Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-07-01
Water Causat;on of Cholera

W.
L have closely watched all the great cpl
denies In Europe since 1866, which have been
very numerous, and / can assert. with proofs
In hand, that wherever the epidemic has oc-
CURED on large scale. and in place where it
can be adequately studied-such as the great
epidemic of Naples and the great epidemics of
Genoa. Marseilles, Toulon and Spain-I have
never failed to ascertain that the distribution
of specifically poisoned water was the one
cause of every epidemic. Moreover, with the
cessation OF the cause the epidemic ceases L
do not propose to go into details. which shall
subsequently summarize in a book / have re-
luctantly undertaken. For these there will be
here no space. inasmuch the facts and figures
are as voluminous and massive as they are
convincing.
But to quote in summary only an example or
two, at Naples, shortly before cholera broke out,
u correspondent of the Times wrote home in
a little paragraph, which appeared a. the bot
tom of the column. saying that all were feeling
very uncomfortable at the approach of cholera
and everybody was beginning to be alarmed ;
not without cause, for beautiful Naples, ms
every one who has been there knows. is built
on porous tufa, sodden with filth of crowded
and successive generations. Its soil is riddled
with cesspools and surface wells. and from the
latter the chief water supply of the town was
obtained. This correspondent said: Every one
is pouring carbolic acid into the cesspools. and.
drinking water is tasting of csrboic acidr'
Cholera came like destroying angel, and left
Naples a city of mourning.
The scenes of horror. of frigh. and of savage
barbarity induced by fright will never be for
gotten. The visit of the King of Italy and the
dignitaries of the church. the strict professions
OF monks and images. the attacks upon the
doctors and nurses, who were assassinated as
cholera spreaders in virtue of their free use of
dsinfectants, are historical: they form picture
which 1t Is difficult to realize as belonging to
our times and to a civilized country of Europe
Their horrors have, however, been reproduced
and surpassed in Russia in 1892. Naples has
now at an enormous cost secured q pure water
supply for the greater part of the CITY by bring
ing into use again the old sources. and partly,
l believe. the grand old aqueducts constructed
by the Romans. Later cholera showed itself
on the Italian and French frontiers
Cordons of police and soldiers at ventiniglia
vainly sought TO keep of the cholera from the
neighboring cities by bayonet and baton.
Presently we had the news of a severe outburst
of cholera in Genoa. A resident physician, an
old friend of mine. whose acquaintance had
made when organized and dispatched. with
his aid and that of DIR. Wolfe, convoy of med
ical succor To the army of Garibaldi on his
famous expedition from Sicily, telegraphed to
me from Genoa: your water theory of cholera
at fault. Genoa has fine supply of pure water
from a high mountain source.
Cholera has broken out in districts SO sun
piled. and We have already 100 cases a dav
What is to be done?'' l replied by telegraph:
Cannot be at fault: must be water: cannot be
anything else. Examine every foot of YOUR
water pipes, and trace to the supply pipes
source" Soon l received the comforting in
telligence that in tracing the water supply to
its mountain source a group of Italians had
been discovered. refugees from the frontier-in
spite of the futile quarantine and cordons-
ch"lera-stricken. camping on one OF the open
channels through which the water flowed into
the pipes. and soi.ing the water by washing
their linen in it and otherwise communicating
1t with specific poison-a small replica of India,
Mecca and the Hurdwar Immediately the
water supply was cut off. the refugees were Sc
cured, cleansed and isolated. immediately also
the epidemic dropped, and very quickly it be-
came extinct.
The history of the great epidemic OF Mar
settles was Investigated by VI. Marcy on the
lines laid down by Snow. Farr, Simon and
myself, and his report to the French Academy
tells similar story. 1t may be noted as a
special instance of the practical worthessness
of the ACCIDENTALLY interesting meteorological
observations and storm observations in relation
to cholera unless We use the study of the water
supply to unlock the mystery that violent
storms. which are often supposed to have q
beneficial influence in clearing the air, washing
out the sewers and so forth. produced here a
distinct aggravation of the epidemic by washing
and swelling in other ways the bulk of poison
conveyed into the streams from which the
people were drinking.
The Hamburg epidemic affords fresh Illus
tration OF the water causatlon OF cholera cpl
denies. The Elbe. and the Elbe alone, was
the cause of that epidemic. have before me a
series of volumes describing the water ar
engagements of that city. And 1 have had the
whole matter of the water works and the water
supply investigated on the spot They are indie
scrlbably bad and inadequate. The Elbe itself
and Its tributaries at entrance extensively
continually and filthy polluted; its water il
distributed, imperfectly filtered or not filtered
at ALL to the inhabitants OF the CITY, Some of
the works are seventy years old. and some dis
tricts are supplied with unfiltered water Ham,
burg has suffered from nine epidemics of
Aslatlc cholera. 1t has been port from which
Aslatlc cholera has more thaa once been i'm
ported into this country and TO other European
ports, for 1t lies half way between the Russian
ports, which are the usual outlets of cholera
when IT travels from its home in Asia across
Russia, or up the Voiga, and reaches the Baltic
towns.
Another Narrow Escape,