The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1895-12-06
It Exists In Many Countries and
It's Victims Are Numerous.
But the Health Authorities Say That ThiS
Country Will De FREQ from the
Seourge-- Efficiency of sani-
tary Agencies.


era. Up to the opening of the month
of August it had not appeared in any
country of western Europe, and the
autumnal weather will prevent it from
approaching the European ports with
which New York is in communication,
says the Sun of that city. The health
officer of the port, who made all prep
arations early in the spring for dealing
with immigrants bound hither from
the infected districts of Russia, believes
that any danger which might thus be
incurred has passed away, and, though
She Jewish Russians are yet closely in
spected upon their arrival at quaran-
tine, the inspection is rather for gen.
cral sanitary purposes than for any ap-
prchension of the cholera. Advices
upon the subject have been received
from all parts of the world by the au-
thorities of the marine hospital serv-
ice, and DIR. Wyman believes that if
there ever was any ground for fear,
there is not now the least.
During the present year, and up to
this time, cholera has existed in Euro
pean Russian, Arabia, India, China and
Japan. 1t is unfortunate that trust
worthy statistics concerning it cannot
be obtained from Russia, or from any
of the other countries in which it ex-
lists, with the exception of Japan. 1t
ravaged several of the western Rus
sian provinces last summer; it did not
entirely disappear last winter, and it
10 l.,
spring season. During the month of
July it has prevailed largely in the
provinces of Volhynia and Podolia,
near the territory of Austria, and,
also, to some extent, in the Vistula
provinces, on the confines of Prussia.
1t is said to be OF an unusually nalig-
nant type, and its victims are speedily
carried off. In order to keep it out of
Germany, the Berlin government has
established sanitary Gordon" along
the frontier, and all travellers from
Russia are again this year, as they
were last year, subjected to most rig
orous inspection, Austria also has made
some provision for guarding the bor-
der, but il is much less complete than
that made by Germany, and there have
been many cases of the disease in Cali
cia and Bulsowina.
The cholera appeared in Arabia on
the borders of the Red sea, early in the
spring, brought there, as in other
years, by the Mohammedan pilgrims
from India to Mecca. Alarming accounts
OF It's fatality were sent out in the
spring months aaa up to June, but moth
ing has been heard of for some weeks,
and its ravages doubtless have been
allayed. All the efforts made during the
past two years by the international
sanitary commission to induce Turkey
to adopt the precautionary measures
by which its baneful power might be
checked have been unsuccessful
From that part of India in which the
cholera is nearly always epidemic there
have been reports this year similar to
those of other years. The permanent
headquarters of 1t are in the valley OF
the Gangcs, and it is from there that
its infection is carried into other coun-
tries. II is only from the British East
Indian records that any knowledge OF
the number Of cases of it can be OBJ
tanned
There can be merely guesses as to the
extent to which the disease prevails in
China. In the dispatches there are oc-
casional references to its existence in
The Liao-Tong peninsula and in the
Kingdom of Corea, and there is every
reason TO believed that il has been very
destructive in these regions. 1t was by
the Japanese soldiers returning home
from the Liao.Tong peninsula that it
was introduced into Japan q few
months ago.
From the trustworthy statistics that
are kept by the Japanese authorities, it
is learned that up to the close of July
there had been nine thousand five hun
dred cases of the disease in Japan, more
than one-half OF which hnd proved
fatal. This fatality may be regarded
as part of the price paid by japan for
her victory over the Chinese, but that
price was greater yet, for many of the
Japanese soldiers who are yet in China
have fallen under the disease, 1t has
recently been epidemic over a large
part of the Japanese empire.
In some other countries besides those
here mentioned, including Mexico and
Cuba, there have been cases of cholera
during the year, but it has not been
epidemic in any Of them,
1t has been estimated by good au-
thorities that the average yearly mum.
Der Of deaths from cholera the world
over is close upon quarter Of a mil
lion. 1t is now known that in Russia
alone last year there were nearly one
hundred thousand cases of the disease,
about forty.fiye per cent. of which
proved fatal; but the Favages of the
disease among the Russians are light
as compared with that among Asiatics
Very likely it has been as widely preva-
lent in western Russia, eastern Austria
and Turkey this year as it was last
year. The governments of these coun-
tries do not desire that the accurate
statistics of 1t shall be published, and
the official reports given therefrom to
the world are always wide of the true
mark.
The experience of Germany in recent
years has furnished q rciaarliS y dem-
oastration of the efficiency az ~; ;.a,itie