of
injection Tor others, and the disease would
therefore move from country to country
like the widening circles in water We're
there no travel whatever. Tho universal
movement OF to-day, however, hastens
its march greatly. While cholera is en-
demic in Asia, and always makes its ap-
pearance during such great religious fes-
tINals as the pilgrimage to Mecca, or the
festival OF Juggernaut, it does not trave!
to Europe every year. This is because
the disease does not always acquire that
virulence which will develop germ Of
sufficient malignity to travel. Why this
should be so do not know, but ali facts
point to the conclusion that sometimes
the germ or bacillus is of greater potency
and strength than at others, and this is
true OF all infectious diseases.
The practical question which concerns
US IN this country is the danger TO which
we are exposed. This Is not very great.
In the first place the fact of the existence
OF the disease is known, and in such mat
tiers TO be toreWarned is emphatically to
be torearmed. Second, the period of in
cubatlon OF cholera is very short being
from few hours to three days. Conse-
quently, should any person infected
board one OF the ships coming here the
ulSeaSe WOuIu manifest Itself before the
arrival OF the vessel. The advantage Of
this is obvious; no vessel could arrive
here with cholera on board without the
quarantine physicians finding or hearing
OF cases. The outbreak of typhuS which
occurred in the city some months ago
was produced by people who, owing to
the long incubation Of typhus, passed
quarantine while apparently well. Of
course. the germs might come here in
rags, but the chances that rags have of
passing without disinfection are extraor-
dlnarlly small nowadays. Generally
speaking, the water supply of American
cities is exceedingly pure. AS water and
food are the carriers Of the germs, it fol-