New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-03-20
PREVENTION OF CHOLERA.
A MEDIAEvAL AND SUPERSTITIOUS QUAR-
ANTINE OF no AVAIL.
ENLIGHTENED SANITATION THE ONLY SAFE
GUARD-UNUEALTHFUL PLACES OF THE
CITY WHICH ARE NOw NEGLECTED
DANGERS OF THE COMING

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cholera here during so3. perhaps In an Epidemic form
The premonitions of 1892 certainly were most plain.
On looking back find that three viSitatons OF
AsIatlc cholera have spread widely over the United
States. viz. I'm 1892 $40 and 1866 1t Will be noted
that these cpldemcs came at pretty regular Intervals
OF time. There other outbreaks. but they were
not strictly epidcmical like the above.
The writer himself large number OF cases OF
cholera In lsGG which left vivid picture OF their
| distress in his mind: the proracted agony OF many
not less painful to than the Intense but brief
suffering OF Others who stricken down to die almost
as quickly II shot through the head or heart by
msket ball The pestilence OF SGG had been heraldcd
by predictions OF Its coming but the inefficient efforts
made to prepare for its advent Were unavang. The
| behavior OF this epidemic similar to preceding
outbreaks Its appearance was quite sudden lis erect
disastrous. and after expendng its force 1t disap
peared again remain hidden In darkness, to speak,
for n quarter Of "A century.
Cholera Is disease most obnoxious to poverty ana
filth TO the weak and dissolue. and our epidemic OF
1866 wecded out the weaker people In vast numbers
There will be plenty OF pruning to do again. when we
have another epidemic like those that have preceded
on reviewing the results OF the treatment OF cholera
which may include the past year AS WE'LL we are com
PEELED 10 admit that cannot cure the disease when AT
its under any treatment ever tried nearly one
half OF all attacked die.
The quarantine and sanitary regulations has
| been said insufficient in 566. They are by no
means satisfactory at the present time, though mnch
more prctcntious Now. since have so little power
10 control cholera. when II once gets "A start IL woud
that every effort should he made to ward on the
disease. This can only he done through preventive
sanitation II l.. however. useless To attempt 10 DING
this about by holding meetings and passing RESOLUTIONS
| 20 long politicians do not car" TO Sp'hu the p'opeS
| money In "A way to accomplish the desired result The
| sanitary methods In vogue ut the present une o"'r
very little protection against The severe forms OF ais
| ease which sometimes rndangcr the community quar-
| antinr In some objectionable form. II would appear, We
must endure, for politicians will not Willingly i"r"g"
|, the patronage that its emoumcn's afford. No one
however should b. mld to tho advantages OF quar-
| aniinc rs a means OF protection by the great hu" II"
! Gently made about IT, acknowledgement the 'oc"i''d
| investigation greatly ovcr,smating Its importance
The very gene raj disgust manifested last summer NJ o
| qmarantn" management would have been better I'll
rccted against the system under which he WAS hc"s'
and the Influences which drove him to such extremely
harsh and absurd measures than the ih'h'''h' N""-
! teal Officer himself.
| II would certainly be- unwi-c 10 continue system
liable 10 such ahus. and at III" same time. po~crleNs
| 10 accomplish any real good unless In The hahu' %
! = cap,blc officer, unInfuenced by politics. ana II
/ would matter but little whether such an officer served
under National or state supervision Infectious mat
! Ter cannot be kept ont 81 The country without III"
bsoln. proiton Of intercourse with foreign nations,
| which would scarcely De- tolerated. bu, much danger
would III. ova'ed the lower class OF iminiginhs
| eNclnded and were our large ciiics more ''ahlF IL
would le scarcely possible TO institute more per
| feet system Of isolation than that enolned by the
hinc.c vet In 10 country destructive epd"mics
| mar. cou,mon on the Oirr hand. the British nave
,lmo., no quarantine. though more exposed by their
| intimate commercial relations with the rest Of the
| world than any other nation. Yet last summer WINE
We were wildly excited over the matter. the English
were more concerned about cleanliness IMAM quarah-
| tine During the prevalence Of cholera in Hamburg
I for.
! also visited several English seaport cities and there
was nowhere any observable excitement; IL was OILY
| after reaching New York that | witnessed anything
| approaching a panic. The English newspapers tenn
vrntcly Vet freely discussed tie disease without any
a'tcmp, 10 create Il sensation n home; and London
.hopkecpers had good 10 rejoice over tho cnor
| nous trade in London with customers VITO were
frightened away from Pals.
| Scientific quarantine does not require for the pro
motion Of It's interests the aid Of medical men more
| than any other elias 81 intelligent persons BARRIERS
that Fan exclude infection hay" not been discovered
nor can any army of fmigatOrs drive II away. Like
tll. wind cholera Is invisible. ana laughs alike ut
| larrcadcs and bad olor5. The idea Of quarantine
cones down 10 H. from ancient times. indeed. quar-
aniinc is origin In the fears OF IN" supcr''iiions
| Of by gone DAYS. Tie ancienis were not cleanly
| people regard such matters. ana perhaps
they suffered much more In those days from epdemlcs
| than we do now They sought 10 protect themselves
i
ar s,iuposcd 10 have contagious diseases. for longer
or shorter period Of time usually for forty days. Such
| mean, Of protection WE'RE bat natural among III"
ignorant but II makes one shmddcr TO think OF the
| brutal punishment inflicted In consequence Of their
fear on both the sicl, end suspected thousands %;
whom persisted from marcatmcnt and exposure
| In many European countries the existing quaran-
fine regulations are still 1arnrOuS. and enforced
with cruelty travellers know TO their sorrow oar
| own experiences lat autumn in N'wlork Ilaibor
were indeed better suited TO the Middle Ages than to
c last decade OF the nineteenth century. Tho writer's
own experience, which WAS Ike midsummer nights
dream Il paradise when compared TO the experience
| Of the Normannia's passengers. might be- cited
i.tratlvc Of the incffcicncy Of our methods n not
~ their worst features. We Into the port Of
New York from southampton during the cholera ex-
element In the Kaiser Wilhelm III without case
Of sickness. nor had there been any worthy OF men
ton during the entire voyage. tlI)neh the steward
| had generously provided liberal supply OF unripe
apples with cholcraic properties for the passengers
before sailing from Eremcrliaven. on coming TO
anchor at the Quarantine station among large fleet
of other liners we kept waiting long time be-
fore the Health Officer sent deputy alongside. In
the mean fine. and in fact during the entire time Of
our detention. there more CT less communication
between our ship and the city. II nearly two
DAYS before the farce Of an inspection was gone
through with and there might have been numerous
cases Of cholera aboard without fear OF detection. so
far as the examination OF passengers by the Deputy
Health Officer was concerned. Before getting per
mission proceed to the cOmpany's docks. some men
from the quarantine station came on board with some
snkinc chemicals which were scattered about among
the Immigrants. creating. No doubt profound mprcs
sion OF the majesty OF our quarantine. and also much
discomfort for time. but OF course, dlsinfectlng
nothing
The trouble OF II all lies. to great extent in the
continuance Of faith In supersliious customs In other
words the want OF knowledge. One incorrect theory
of disease and infection after another Is advanced.
and for the time being wrong conclusions for giid
ancc are followed with no other result than fighting
an invisible enemy in the dark with energy pro
poronac to the existing Ignorance on the subject.
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