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July 14th a severe epidemic occurred among them, and in a command of one hundred and twenty-nine (129) officers and men, forty (40) cholera cases with sixteen (16) deaths occurred.

On the 21st of August, 1867, a fatal case of cholera occurred on Governor's Island, New York harbor, in the person of a recruit who had been received the evening previous from St. Louis, Mo. In the detachment to which this man belonged one fatal case had occurred after the recruit had left St. Louis, and the man attacked after reaching Governor's Island had been in attendance upon him. No additional cases occurred on Governor's Island until August 31st, when ten (10) new cases occurred, the first four (4) being in persons of recruits who had been received August 28th from New York City, Jersey City and Philadelphia. At this station during the months of August and September thirty-five (35) cases of cholera with eighteen (18) deaths occurred.

At Fort Wood, Bedloe's Island, the first fatal case of cholera occurred August 25th in the person of a St. Louis recruit, who had been in contact with the cases on Governor's Island. During August and September ten (10) cholera cases with four (4) deaths occurred. In the movements of recruits from these depots to their regiments several isolated cases occurred at various points, but no diffusion of the disease occurred. One fatal case was reported at Plattsburg Barracks, N. Y., in person of a man who had contracted the disease on Governor's Island.

On the 23d of November a detachment of recruits numbering three hundred and ninety-eight (398) sailed from New York harbor on the steamer Raleigh, en route for Galveston, Texas, via New Orleans, La. On the 30th of November a second detachment numbering five hundred and nine (509) recruits sailed from New York harbor, for Austin and San Antonio, Texas, via New Orleans.

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The steamer Raleigh reached New Orleans December 2d; no sickness on board. The troops destined for Texas were detained on board on account of the prevalence of cholera in the city; and on the 3d, having been transferred to the steamer W. G. Hewes, sailed for Galveston. cember 6th, the Hewes arrived at Galveston having on board a number of cases of diarrhoea having rice-water discharges, one case progressing to collapse, but none had died. The troops were disembarked and placed in camp; but owing to bad weather, on December 9th they were transferred to the barracks of the 17th U. S. Infantry.

On December 11th the detachment of recruits who had left New York harbor November 30th, arrived at Galveston, after having been detained one day at New Orleans, (probably Dec. 7th or 8th). In this detachment one cholera death had occurred before reaching Galveston. After remaining one day at Galveston, they sailed for Indianola, Texas, leaving a number of cholera-sick. Among these men thirteen (13) cases with two (2) deaths occurred at Indianola, where the disease did not spread to other troops. At Galveston, cholera was carried to Hempstead, Texas, and from Indianola to camp near Austin, but the epidemic was of a mild type.

From New Orleans the epidemic of cholera affected slightly the garrison of Jackson Barracks; it was carried to Fort Jackson, Miss., Vidalia, La., Vicksburg, Miss., Madison, Ark., but owing to the stringent hygienic measures that had been adopted at those places in view of the approach of yellow fever, no extended epidemic occurred.

CHAPTER XVI.

THE EPIDEMIC OF 1873 IN THE UNITED STATES ARMY.

THE cholera epidemic of 1873 in the United States had but slight effect upon the troops serving within the limits of the epidemic influence. This epidemic was confined to, but prevailed throughout, the valley of the Mississippi and its tributaries. The early cases occurred in the city of New Orleans. From that city the disease was carried northward. Again were river steamers the active porters in the epidemic diffusion. Cholera became epidemic at all points attacked, although it assumed a pandemic form at once. During the entire season of epidemic influence the disease was governed by the same well-defined laws that had been presented by all other demonstrations, and the fact that the disease did not assume its accustomed epidemic violence in the larger cities, and that its most malignant demonstrations were confined to small country towns and villages, is alone due to the fact that the larger cities were protected by energetic health boards assisted by the active coöperation of municipal authorities, while in the small country towns the most culpable negligence was shown.

At many of the cholera-infected points, United States troops were stationed, but it was only at Monroe, La., Nashville and Chattanooga, Tenn., Lancaster and Lebanon, Ky., St. Louis Barracks, Mo., and Dennison, Texas, that any epidemic influence was observed. In no way during the epidemic was cholera spread by movements of troops; but, in every instance in which it occurred among them the cases were traced to direct contact with cholera-infected citizens living near their quarters.

