The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-07-20
HOW CHOLERA is SPREAD IN INDIA.
Through Lack or Sanitation and tho Peo-
pIo's Peculiar Habits.

i
Through Lack or Sanitation and tho Peo-
pIo's Peculiar Habits.
plain story of the conditions that
| prevail in India for the spread of tho
cholera was related Mt the New Cen
tury club by DR.. Pauline Root of the
Woman's Medical college, who has lived
for eight years i'll southern India. Dr.
Root began by describing the conditions
under which people live i'll southern In
dla, in order to show exactly what cir
cumstances generate the cholera. There
is absolutely no sanitation there as we
have it. Drainage, with the exception
OF fever breeder in the way of an open
sewer, is unknown. In the village peo-
pie live III low mud huts, where all the
family congregate i'll one room, the di-
mansions of which are likely to be feet
by 10 or 13 feet. AS there are no out
buildings Mt all, there is no way in which
persons can protect themselves against
the cholera if it once appears in such a
household. Sometimes, if the we'll runs
dry, stagnant water must be used. A
high caste parsonage will not allow a
low caste to use his well.
Commonly people go to the river for
water. AS the water is frequently not
on the surface, ''tub" is dug in the
river bed and the water allowed to col
lect. At this tub or at the well all the
functions of bathing are performed.
First the jar is filled and the water being
dashed over the person soon trickres back
to its source. In the case of certain re-
hg1ous enthusiasts, water is poured over
the body 80 times. Next the seeIy, the
single piece of silk or cloth which is worn
as garment, must be washed. This is
dipped into the pool. Finally the .str is
refilled and carried home. The quality
of the water by the time the Jar is re-
filled is promising indeed when cholera
is III the air.
In these river tubs the clothes are
washed. The cattle 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 i'll one
of the pools instead of digging fresh
hole. The very cleanliness 81 the people
and they are extremely dean-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 aft
er certain religious festival-of the
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 India, DR.. Root graphically showed
how forlornly poor these are by describ-
ing her experience in the house of the
vice president of the municipality of
Madua, 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 i'll room adjacent TO her hus-
band's-a position of honor. The wom-
an was badly crippled and only able TO
crawl down from her cot Beyond play
ing with the children and polishing the
jewels nothing relieved the monotony of
her day. She was entirely uncared for.
n hole i'll the wall for refuse was cleaned
only once a day. The woman died of
blood poisoning. And this is the wav a
sick person Jared in one of the better
houses.
Usually a sick person is placed in a
room that is reached from the house by
crossing a court and passing through an
alley. The alley usually has black,
Shiny water i'll it. The room is feet
square. In the court are often found
the cow. chickens and number of per
sons. No wonder that under such con
ditions cholera spreads like wildfre.
But cholera is always brought 1t never
starts of itself. Philadelphia Ledger.
The Marcclal Mol Rose