Asiatic Cholera: A treatise on its origin, pathology, treatment, and cure

by Elijah Whitney; A. B. Whitney

Its first irruption in New York was on the 24th June, 1832, sixteen days after its appearance at Quebec, and at Albany, midway between the two former cities, on the 3d July. From New York it extended its influence to Flatbush and Gravesend, Long Island, where it appeared on the 5th July, and on the same day and date at the city of Philadelphia. It broke out at Rochester on the 12th and at Buffalo—July.

Thus, while it was making its way westward along the great chain of lakes, towards the arteries of the Great West, it was, at the same time, steadily pursuing its uninterrupted course along the coast, visiting the main cities, and spreading from these as from common centres over the intermediate towns and villages. In its progress it reached Baltimore on the 22d August, and the City of Washington on the 28th of the same month.

Thence it continued its course to Richmond, Norfolk, Edenton, and various other cities along the Atlantic and Gulf coast.

It appeared at New Orleans in the Autumn of 1832, during the existence of a severe epidemic of yellow fever, and apparently subsided on the disappearance of the fever. Sporadic cases, however, occurred during the Winter, and in the opening of Spring it broke out with unwonted vigor and severity, and thence spread, according to its accustomed laws of itineracy, along the rivers into the interior of the States bordering upon the Mississippi and the Gulf coast, and raged throughout Louisiana and Texas with unusual violence and fatality.

In 1832, 1833, and 1834 it prevailed throughout the Mississippi Valley with great fatality, especially in the principal cities, villages and towns situated upon its navigable waters. Here, after intervals of entire immunity from its presence, it occasionally reappeared in some of the larger cities with renewed vigor and power, and swept off vast numbers of the inhabitants. In no section of the States have greater numbers, compared with the whole population, fallen victims to it than in the fertile and sparsely settled prairies of the South and West.

Thus, from the North, and at a later date from the South, extending its influence along the principal rivers into the interior, it swept over the States, prevailing in some places in the Valley of the Mississippi as late as 1836. In short, it reappeared in 1834 in many cities and places where it had before prevailed, and again spread over a considerable portion of the country with unprecedented fatality.

In 1833, the disease appeared at Havana and Matanzas, and prevailed on the island for several months with great fatality, especially among the colored people. During the same season it appeared in August at Tampico, Campeachy, Vera Cruz, and the city of Mexico, proving especially violent and destructive in these and other cities of the Republic. In Central America it is said to have attacked the army, and in a very short period to have swept away a very large proportion of its officers and men.

Thus, it appears that the epidemic or Asiatic Cholera, from its first irruption on the northern coast, spread over the greater part of the North American Continent in the space of two years, and has several times reappeared in different sections in its peculiar malignant character, spreading on each occasion over a greater or less extent of territory with the same uniform and destructive influence. Neither time, nor science, nor professional skill has thus far appeared to soften its character, or mitigate its severity.

When the disease had fully assumed its epidemic or malignant type in India, in 1817, its rate of mortality was everywhere in that vast territory excessively high.

According to the most reliable reports, the cases occurring in the earlier period of an irruption were generally fatal, few only surviving the attack; while of those occurring when the disease was on the decline, a greater proportion recovered. We read of numerous instances where one-third, one-half, two-thirds, and even nine-tenths of those seized with Cholera perished, and again of some places where one-fifth, one-fourth, and in some instances one-third of entire populations were cut off in a very short period by this disease. But without attempting to give the statistics of cholera in this part of the world, or even in Europe or America, we may present a few instances of mortality, going to show the great percentage of loss by this singular disease during its ravages from 1817 to 1837.