Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1895-08-26
on CHOLERA.
BY A. MARQUES.

OF Jnls clty Delng SuDJecJeu W
visitation Of Asiatic cholera, it is
necessary for everyone to have a
clear idea of the disease. And,
as in many cases, favorable out
come depends nearly entirely on
the nature and promptness of the
first remedial assistance, given
upon the earliest intimation of
the attack, it is the duty of the
medical authorities to give the
public some clear instructions on
the matter. But, as our Board
of Health and physicians, up to
date, seem too busy to attend to
this, 1 have considered it a duty
owe to my fellow-citizens, to
present them a brief note of what
know about it, from having been
four times through choleraic
epidemics.
As a first point, outside of the
direct contagion through contact
with contaminated persons, clothes
and merchandise from a place
where Asiatic cholera is prevalent
it is a rather rare thing for this
disease to take a hold in any
place where preliminary atmos-
pheric and sanitary circumstances
do not exist, of such nature as
to favor and call for its invasion.
Thus, through peculiar atmos-
pheric or electric conditions, gen
orally characterized by relative
deficiency of ozone in the air, or
through sanitary ones character
lied by a general predisposition to
serious stomach and bowel
troubles, which may often pre-
vail only in some circumscribed
spot of a country or even of a
town. have seen places, isolat-
ed villages with apparently no
cause for contagion, no commu-
nication with infected sources,
stricken down with the rapidity of
lightning, two or three hundred
cases developing in twenty-four
hours. Now things are not so
bad as that in Honolulu, though
L regret to say that 1 believe this
town has been, for the past month
or so, in what 1 would call a
choleraic predisposition, both oil
matte and sanitary. But while
this may increase the danger in Case
of a real invasion from abroad,
it must also give us the comfort.
able assura ice that very many
intestinal and gastric troubles
prevalent before and since the ar
rival of the Belgic, have absolute
ly nothing 10 do with Asiatic cho-
Ira, though they may seem quite
similar in some respects. This
will merely show the necessity for
every one to carefully attend to
his health, and to put his home
in healthy conditions but without
undue fear; watch then attentive
ly every arrangement of the
stomach, but do not jump, at the
first manifestation of hatulence,
collie or indigestion, to the conclu-
sion that it must be cholera.
A second important point is
that Asiato cholera, like all other
virulent diseases, only ravages
convenient fields, i. o. bodies pre-
pared for the propagation of its
germs. Thus the predisposing
influences are: exposure to exhal-
ations from decaying vegetable
and animal matter. residence in
low, damp, dark, ill-ventilated
dwellings,, intemperance in eating
or drinking, especially unwhole-
some, indigestible food, unripe,
cod, crude fruits and vegetables,
suddenly suppressed perspira ton,
iced drinks when overheated, all
arrangements or weakness of the
digestive organs, sexual excesses
and all sudden mental emotions,
anger and fear especially. BY
keeping carefully guarded against
such conditions, two-thirds Of the
dangers Of contagion are avoided,
leaving only the natural one of
transmission through contact or
inhalation, or more properly
through ingestion of the germs
amannIinn nbirnm Iha unrinna aunnn-