Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-05-06
HOW CHOLERA Is SPREAD IN INDIA
Through Lack of Sanitation and the Peo-
Piles Peculiar Habits.


Piles Peculiar Habits.
From the Philadelphia Public Ledger and Daily
Transcript.
plain story of the conditions that prevail in
India for the spread Of the cholera was told
yesterday morning at the New Century Club by
DIR. Pauline Root of the Woman's Medical Col
lege. who has lived for eight years in southern
India. DR.. Root began by describing the con-
ditions under which people live in southern
India, in order to show exactly what circum-
stances generate the cholera. There Is abso-
lutely sanitation there, as we have it.
Drainage, with the exception of fever breeder
in the way of an open sewer, is unknown. In
the villages people live in low mud huts, where
all the family congregate in one room, the di-
mansions of which are likely to be four feet by
ten or twelve feet As there are no outbuild-
ings at all there is no way in which persons can
protect themselves against the cholera il it
if the we'll runs dry, stagnant water must DO
used A high caste parsonage will not allow q
low caste to use his well.
Commonly. people go to the river for water
As the water is frequently mot on the surface
tub is dug in the river bed and the water
allowed to collect At this tub, or at the well,
all the functions of bathing are performed.
First the jar is filed, and the water being
dashed over the person soon trickles back to
its source. In the case of certain religious
enthusiasts water is poured over the body
fifty times Next the Seely, the single piece
of silk or cloth which is worn as a garment,
must be washed. This is dipped into the pool
Finally, the Jar is reflled and carried home.
The quality Of the water by the time the jar il
refiled is promising indeed, when cholera is
in the air. In these river tubs the clothes are
washed. The cattle are taken there to drink.
DIR. Root said that in sending . man to the
river to fetch water there never anv GER
tainty that he would not fill his jar with the
water standing in one Of the pools, instead of
digging a 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. It
is often prevalent after a certain religious festi-
val-of the marriage of two divinities- which
is celebrated by an encampment IN the river
bed for four or five days.
As for facilities in caring for the sick in In
dia. DIR. Root graphically showed how forIornly
poor these are by describing her experience in
the house Of the vice president of the munich
patty OF Madua. a wealthy man. who arrayed
himself resplendently when he came to ash 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 entirely uncared for. hole in the wall
for refuse was cleaned only once a day. The
woman died Of blood poisoning. And this is
the way a sick person Jared in one OF the bet
ter houses. Usually a sick person il placed in
a room that is reached from the house by cross
ing court and passing through an alley. The
alley usually has black. Shiny water in ii. The
room is seven feet square. In the court are
often found the COW. chickens and a number of
persons. No wonder that. under such conai-
tions, cholera spreads like wildtire. But
cholera is always brought. 1t never starts OF
itself.