The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-09-25
THE DREADED CHOLERA.
M guSrEB M,GUTEE's views.
VII. Experience with the Disease in Flu
rope-whst lie Observed About Its
Tceatment-An Interesting Letter.


After we had been IN Stockhol10 Tor
three days the reports about cholera at
Hamburg end other places in Germany
r.0e us so much concern that we deter
mined to make our way with all the speed
to England. We took night train and
arrived in Copenhagen the next forenoon
The slecping-cars on This train were by
ar the most comfortable that have ever
soen. much more desirable than any OF
tho Pullman sleepers in our country.
We were reminded st every station. in
eve-v railroad carriage, and in almost
ovcrv village by the smell Of disiniect-
MS that the people were preparing Tor
cb,lcra. The odOr of chloride of lime and
earholic acid prcdominated. in Copcn-
hagen the stencil was fearful. The CITY
Was very dirty. and instead of cleaning
the streets and alleys they were trying 20
0,'nfcct the filth with foul-smelhng ne
osn-izerS. Unless the chemical agent is
500 very strong IL does not destroy the
bacillus of cholera. and tons OF various
Csufectants have been used, dVuD'ieSS'
without the slightest good.
WORSE AND WORSE.
After one night and a day we left Co
now daily growing worse ana worse ana
,,o soon left for Cologne. still on our way
"a Great Britain I'm Cologne We were
49,, noruittrd 10 leave the car until we
bod hcen inspected 10y doctor VINO
alarmed us very much by smelilh S
st~Cn,lv himself of carbOlic acid. ana 10y
ia be,uc arocnd with a large syringe
flled with "a solution of this drug, win
which he proposed 10 sprinkle Us. w.
persuadcd him. however. 10 let us I'oN9
without this iuNictiOn. and after spehu!"s
one night in that city We arrived the next
dav I'm London. much TO our relief
DREADED QUARANTINE.
None Of rs we're afraid Of the cholera
hut MI OF US dreaded She quarantine. IN
decd. the day after we passed me lr'h'"I
station between Germany ana rt"'e
trains were stopped and all ln&gage uS'H
fected by carbohc aad or D"AeH III V'en, ,
built for that purpose. ! he iaoles OF ""i
Marty turned DIe when they learned how
reorlv their trunks and dresses had been
oxposod 10 danger. Good clothes are
mined in this wy Shoes and gloves are
absolutely useless after they are baked
but this process properly applied Is the
best one TO disinfect baggage. AS they
do il. however, in Germany and France
Il Is a farce.
no IoN0ER Misunderstood.
Cholera is no longer misunderstood
Thanks 10 Koch. wa know that 1t Is due
10 germs. This germ produces and prOpa
gates disease. When Koch first found tins
germ 10 Egypt and afterwards In England
great doubt was passed on ms statement
but Lis conclusions have been confirmed
by many other observers, and now hi'
s,ateme1ts are almost universally a.
boIt he IL
usually Ike the printed comma, and So
has been named the comma bacillus.
That this il the agent that produces
cholera there is now scarcely doubt
and continued research being daily an'
hourly made only confirms the fact tina
We now know our enemy, can Nnd on
his mode and manner IF attack AID VII
in future be better able 10 combat il
These bacilh are found in the discharge
from the stomach and bowels of patient
suffering with cholera. When thes
germs are given to dogs, rabbits, or othe
animals they produce symptoms idehuca
with Asiatic cholera in man. Som
months ago one of Koch's assistants
while cultivating these bacilli, by acct
dent got one Of them in his mouth. am
soon after had an attack of true Aslati
cholera. and at q time when there was ~
cholera in Europe.
GsAND sTTP N sCLrEcP.
IT is grand step in science TO know
that we have recognized the enemy: that
lie old notion that there were "cholcrf
guists," or cholera blasts or "atmOs
pheric cholera waves are now know
% have been erroneous; that people d'
not catch cholera as they do scarle
fever measles and whooping cough
KEEP TIE BACIILI FROM THE STOMACH.
We eat cholera and drink cholera. by
never catch" cholera as we 50 long sap
posed we could do. A man can go int
cholera epidemic and as long ~ Inc
GOES not let one of the bacteria get I'M,
ls stomach be is SAFE. These baclll
propagate or reproduce themselves u
proper s0i-thlt is in filth. II has beer
truly said that cholera is filthy disease
(which is carried by dirty people 10 Olrtt
places and this expresses the wh0l'
thing clearly Cholera begins in India
end when once started it almost always
goes around the world before It ceases
1t stalks over the country along ia,
main lines of traffic. ii "a brought hy mel
IN their clOthin- and SecieuOus, and no
ny any teilur. Influences. and when II
finds 4 filthy place il produces an epl
Dr1lc 10 found plenty OF these dirty
places I'm Eus-iu. IL came THIS time Will
speed of 81 locomotive over the Trans
Caspian railway and 10y fast steamers ul
the river Noga. Formerly il was brought
lV mcn ON foot or horseback. then II was
slower This epidemic is one OF the mos
Nirllent that We have ever had. II
Russia alone he the last three months
one hundred and sixty thousand persons
have died from il. In no previous cpl
Grfnic has there been such mortality. Ii
may be true that the more quickly after
leaving it, home i'm India IL IS introduced
into hlt.y places the more vlrulcnt l.
the poison.
THr MRCcA PILGRIMS.
How does this disease spread? Chiefly
hy what we eat and drink. Polla,ed drink
INK water is The main source. Before
this epidemic. cholera was always brought
to us from India by the Pilgrims from
Mecca. They carried u 10 the shores Of
the Red sea and FROM thence TO the Mcdi
terranean. Each one OF this vast CROW,
of Pilgrims who arrived at Inc Hols
well, had bucket of.water poured over
him. and drank all lie could hold. the res
Of the water ran back into the well. Oh
the last occasion Of their visit 20 Niece;
10000 of the Pilgrims died of cholera
aud the road 10 Arrdrat. twelve miles dis
lance. was lined with their dead bodies.
1HE ST. PETERSBURG Epidemic.
The epidemic in ST Petersburg is plain
" due 10 the polluted water Of the NeYa
The supply of drinking water IS t2kcl
below a place where much of the sewage
OF the CITY is discharged. The outbreai
OF cholera now i'm Paris is acknowledge
90 be due TO the impure water oi tn'
Seine In late years all the outbreaks