The cholera epidemic of 1873 in the United States.

  • Billings, John S. (John Shaw), 1838-1913.
Date:
1875
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The cholera epidemic of 1873 in the United States. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    ■water from tbem be drunk in place of that in the tanks, at any rate for eight or ten days, or until the water shall have purified itself by oxida- tion. Meanwhile both passengers and crew should be put upon a mineral- acid regimen, with the view of establishing an acid diathesis of the sys- tem, or as nearly so as may be. Sulphuric-acid lemonade should be served out regularly, under the supervision of an officer clothed with authority to see that no one shirks its use. As a test bearing directly on the value of such a measure in arresting an outbreak of cholera, the following statement of Dr. Ourtin is given in extenso: During this last visitation [of cholera, 1S66,] I was resident physician in the insane department of the Philadelphia Hospital. The disease had almost entirely disap- peared from the city and from all parts of the Philadelphia Almshouse and Hospital, except from the women's wards in the insane department, where it still continued in a very virulent form. Strange to say, it was almost entirely confined to three of the seven wards on the female side of the hospital. It was so persistent that the board of health paid the hospital an official visit, but were unable to account for the presence of the disease in particular wards. It is true that the women's apartments were very much crowded, there being three hundred and fifty inmates, but the wards in which it was so prevalent had proportionately fewer inmates than others which almost en- tirely escaped. During the whole epidemic only two cases occurred in the male wards, while among the females one in every nine was attacked. Sex would not account for this difference, for statistics at large show that male and female luaatics are equally liable to the disease. I was induced to try sulphuric acid by my friend Dr. James F. Wilson, with grati- fying results, if I may be allowed to judge. Dr. Wilson had read an article in a Brit- ish newspaper, in which the writer stated that the workmen aud their families con- nected with a large factory had been treated with sulphuric acid as a prophylactic during an epidemic of cholera. The correspondent stated in the letter that the re- sult was that not one man or any of their families were attacked with diarrhcea, whilst around them death took its own course. I caught as a drowning man at this straw, for everything else had been tried, aud yet the disease continued its ravages. After hav- ing concluded to use the sulphuric acid, the next thing was to administer it to all the patients, many of whom were so suspicious that they refused at all times to take med- icine for fear of being poisoned. Knowing that it would be impossible to conceal it in their rood or usual drinks, I concluded to administer it disguised as lemonade, and an- nounced, through the nurses, to the patients that I intended to treat the whole in- stitution to lemonade every day, which announcement was well received in general and by some of them with enthusiasm. The drink was made in this way: About twenty drops of the dilute sulphuric acid were mixed with four ounces of water and sweetened with white sugar. Some oil of lemon and a few cut lemons greatly as- sisted in the disguise. What followed the administration of the sulphuric acid can ^*b® shown by the notes taken at the time. The diary Was begun ou August 20, lHbb, before which time seventeen cases had occurred in the insane department. August 20.—Four new cases. August 21.—Four new cases. August 22.—Four new cases. August 23.-Two new cases. Board of health visited the hospital. August 24.—Five new cases. 1 Anf2 9fi~£n6 D6W Case- £cid given for the first time iu tue afternoon. ntofi^TtZSl*** muthe ni9ht>withintwelve h0lu'safter thefirat August 27.—No new cases. lugust l9:=NonercasaeSsera *?* refUSed *° take the Bcid- August 30.—No new cases. Sen^mi31;^0^0^ CaSe9, The acid was ^continued. September 1.—No new cases. lepSemW l^n^n CaS°9' ^ day8 aftor the s»«P^sion of the acid. mSSS c^sNocc^^•cdUS• ^ The aCkl ™8 C01ltiu,ll'd for 801110 acid ffdfs^e wL'^ *b,?TO tlia7*£»* P to'the time of administering sulphuric and Bhonld to bSUSthS £2?S tho d«P»'tment.8 It { true, as ventilating and^cleansini the S8™ 'r'1 hTX- trJoA to bani8h tllc (li~> s«oh ^St^Ts^