Evening star., 1911-08-09
SHUTS OUT CHOLERA
How United States Is Protect.
ed by Close Quarantine.
STILL FREE FROM PLAGUE
Europe Slowly Adopting American
Preventive Methods.
STILL FREE FROM PLAGUE

SAAhOWh " tiC Scuoiai PUBIC, tho
United States is maintaining the strict
est and the first really scientific quar-
antine against cholera that has ever been
maintained anywhere in the world. The
man In the street does not know how
big force OF the best medical experts
In the world is working day and night.
at home and abroad, to prevent the story
from developing any news value
When the cholera became a menace In
Italy over a year ago there was a good
deal known here about cholera 1t was
no longer a mysterious pestflence that
wasted at MONDAY and that, according
to the old chronicles. was embodied in
the person of the Wandering Jew and
Travelled at a fixed rate Of three miles
a day.
Modern science had found the little
comma-shaped germ and knew that chol-
era had to be Introduced into the hu-
man system by way OF the mouth, and
that. nurse taking modern saniksry
precautions could live In a cholera hos
pitai among cases all the time and die of
old age.
Found Cholera Carrier.
But 1t was only in the last year that
the presence OF the cholera carrier
was definitely determined and an ex-
PLANTATION offered for the seemingly mys-
terious cases that creep through the best
regulated quarantines. This is the end
Of the problem that the United States
has now taken hold of, and II explains
why the United States is still free Of the
disease while II is slowly but surely
spreading in Europe.
When the alarm of cholera, carried
by arriving immigrants, was first sound
ed in this country, the public health and
marine hospital service was put on the
job. Gen. Wyman, chief of the service,
sent DIR. Geddings to Naples and Genoa,
the two largest ports of embarkation for
immigrants, and had him see that the
Italian authorities enforced the quaran-
tine regulations as they were then un-
derstood. AS the job got harder and
cholera spread over Germany and Rus
sia and was noted at other ports OF de-
parture, several Of the younger surgeons
OF the public health service were sent
abroad to assist DIR. Geddings.
Close Guard at Ports.
But the precautions taken abroad were
only the coarse mesh, as it were, OF the
screen that was built around the United
States. At first the Italian authorities did
not like to admit they had cholera In
Naples and Genoa at all, and then they
declared If ii was there il was not serious
Afterward they found that denials were
not as effective as sanitation, and they
co-operated heartily with the American
authorities in enforcing the quarantine
law.
New York was, OF course, the largest
port of arrival for immigrants In the
United States and there the local health
authorities, under DIR. Doty, co-operateu
with the marine hospital surgeons. But
the immigrants fleeing from tho cholera In
than the usual Italian exits, and the
cholera spread through provinces Of
southern Russia and north along the
Baltic. It appeared in parts OF Germany.
loath to admit 1t. there are a number OF
cases at Marseiile-
The immigrants sought other ports OF
entrance to the United States than New
urally the first. but 1t was only last week
that an Italian steamer came into
Providence, R l.. bringing q cargo OF i'm
migrants. The marine hospital surgeon on
duty In Boston was hurried to the spot.
and dealt with the cases. Ships from
whatever suspected region they come
have to pass the same examination that
they would IL they arrive at New York.
Quarantine Period Extended.
As the disease progressed abroad there
were more stringent regulations enforc-
ed. The quarantine period was extended
from Ave to ten days Then came the
revelation OF the CuUl6Td CdFTlcI, Il Lnluk
not previously understood. 1t was found
that people who had had the disease al
ways carried the germs OF cholera with
them, and distributed them even after
they were fully cured so far as any out
ward symptoms were concerned.
The same was true In some cases with
persons who had merely come in contact
with the disease and had never had it
themselves. These carriers" persist for
an average Of about twenty days. though
some of them have persisted as long as
days. They are just as
dangerous to turn loose as active cholera
cases, and that is where the modern quar-
antine that the United States Is enforcing
has something on any other quarantine
that has ever been worked.
How bad the disease is abroad fs shown
by the latest cable reports to Gen. Wy
man. These state that from July p 10
Is. there was IS cases of cholera and 20
deaths in Naples. This was In the city.
In Naples province there were 14S cases
and "a deaths. Throughout the remain
der of continental Italy there were 40
cases and 81 deaths. In Palermo there
were 100 cases, 81 OF which were fatal.
In the remainder Of Sicily there were
l3o cases and ~ deaths.
OF course there may be some other
means of cholera conveyance not now
understood by which the disease may
gain entrance here or some cases may
sIip through In spite of the stringency
n the quarantine. But the precautions
ire effective so far as the medical worla
the a31eAsA 1.