The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1893-05-04
The Water Causation of Cholera.
lDr. Ernest Hart, IN the New Review.l

Gus, and / can assert, with proofs in
hand, that wherever the epidemic
has occurred on large scale, and
in place where it can be adequate
ly studied-such as the great cpl
demic of Naples, and the great cpl
denies 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. More
over, with the cessation of the cause,
the epidemic ceases. do not pro
pose to go into details, which shall
subsequently summarize in book !
have reluctantly undertaken, For
these there will be here no space, in
asmuch as 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, correspondent of the Times
wrote home in little paragraph
which appeared at the bottom 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,
as everyone who has been there
knows, is built on a porous tufa, sod
den with the 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 OBJ
tanned. This correspondent said:
Everyone is pouring carbolic acid
into the cesspools; and, strangely
and disagreeably enough, all our
drinking water is tasting of carbolic
acid" Cholera came like destroy
ing angel and left Naples a city of
mourning. The scenes of horror, of
fright, and of savage barbarity in
duced by fright, will never be for
gotten. The visit of the King of
Italy and the dignitaries of the
Church, the street professions of
monks and images, the attacks upon
the doctors and nurses, who were as
sassinated as cholera spreaders in
virtue of their free use of disinfec-
tants, are historical; they form
picture which it is difficult to realize
as belonging to our times, and to a
civilized country of Europe. Their
horrors have, however, been repro
duced and surpassed in Russia in
1892. Naples has now at an enor-
nous cost secured pure water sup
ply for the greater part of the city
by bringing 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 Yentimiglia vainly sought
to keep off the cholera from the
neighboring cities by bayonet and
baton. Presently we had the news
of severe outburst of cholera in
Genoa. A resident physician, an
old friend of mine, whose acquain-
lance / had made when | organ
lied and despatched, with his aid
! and that of DR.. Wolfe, con-
voy of medical 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
J a high mountain source. Cholera
has broken out in districts so sup
piled, and we have already one hun
bred cases day. 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 waterpipes, and trace to the
supply-pipes' source" Soon / re-
ceived the comforting intelligence
that in tracing the water supply to
its mountain source, group OF
, Italians had been discovered, re-
fugees from the frontier-in spite OF
l the futile quarantine and cordons-
,, cholera-stricken, camping on one OF
I. the open channels through which
the water flowed into the pipes, and
soiling the water by washing theil
. linen in it and otherwise contaminat
. ing it with specific poison--a small
replica of India, Mecca, and the
: Hurdwar. Immediately the water
!, supply was cut off, the refugee:
were secured, cleansed and isolated
! Immediately also the epidemic drop
ped, and very quickly it became ex
: tinct. The history of the great
Y epidemic of Marseilles was investi
!, gated by M. Marcy on the lines lait
! down by Snow, Farr, Simon, ant
S myself, and his report to the French
Academy tells a similar story. II
9 may be noted as special instance
= of the practical worthlessness of thu
: ACCIDENTALLY interesting meteorolo
gical observations and storm observ
= atoms in relation to cholera (unles
: we use the study of the water sup
- ply to unlock the mystery, that VIC
= lent storms, which are often sup
o posed to have beneficial influence
. in clearing the air, washing out TIN
=, sewers, and SO forth, produced her
a distinct aggravation of the epide
= mic, by washing the pollution out o
!. the ground into the rivers, ant
:, swelling in other ways the bulk o
h poison conveyed into the stream
- from which the people were drink
\ ing.
j. The Hamburg epidemic affords
# fresh illustration of the water-causa
10 ton of cholera epidemics. The Elbt
n and the Elbe alone, was the cause O
v that epidemic. | have before me
r series Of volumes describing tn
J. water arrangements of that city
D. And have had the whole matter {
r. the waterworks and the water SUP
in ply investigated on the spot. The
n are indescribably bad and made
)" quate. The Elbe itself and its tr
ia butaries at entrance are eXtensivel,