In this epidemic the efficiency of active hygienic measures and a strict system of non-intercourse (which can be most perfectly accomplished in a military command) combined with a radical stamping out of the disease whenever it may occur, was fully demonstrated.

Late in April, 1873, a large body of Tennessee convicts employed as laborers on the line of Memphis and Paducah railroad were attacked by cholera in their camp about twenty (20) miles out of the city of Memphis. On the 14th of May following the disease continuing, although comparatively but few deaths had occurred, the State authorities removed the convicts from their camp to the State Penitentiary at Nashville, and seventy-five convicts, the entire party suffering "from diarrhea, copious watery stools, accompanied in very many cases with nausea and vomiting,' were received in the prison, then containing three hundred and fifty (350) healthy prisoners. For the result of this importation of cholera the reader is referred to my narrative of the Cholera Epidemic of 1871.

1 Narrative of Cholera Epidemic of 1873 in the U. S., p. 148.

On the 22d of May cholera escaped from the penitentiary and seized upon the beautiful city of Nashville, where to July 1st, according to the statistics of Dr. W. K. Bowling, no less than six hundred and forty-seven (647) deaths occurred. Ash Barracks, situated on the northern suburb of the city, was garrisoned by the 16th U. S. Infantry, and as the epidemic assumed such grave proportions, the troops were moved from the barracks to a camp at White Creek Springs, twelve miles from the city. All communication between the camp and Nashville, with the exception of one reliable teamster who could be depended on to obey all instructions, was abandoned. A detachment consisting of one officer and eight enlisted men remained as a guard at Ash Barracks. The family of the officer, thinking that in the empty barracks they would be perfectly isolated, insisted upon remaining with him. At the camp no epidemic influence was observed. At Ash Barracks a cholera death occurred in the family of the officer, and four non-fatal cases occurred among the enlisted men.

To Chattanooga, Tennessee, cholera was carried from Nashville soon after the disease became epidemic in the latter city, by employees on the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad. The first local case occurred in the proprietress of a railroad boarding-house. On June 20th the disease was rapidly spreading through the city. Two companies of the 2d U. S. Infantry were stationed in barracks on the southeastern side of the city. One fatal case occurred in the command. It being impossible to find a suitable camp ground, on the recommendation of the medical officer, Asst. Surgeon Charles Styer, U. S. Army, "that the morals and hygienic condition of the command could be better preserved in the barracks than at an exposed camp," it was determined to remain in garrison. Every sanitary precaution was adopted to prevent introduction of the disease, and although one fatal case did occur, the germs were stamped out and no other cases followed the introduction. Dr. Styer, in his report, makes the following statement: "During the epidemic, so far as my recommendation went, the soldiers and officers and their families used such mature vegetables and fruits as could be obtained and properly prepared for the table in liberal though not excessive quantity. certain of

ficers who could not free themselves from the influence of former teachings, confined their diet to ham and eggs, coffee, bread, and so on, and before the diarrhoea scare had subsided, had considerable trouble chiefly from diarrhoea in different members of their families."

At Lancaster, Kentucky, on August 10th a man, Bewley, who had recently arrived from a cholera-infected district in the State of Tennessee, was taken with cholera at the house of a friend, where after a lingering illness, presenting all the phenomena of a prolonged attack, he died on the twelfth day. The excreta of this case were not disinfected, but were thrown upon the ground in rear of dirty outhouses. August 14th a negro who nursed Bewley, and on August 15th, the father-in-law of Bewley, died of cholera, and a malignant epidemic was instituted. The man from Tennessee lived until August 22d, and his death was preceded by nineteen (19) cholera deaths, all of which were directly traceable to him. In this local epidemic, among other most interesting demonstrations of cholera peculiarities was an exhibit of the ability of the infectious principle to attach itself to inanimate objects, from which it can be trans

1 This man was not permitted to associate with or to live among the men in camp.

ferred to the human organism with fatal effect. After Bewley's death, August 22d, the family left the house and the room in which the death occurred remained closed until September 20th, when it was opened and occupied by an old lady, in whose person cholera was rapidly developed and she speedily died.

