Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1892-09-29

CharACt eristiCs OF the IN. ease-RuIes to
be Ohscrved During Us Prevalence.

CharACt eristiCs OF the DI-e ase-Rules to
be ObscrNed During Us Prevalence.
To the Editor Of the Free rreas:
m view OF the fact that Asiatic cholera
has reacGe the shores of this country and
tAntina al probability its march inland can DO
anticipated, perhaps a word regarding the
disease Itself and fow suggestions respec.-
ing its treatment would lie acceptable to
your readers.
Cholera jig essentially an Infectious disease
and depends for Its development upon the
presence Cf n lucrobe or germ called tho
comma bacillus which finds its ways into
the stomach or intestlues either in food or
drink where II rapidly develops and multi
plies, causing inflammation Of the muscos
lining OF the intestine. heso blc!ln are
so small that it requires na.uifying power
Of coo dlameters TO see them, Ihoy are
found in large numbers in the dejactons,
hut rarely IL yomitel matter. The actual
cause Of tie disease, the comma bacillus,
was ou.y GiscovereI by Koch in 1881.
Cholera exists every year in India to Il
greater or loss extent, and during the 10
years preceding 1881 there were three and
Il half million deaths from the disease. 1t
Is only during tie present century that 1t
has invaded Europe or America. The first
I
ls:2, when it was brought by immigrant
ships from Great Britain 10 Quebec, travel
ling westward by the Great Lakes TO the
upper Mie~issippL In the Same year it en-
tered the United States by the way of New
York. here were other slight invesious of
the disease in iS@1-36. In 1898 il found al
entrance to this country through New Or
leans and spread westward to California,
very few casts appearing east OF tno Mi-sis-
sippi river. in 1919 few cases appeared
| ANA IL prevailed widely in 1901, being in
trOduced by immi, Grant shirs iuto the port
OF New \ ork. 1865 g. and 1873 it appear
ed here but did not reach the importance
OF an epidemic Although q few cu,os have
been intercepted ~ quarantine the dis. asa has
had no foOtho.d N TINS country sluce 1873.
From the above IL will DO seen that the dis
case Is far from being a stranger to us.
although except in the years 1872 and lSJ4
no epideDlic OF any moment has occurred
/ and the mortality was slight In comparison
to other countries suffering at the same
time. The disease is not contagious in tho
same sense rs smallpox and scarlet fever,
but is similar to typhoid fever in this re-
| spect. II Is n strange but instructive FAC.
| that Physicians and nurses who are closely
| und constantly IN attendance upon cholera
/ patients rarely take tho disease 1t is BE-
/ ilevod by many writers that the disease is
not contagious or infectious at all except
through fear, but there are many recorded
cases which would refuta TINS statement.
| The leading authorities are agreed that its
/ propa CATION depends upon the contamina-
| tion OF water used for drinking, washing
AMI cooking. Koch found the bacilIi IN
water tanks IN Inda from which the inhati
tsnts received thslr supply for drinking and
washing purposes. The baci,l or germs
are not conveyed through tho atmosphere
as it is generally supposed, bu. spread nlor;
tha lines OF travel carried by pilgrims
caravans, railroads, ships and the like. The