Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1894-01-06
CHOLERA'S ENDEMIC HOME.
Not ln'Iin. but Arabia Is the Real Breed
ing EIncn of tie Hlarmr.


ing Place Of the Plague.
Shocking as are tie statistics of m r
tality among pilgrims to Mecca rcp.rr
ed i'll the Sl.r from Tunis Il lew ..,,~
ago. where of 5000 who set out b.
half til" number returned, the dc.,4
rate of this year is but little grr;,.,'
than that of ordinary years Fac
health officials of Bombay and other
Indian cities have for some time b "a
collecting facts and statistics to show
that India does not deserve tho i'll
reputation il has of being 'th, endemic
home of cholera but that Arabia Is
the home of the plague. and they az
preparing to make strenuous cifO. t.
to arouS" til" Arabian authorities a..I
convince them of the fact, and l. have
them apply Il remedy. Some of III
statistics printed in the Bombay Ga
zctt" reveal Il terrible state of affairs;
According to the official returns of
the Health Officer of Bombay. of ) :
900 pilgrims who left that ci;y f.r
Mecca during the past rig.lt yeas
only 6n.uOo have come bic.. IN It
pilgrims in every hundred have PEI
iShcd i'll every year of that p..ri, ii. and
very many of those who su.t. q -
return home have come b:;v.. u..l t,
die of disease contracted on the pl-
grimagr. Th" facts adduc; Il :, -
prove that the pilgrims do not >...' i
diS"aS" With th.n from India. +, G
is II rigid inspection ut Bomb y lief a
cmbnrkation, and every p.I.'iin i r.
CURED to pass Il medical CX ilmii Goa.
to undergo Il certain Gu Tan mil
process. and to possess Il certificate u.
good health. The mortality o. iii
voyage from Bombay to Arabia Is v,r.,
small. 1t is after the pilgrim nave
entered the holy cities and darn. tie,
return, that the mortality l.; greet.
A record is kept by the Br..ti Cox.
sui at J"ddah of the mu.nbr. of ri
grlms arriving ut and DEPART = from
that port. with such particulars as " 4
insure general id"ntiiicatiol Tie Ii
urrS of this record fully corr ID raj
those of the Bombay u!ti ial A
avcrag" estimate of Il niortlli. e ,,n
third among the Indian y k ms /.
each year, when there Is no = ii r..i
epidemic of cholera. is Il a. l., IS alb
lished. and the belief Is en-, ~ ii.
founded on such corrobo"at.vr st ii
tics as are obtainlb'r. that luI. IL
third of all pilgrims to Niece. p'r h
in every year.
The Indian officials ass''ri Illa, IT,
cholera plaques viii II y obi. il
sweep around the world hay, e.
origin in the iillh Of Niece, an .
nj. There is i, sr"al s,;,.r
water in these places. and TIE # !
of the littl" obtainahIr is b Il Ih
famous Holy Well NJ Mecca 81" l.. +.
most complcl" conditions TO" p adj
disease. 1t ordinarily contain "a, II
tie water One of the most ~ q :.
dcvotrns in the pilgrinig" is 10 b.. {
in and drink of iii" water r"uni
well. and its brink is ALVEY CIV ~
with pilgrims. some drawing its WI =
ana pouring il over th"ir per Us.
others dipping it up in cups and gol,r J..
and drinking it, The water used
bathing runs dipectly hack inin tie
well, and thus diseases are direc /,
spread.
The authorities did for n tim" thi
year close up the we'll Dranau iii
the city there is little or none. and TIE
most ordinary sanitary pr 'cruti ~
are utterly diSrrgardrd by tn cllnkel
crowds of pilgrims. Not alon" choI vi
is thlls bred and spread but the hol,,
cities are hotbeds Of smallpox ami
other like terrible diseases. The same
conditions are true of FL Tor. Jcdtlah
and Camnran, and the Indian hellth
officials will, for the protection of its
people as well as for ,hn sake OF the
country'S reputation, make strong Gn-
beavers to induce the authorities of
the holy places of pilgrimage to taxi
an interest i'll drainage and general
sanitation: to have more Sclvenen?s
even if they have TO have fewer priests.
They think that the Western nations
might protitably take an interest in
the condition Of things III Arabia, and
the result OF lheir inFrsIlga tions will
be offered in the hope that stcns will
be taken to crush out the cholera
plague in what they assume to prove
is its real endemic homc-Ncw York
Sun