The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-07-08
CHOLERA Prevention.
Il Is Not 4 Theory. but an Absolute
Scientific Certainty.
CHOLERA GERMS MUST Be EATEN.
Otherwis, the Disease, which Cannot BE
Absorbed or Inhaled. wni Not Enter
the syssem-Dr. Kempster's report
20 the Governments.

WASHINGTON, July s.-Dr. Walter Kemp
ster, who for six months past has beer
travelling abroad as the accredited agent o
the United States government for tn
study of cholera and its prevention, is ap
proaching the completion of his volumi
nous and important report. His mission
was mainly TO study the means OF prevent
ing the disease; the investigation of iti
medical aspect was only secondary point
Speaking generally OF the results Of his in
vestigation DIR. Kempster said:
''The prevention of choleralis not theory
but an absolute scientific certainty. Tc
find ont what the European powers art
doing was one Of my purposes. Another
and most important object was to investi.
gate the commerce by which cholera germs
might be imported to this country to find
so far as possible whence and how they
might be brought and what precautions
would best prevent their coming. Many
rseaport towns were visited for this pur-
pose. travelled over large part of Eu.
rope, went into Egypt and Turkey and Wis
tied the Ionian islands. The superior sys-
TEN of the European powers for dealing
with the matter is apparent. Appropria.
tions which would be considered here very
liberal are made to the schools and scien.
lists who are best qualified to carry on the
work.
The Home OF Cholera.
"As an instance of what can be done un.
der the best conditions there is the his
tory of the epidemic last winter in the in.
sane asylum at Halle. More than 10t
cases had broken out when Professor Koch
was put in control. The place was reek.
ing with 1t. quarantined the buildings
absolutely and then struck at the origin
OF the trouble. In 12 days he turned the
asylum inside out, renovated all the the
draining and water system and stamped
the cholera out with both feet. had the
pleasure of seeing him do 1t. Many med
ical men were there TO take advantage OF
the opportunity for study. 1t was fine
object Lesson.
"The home of the cholera, as everybody
knows, Is in india. Every seventh year,
when the Mohammedans indulge in their
pilgrimage to Mecca, a wave of cholera IL
started abroad which reaches over an i'm.
portant part Of the world. No doubt their
religious pilgrimages are praiseworthy
from their moral point of view, but 1t Is
rather hard that the rest of the world even
as far off as America should be made to
suffer the effects Of them. Great Britain
holds the key to the Situation II she
would restrain the pilgrims from coming
across the Suez canal to Mecca, there would
be comparatively little danger of cholera
invasion of Europe. But her interests op
pose such solution of the problem. Hel
supremacy In India In assured only SO long
as she humors the religious customs of the
natives-"
ssChelera Must no Eaten"
DR.. Kempster holds that IL is possible tc
keep the cholera from q city when the sur
rounding towns are tainted or to keep II
from any house IN an infected city. But the
expense is great, and the trouble exceeds
the expense. An illustration of this, he
told was . house In Hamburg which was
barred from the outside world during the
plague. All provisions were taken in on a
hooked pole, the food cooked at once and
the wrappings burned. All inmates of the
house escaped safely, although men were
dropping down and dying in the streets
outside. BY proper precautions every ply
sician whc worked In the hospitsls escaped
the disease.
Cholera must be eaten" /" remarked the
doctor, putting it epigrammatically. ''It
cannot be absorbed or breathed. The
germs must be taken into the stomach. II
people realize this and govern themselves
accordingly, thy can escape I'm case the
germs should reach this country"
y0urth Glass Postmasters.