Did the General Board of Health make any scientific researches at the bedside to ascertain the connection which exists between epidemic diarrhoea & epidemic cholera : and were they the first to point out that cholera is invariably preceded by a diarrhoea for a few hours, or a few days, or for a few weeks, and that it is, consequently, in the power of human foresight to ward off an attack of cholera? : a letter addressed to John Simon, esq., F.R.S., Medical Officer to the General Board of Health / by David Macloughlin.

  • Macloughlin, David, 1786-1870.
Date:
[1856]
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Did the General Board of Health make any scientific researches at the bedside to ascertain the connection which exists between epidemic diarrhoea & epidemic cholera : and were they the first to point out that cholera is invariably preceded by a diarrhoea for a few hours, or a few days, or for a few weeks, and that it is, consequently, in the power of human foresight to ward off an attack of cholera? : a letter addressed to John Simon, esq., F.R.S., Medical Officer to the General Board of Health / by David Macloughlin. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    5/16
    TO JOHN SIMON, ESQ., F.R.S., MEDICAL OFFICER TO THE GENERAL BOARD OF HEALTH. My dear Sir, As you have some doubts as to who first pointed out the connection which exists between diarrhoea and cholera, and as you seem to believe that the late General Board of Health are entitled to the credit of being the first who pointed out, and who, by their researches, demonstrated to the profession this most important pathological fact, permit me to place before you the following data. In 1850 the late General Board of Health published their Report on the outbreak of epidemic cholera which had taken place in this country in 1848-49, and in that Report they stated that cases of cholera occurred without a premonitory diarrhoea; showing thereby, that they believed that cholera is an entity— a disease sui generis—and independent of a premoni- tory diarrhoea; and in 1853 they held that the very worst cases of this formidable disease were those ivhere these symptoms—purging and vomiting—ivere wholly or partially absent!' See the Times newspaper of the 8th November, 1853. And if you will refer to the writings of the profes- sion, whether in Europe or in any other quarter of the globe, you will find that up to 1853 it was maintained that diarrhoea is not an essential symptom of cholera, and that cases of cholera do occur without a premoni-