The Chautauquan, Vol. 05, June 1885, No. 9Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle
Philosophy
The Chautauquan, Vol. 05, June 1885, No. 9
Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle
Chautauqua Institution -- Periodicals; Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle -- Periodicals
The disease called Asiatic Cholera is at home in India. It travels, at
long intervals, into Europe. There have been eight: or nine of these
visitations during the century. The disease travels with man and his
belongings; and since intercourse between Asia and Europe has become
more swift and abundant, there is a tendency to more frequent visits of
the dreaded scourge. In fact, however, this tendency has been overcome
by sanitary science. Until last year, cholera had not been in Europe for
sixteen years. It arrived the last previous time in 1866 and tarried into
the next year. During all the intervening years, there was cholera on the
Ganges, and an increasing flow of humanity between the two continents;
yet sixteen years elapsed between the visits. Last year cholera landed
from ships at Toulon and Marseilles in southern France, and produced
general alarm in Europe. It swept around all the European coasts of
the Mediterranean, and in the especially filthy towns caused a large
mortality. It has doubtless wintered in Europe, and its second year is
usually the worst. It can begin early and use the long summer for its
desolating work. This is the second summer. It is probable that cholera
will be a large feature of the health and mortuary reports of the year.
European travel will be restricted by the caution which the prevalence of
this disease inspires. American resorts for Americans will be unusually
popular.
Will cholera visit us? In previous European visits it has always looked
in upon us, sometimes the first, sometimes the second year. In 1866, it
did not come, but did come in 1867. But the visit of that year was less
baneful than any other we have had. In 1884, we escaped; can we escape in
1885? No doubt exists that we _can_. It is only a question of effective
quarantine. The faithful discharge of their duties by all health officers
at ports would exclude the unwelcome guest. And, at our principal port,
where the danger is greatest, there is good reason to believe that the
fidelity, wisdom and vigilance are equal to the emergency. Cholera is
more likely to penetrate to us by some little-used door; the front
gate will be securely guarded. At the smaller doors, there ought to be
no danger. But there _is_ danger, and it is probably too much to hope
that there will be adequate watchfulness. There is, even at New York, a
long line of accidents to be reckoned with. It would not be surprising,
however, if cholera got a foothold among us from the West Indies, landing
in some southern port.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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