Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-10-14
Cholera and American Ports.

There is a harrack room legend thai
+ the wander;ns Jew walks through tbs
eucdn pments OF armies and brings the
I cholera with HIM The legend appears
to be justified in Il way ny the faci
that few important campaigns are cor
Guided without the appearance of tins
Asiatic horror il one or the other o.
the contendinc armies following close
~ after the hostilitiss. The rule. OF
course. has only held since cholera WAS
imported from the Indian peninsula
early In the last century The Ameri-
can armies have furnished no excep-
ton. Since its first appearance and.
barring our brush with Spain cholera
has bcset US not long after our own
major wars. 1t moved in the track OF
our colors when Winfield Sect head
ed our troops in Mexico. by killing .
eco New Workers in lS49. and il slew
orr soldiers a. the close OF the rebel
lion
AItho there is now small chance Of
the disease gaining a foothold here,
quara ntne officers are looking ahead
Cor trouble The fear that the pres
ent war may bring about a cholcra
wave ~ Europe * possibly justified by
the early appearance OF cholera in The
rams ~ TIE Austrian soldiers. When
the QCarantine officials learned OF this
their only comment was that 1t had
come even sooner than they had eN-
pected. The problem that looms large
10 all of them is 70 keep il out o. New
York.
The writer visited quarantine re-
Gently TO ;all. with DR.. Joseph ]. o.
Council. health officer OF the port.
He was taken thru the sl!tterins new.
laboratory. where Dr oscar league IL
ALREADY making preparations for his
corps Of cholera experts who are beinS
trained Ia come with any eulergencf
that may arise as a result OF the pres
ent conflict. In the laboratory an at
tendant was preparing test tubes for
The examination of cholera germs. in
the basement. as side show. stretched
IN :. row along a board. there were a
number Of bodies OF rats. who died a
violent death because they had been
suspected d carrying bubonic plag ue.
but who We're innocent o. the crime.
a doctor suggested THAI a drop nf
cholera germs ne prepared so that the
writer cou3d learn She exact appear
ance OF the deadly little comma bacilli
tina, are capable OF killing within six
faith in this doctor. but VINO was al
ready shaken ny mis- observation Of the
rats declined the offer with thanks.
Il. is not my intention 10 frigliten
any one when say that we VIII have
10 exercise the utmost vigilance in the
near future, said DIR. O'Conne!l.
There Is no reason 10 believe that
cholera will gain n soo,hold in Ameri-
ca II is not = contagious disease, as
man. people suppose. although it IS
more Infectious thar typhoid. We are
better Tilted than eyer TO cope with an
emergency and we anticipate no trou-
ple. but our safety VIII only be main
;ained by constant watchfulness and
the strlctest measures in regard u
vessels that come from infected ports.
II the war is over in the spring me
hulk OF the danger Will come then.
During the war there viii probably be
none - speaa Of The chance OF an
epidemic is always less in the winter
months. and @e snail PROBABLY have 4
Irealhing space to complete Our pre-
paraiinns against the tide Of inUligra-
ton that is expected here as soon as