The Irish standard., 1893-08-05
CHOLERA in INDIA.
bow the Scourge Is Spread Among
the People.
An Utter Lack Of Sanitary Precaution
Makes of the Villages Perfect
Breeding Ground for the
Disease Germs.

A plain story of the conditions that
prevail in India for the spread of the
cholera was told lately at the New
Century club by DR.. Pauline Root of
the Woman's medical college, who has
lived for eight years in southern India,
says the Philadelphia Ledger. DR..
Root began by describing the condi-
tions under which people live in south
ern India in order to show exactly
what circumstances generate the
cholera. There is absolutely no san
itation there, as we have it. Drainage,
with the exception of fever breeder
in the way of an open sewer, is un-
known. In the villages the people
live in low mud huts, where all the
family congregate in one room, the di-
mSnsicns of which are likely to be
four feet by ten or twelve feet. AS
there are no outbuildings at all there
is no way in which persons can protect
themselves against the cholera II it
once appears in such household.
Sometimes, if the we'll runs dry, stag
nant water must be used. high
caste parsonage will not allow low
caste to use his we'll.
Commonly people go to the river for
water. AS the water is frequently
not on the surface a tub" is dug in the
river bed and the water allowed to col
lect. At this tub, or at the we'll, all
the functions of bathing are per-
formed. First the jar is filed, and the
water being dashed over the person
soon trickles back to it's source. In
the case of certain religious enthusi-
asts water is poured over the body fifty
times. Next the seely, the single
piece of silk or cloth which is worn as
garment, must be washed. This is
dipped into the pool. Finally the jar is
refilled and carried home. The quail
ity of the water by the time the jar is
reflled is promising indeed when
cholera is in the air. In these river
tubs the clothes are washed. The cat
tie are taken there to drink.
DR.. Root said that in sending man
to the river to fetch water there was
never any certainty that he would not
fill his jar with the water standing in
one of the pools, instead of digging
fresh hole. The very cleanliness Of
the people, and they are extremely
clean, tends to the spread of cholera,
because their method of bathing is so
unintelligent. In southern India there
is always more or less cholera. 1t is
often prevalent after a. certain reli-
gious festival-of the marriage of two
diyinities-which is celebrated by an
encampn1ent in the river bed for four
or five days.
AS for facilities in caring for the sick
In India, DR.. Root graphically showed
how forlornly poor these are by de-
scribing her experience in the house of
the vice president of the municipality
of Madua, a wealthy man, who arrayed
himself resplendently when he came to
ask her to visit his wife, thus showing
his solicitude for his wife's condition.
Undoubtedly he meant to do the best
he could for the sick woman, for the
doctor found her in a room adjacent to
her husband's-a position of honor.
The woman was badly crippled and
only able to crawl down from her cot.
Beyond playing with the children and
polishing the jewels nothing relieved
the monotony of her day. She was en-
tirely uncared for. A hole in the wall
for refuse was cleaned only once day.
The woman died of blood poisoning.
And this is the way sick person Jared
in one of the better houses! Usually q
sick person is placed in room that is
reached from the house by crossing =
court and passing through an alley.
The alley usually has black, Shiny wa
ter in it. The room is seven feet
square,. In the court are often found
the cow, chickens and a number of per-
sons. No wonder that, under such
conditions, cholera spreads like wild
fire. But cholera is always brought.
It never starts of itself.