Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-09-15

DE- IESErSs CONFIDENT THAT TIE DISEASE DID
not SLIP THEouoH oUARASTISL-THE HEALTH
AUTHORITIES SAY THAT THERE rs NO OCCASION
FOR ALARN-DIREcTIoSs TO THE PUBLIC IS
scIp.
AZ was announced in TEE STAR Yesterday
Or. Herman Biggs reported to the New York
health department. Yesterday afternoon the re-
suit OF his examinations and announced unhes-
! itatingly, thata number Of deaths which he had
been investigating we're from, Asiatic cholera
beyond any doubt
The physicians OF the health department have
been unable to fnd ont how the cholera was
contracted in each of these cases. So far as
they have been able 20 learn. none of the dead
persons came in contact with the cholera germs
Every precaution has been taken 20 prevent the
spread of cholera in these different houses The
bedding OF each of these patients has been
burned, ard the houses have been placed under
observation.
HOW TIE CASES WERE DIscovEhFp.
How the disease slipped through quarantine
aud got in is. US before stated, a mystery which
the doctors are trying TO solve BY tracing each
case as far back possible. II ia hard to do
that. because all of the victims are dead
OF none OF them had the department any
notice until they had died.
he situation Is identical with that Of 1866,
when the cholera suddenly appeared in three
or four widely separated PLACES in New York
c.tyin 93d street and in Mulberry street. quite
fivc miles apart, after it had been successfully
quarantined out the previous fall Then as
now, feet Of plague ships lay in the bay But
the cases of cholera that broke out in New
York had 10 connection with quarantine The
real origin of the plague never discovered
The first case in that epidemic was that Of a
widow who lived the rocks in g9d strcet abnva
Sd avenue
The first case this year was that of Charles
McAvoy, who died at $40 10Th avenue. He was
a p!nsterer. The only possible clue may be
found in the statement that he had been work
Ing about the steamboat wharves Yet none of
the pest ships had come up to its wharf. He
was'seized with cramps in the legs on Monday
evening, but felt better in the morning and
went to his work. A. IL o'clock in the fore
noon he came home and said he was sick He
went 70 bed and had fresh attack of cramps
The pain extended to the abdomen and Kidneys
and violent diarrhra and vomiting followed
DR. Robert Deshon was called in. lie diagnosed
the case as Asiatic cholera and called DIR. II.
johnson in consultation. lie confirmed the
diagnosis. In the evening McAvoy died, and
the doctors advised the board of health. An
autopsy was Made upon McAvoy's body and
the house was disinfecte as a measure of pre-
caution.
The result Of the autopsy declared BY DIR.
Eggs 10 be no: az all suggestive of Asiatic
cholera, while showing the familiar signs of
cholera morbu,. However, some of the in
Il -tinal fluid taken 10 sanitary headuuar-
tiers ard an attempt made to raise coma bacilli
IN 1t bycultivation in sort of gelatine and beef
soup. fine crop was the result. The germ
ha'; beer found. The nature of the disease was
TO longer open to question. Eight DAYS have
elapsed since McAvoy's death What has caused
the long delay in ascertaining the exact factr of
his death is not stated.
Vim. Wigmann and his wife. Sophia. were an
aged couple who lived alone at 761 1lth avenue
She was seized first and died after an illness of
several days, 1t Is sail Before she was dead
her husband fell i'll and died two days later,
while she lay Yet unburied.
An autopsy was made upon their bodies at
the Reception Hospital Tuesday night. DIR.
Biggs had barely got through with his examina-
lon or the int 5tial contents of the two corpses
before he was called TO the hospital to perform
an autopsy on Charlotte Beck. That was early
yesterday morning.
1t was the discovery of the characteristic
signs Of the Asiatic pest in her bowels that
caused the official proclamation bv the board
yesterday afternoon. Miss Beck was thirty
years old. She was seized with violent cramps
In the legs and abdomen Tuesday morning at
lI61 I'd avenue. Dr.. Nandergaty was called
in. He diagnosed the case prom. tlv as Asiatic
cholera and notified the health board. He saw
her at 9:25. At IL 0 clock she was dead. She
died in collapse.
The fifth case is that Of Minnie Lcvinger.
child who died September II at All East 4Gth
street. -HH.r
DIR. JENKINS SURPRISED.
Intense surprise wns expressed at quarantine
by the officials. and Dr. JenhiI expressed him
self as confident that il had not passed quaran-
tine. He sa!d all baggage was thoroughly dis
infected, not only since the cholera had become
epidemic In European ports. but ever since the
typhns fever; in fact ever since he had been
health officer of the port. lie said the best au-
thorities in the world stated that a stringent and
complete quarantine could only claim to pre-
vent 40 per cent of the possibilities of the in
PRODUCTION of cholera into place. The other
80 per cent of possibilities of cholera inyadnga
seaport were open to other means over which
quarantine had no control. He said that il was
quite possib for person visiting a cholera
patient or hospital to transmit the germ from a
first to third party without feeling any of the
effects himself. He had no official notification
of there being cholera in the city. and he had
received no notification on the subject from the
board of health.
Regarding the length of time that it was
necessary to keep the people in quarantine for
fear Of development DR.. Jenkins said that
opinions differed from five to twenty-four
days. The New York health authorities thought
the first named number OF DAYS was sufficient
to allow the germs to develop. Pettenkofer.
the great German authority, did not believe in
the efficiency of quarantining at all
DIR. jenkins said thar with reference to the
cases reported in New York the only one he
knew anything about was that Of Charles Nc
Evoy. and as far as he had learned the man in
question had no. been anywhere in contact
with cholera and it over year since he
came out to the country. He saw no reason
why the cholera should not be effectualy
stamped out in New York, if they are AZ sue
cessful in dealing with it in the city as the
health officers had been in the port.
DIR. jenkins. in reply to question. said that
ne did not think that the board of health physi-
ciuns had made any mistake in their diagnosis
Of the disease. for they would no. make any re-
port until after making meteorological exami-
nation. 1t was impossible. however, for him to
say whether the five cases of cholera reported
from New York really cases Of Asiatic
cholera. The fact of cholera having succeeded
in presenting itself in the city would not the
doctor said, interfere with the restrictions now
prevailing at quarantine. He was sure that the
cases in question had not found their way to
New York via the quarantine and he refused to
express any opinion whatever as to its introduce
ton by way Of Canada or any other place not
controlled by him.
WHAT HEALTH AUTHORITIES SAT-.
President Wilson of the board of health
said there was no occasion for excitement in
the CITY. The health denartment boa talar