The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1893-07-20
TO PREVENT CHOLERA.
A Special Report by the Govern
ment Agent. Who Says "ChoI-
era Must be Eaten" In order
toGet the Disease with
Cartaintv.


Certainty.
DR.. Walter Kempstcr, who, for SIX
months past has been travelling
abroad as the accredited agent of the
United States Government for the
study of cholera and its prevention.
says:
1.-THE prevention Of cholera is not
theory, but an absolute scientific
certainty To find out what the
European powers are doing was one
Of my purposes. Another and most
important object was to investigate
the commerce by which cholera
germs might he 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
seaport towns were visited for this
purpose. ! travelled over large part
of Europe, went into Europe and
Turkey, and visited the Indian Is
lands.
"The superior system of the Eu
ropean powers for dealing with the
matter is apparent. Appropriations
which would be considered here very
liberal are made to the schools and
scientists who are best qualified to
carry on the work. AS an instance
of what can be done under the best
conditions, there is the history of the
epidemic last winter in the insane
ASYLUM at Halle. More than one
thousand cases had broken out when
Prof. Koch was put i'll control. The
place was rceking with it. He quar-
antincd the buildings absolutely and
then struck at the orr gin of the trou
bic. In twelve days he turned the
asylum inside out, renovated all the
draining and water system and
stamped the cholera out with both
feet. had the pleasure Of seeing
him ito it. Many medical men were
there to take advantage of the OPP
portunity for study. 1t WAS fine
object lesson.
"Thc home Of the cholera, as every
body knows. is in India. Every sew
enteenth year when the Mohammc-
dams indulge i'll their pilgrimage to
Mecca aswave of cholera is started
abroad which reaches over an impor-
tant part of the world. No doubt
their religious pilgrimagcs are praise
worthy from their moral point Of
view, but it is rather hard 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. If she would restrain
the pilgrimage from coming across
the Suez Canal to Mecca there would
be comparatively little danger Of a
cholera invasion of Europe But her
interest oppose such solution of the
problem. Her supremacy in India
is assured only as long as she hu-
mors the religious customs of the ma
tives."
DIR. Kcmpster holds that it is pos
siblc to keep the cholera from city
when the surrounding towns are
tainted, or to keep it from any house
in an infected city. But the expense
is great, and the trouble exceeds the
expense. lie cited in illustration to
this house in Hamburg which was
barred from the outside world during
the plague. All provisions were tax
en- in OH a hooked pole, the food
cooked at once and the wrappinSs
burned. All the inmates of the
house escaped infection, altho' men
were dropping down and dying III the
streets outside. BY proper precau-
tons every physician who worked in
hospitals escaped from the disease.
."Cholera must be eaten" remark
ed the doctor, putting it cpigrammat-
ically. at cannot be absorbed or
breathed. The germs must be taken
into the stomach Ifpeople realize
this and govern themselves accord
ingly they can escape in case the
germ should reach this country
"A Muchly Married Man.
It is said that there lives at Har-