The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-09-15


New York, Sept. 14.-Now that Ash
attic cholera has developed among the
.dwellcrs in this city, each man may
ask his neighbor, well, what OF it?
The spirit OF the question would
show no more than that tho speaker
had himself mastered the elementary
truths touching this disease which have
been SO carefully iterated and reiterated
by tho responsible portion OF the press
during many days past.
The question would indicate that the
speaker fully understood that the
cholera is neither contagious nor in
fcctious, within the common meaning
attached to those words. In this sense,
it is, to use the language OF Professor
Virchow, less dangerous than diph-
thGria. This expression implies no
oyer.conidence. 1t lies within each
individuals power to assure his own
personal safety almost beyond n per-
adventure. He has but to drink no
water and milk except suchas have been
thoroughly boiled, aud to eat no food
that has not been thoroughly cooked;
he will abstain from butter and cheese
and may then possess his soul in seren-
ity. Cholera will pass him by.
Ever since the Moravia arrived in
port, as tho haroinger OF this dreaded
plague, state and local officers have
been stralning every nerve TO prevent
its gaining foothold in this city and
being spread by various channels to the
country at large. The health officials
have been strict even to severity; but
while all were looking seaward, and
while preparations were made to repel
an attack from across the water 1t has
quietly made its presence felt in our
midst, and five corpses to-day mark Its
advent How did it got in? is tho
question on every ones lips.
A PUZZLE,
The health officers wore puzzled OK
pressions when asked to solve the prob
lem. Disinfectauts have been used
with lavish hand both at quarantine
and in the city; baggage has been disin.
fected; passengers have been detained
even on healthy ships, and in the city
stringent rules OF cleanliness have been
laid down and acted upon.
The houses OF the dead arc not under
quarantine in the sense OF being shut
up, or OF its tenants being prohibited
to so and come when and whore they
please. But none goes or comes with
out the knowledge OF the doctor on
duty. The medical sentinel never
loses sight ior many hours ut time OF
his charges.
His instructions are most minute,
and his duties in tenement full OF peo-
pie most arduous. He is 10 register in
the first place, under orders OF his
superior, tho name and age OF every
person in the house, what they
work at and where; who go out Of tho
house, He is to keep tho sharpest
kind Of lookout for tho first symptom
OF diarrhGa trouble, and upon its ap-
pearance put the patient TO bed, keep
him there and prescribe for him while
hurrying word around to the health
board Office.
The closets in the house, or in the
yard, are to be his especial care. Tho
dislnfecting corps will be on tho 80
IRON house to house all day, and ho is
to direct the operations. All closets
in the yard where case OF cholera has
occurred must be disinfected twice
daily.
The doctor must search every room
in the house every few hours to see that
1T Is kept in order and that no refuse,
garbage, slops or other offal acGumu.
lates in cellars, halls or yards and that
the bedrooms arc properly ventilated.
ExTEAoRDINARY PRECAUTIONS.
The personal cleanliness of every ten
ant is the special care OF the sentinel
doctor, undor orders from headquarters.
He must SEQ to it that none OF them,
not even tho smallest child, sits down
to his or her meal without Arst washing
the hands with soap and cleaning the
nails as well.
II is through the mouth that the germ
Of the contagion is always commune
Gated. He is to teach the tenants to
burn all garbage, vegetable refuse and
other bones in the range when the fro
Is brisk and let no olIai be thrown into
the street. Families must not move
out OF the house without written por.
NIT. 10 that extent they are quaran.
tined.
Should now cases develop in tho
house, these arc his instructions: All
discharges from bowels or vomit OF sick
persons 10 be received in vessels con.
tanning disintecting fluid before ompty.
ing into the closet or privy. All soilod
bedding sheets, pillow cases, blankets.
handkerchiets or rags are 10 be re.
moved at once and put into pail or
tub with disintecting fluid boiling hot,
and attorward boiled for hall an hour.
No drinking vessels or other vessels
used by patients to be used without be.
ing thoroughly cleansed by boiling soap
The summer corps OF fifty tenement
doctors was recently turned into an ex-
pectant corporate guard. The idOa is