One company of the 16th Infantry was doing garrison duty at Lancaster; the troops were camped on high ground east of and immediately adjoining the town. August 23d the company drummer and his wife, who lived in the rear of the captain's quarters outside of the limits of the camp, were taken with cholera within an hour of each other and both died within twelve hours. The clothing of this couple had been washed by a negro woman who lived in the infected district, and only a few hours before they were attacked the clothing had been returned to the owners. August 29th a soldier was taken with cholera and died within twenty-four hours, and the next day his comrade who occupied the same tent and slept in the same bunk also died. One of these men had nursed and assisted in preparing for burial the bodies of the soldier and his wife who had died on the 23d. The other was known to have frequented negro cabins in the infected districts.

August 30th the troops were moved to a new camp ground two miles from town. At this camp one cholera case occurred soon after the removal, but recovered.

At Lebanon, Ky., the epidemic of 1873 was preceded by the occurrence of several seemingly isolated cases. July 19, a fatal case occurred in a negro who had come from an infected house in Taylor county, Ky. August 11th, a negress, also from the infected district in Taylor county, died, and from that date to the 18th several suspicious cases were known to have occurred. From August 18 to the 25th five (5) seemingly isolated cases occurred, but all these cases with one exception resided upon or near a small stream which formed a drain for the town. Disinfectants were employed in none of these cases. The excreta were thrown into or on the bank of the drain, which was at that time almost dry. Upon the banks of this small stream and in the immediate vicinity of the houses in which the preceding cases had occurred, was a town well.

The Marion County Fair, which commenced August 26th, was held upon high and unwatered ground. Water from the indicated well was conveyed in carts and wagons to the fair ground. August 26th the water in the well was low. August 27th a violent rainstorm deluged the country, and this well, from surface washing, was filled to overflowing. During August 28th and 29th the attendance upon the fair was large. August 30th a cholera explosion occurred, and was at first confined exclusively to those who had been in attendance upon the fair. In all quarters of the town of Lebanon, in the most isolated portions of the surrounding counties, cases of cholera occurred with surprising rapidity.

One company of the 16th U. S. Infantry was doing garrison duty in the town. They were in comfortable barracks on high ground, and were supplied with water from a well which, fortunately, was so situated as to be beyond suspicion. As the command was in most admirable sanitary condition, and as cholera was so extensively diffused over Marion county, no advantage could be obtained by moving these troops. They therefore remained in barracks. But one case of cholera occurred in the command, and that in the person of a married soldier who had been permitted to

live with his family in the town. No case occurred within the limits of the barracks.

On the last of May, 1873, a case of cholera was reported among the troops at Monroe, La., and in June another case was reported at the same post; both of these cases terminated fatally. No cases occurred at Jackson Barracks, or at the garrison near the city of Jackson, Miss., although cholera was epidemic among the citizens of New Orleans and Jackson.

At the Cavalry Depot, St. Louis Barracks, one case of cholera occurred July 14th, in a recruit who had recently joined, and who died after an illness of about ten hours. Every precaution was taken by Surgeon B. A. Clements, U. S. A., owing to which no other cases occurred, although a marked tendency to choleraic diarrhoea manifested itself. The narrative of the cholera epidemic of 1873 contains a statement of the sanitary precautions adopted, and as those portions of the city of St. Louis contiguous to the barracks were cholera-infected, the escape of the troops from the epidemic is surely owing to the precautions adopted by Dr. Clements.

But one cholera case was reported in 1873 among the troops serving in Texas, and that one was in the person of a man of the 11th U. S. Infantry while on escort duty from Fort Griffin at Denison, where the epidemic existed in some violence.

The authorities upon which this history has been written, are:

1. A Statistical Report on the Sickness and Mortality in the Army of the United States, prepared under the direction of Thomas Lawson, M.D., SurgeonGeneral, Washington, 1840, and which embraces a period of twenty years from January, 1819, to January, 1839.

2. A Statistical Report on the Sickness and Mortality in the Army of the United States, prepared under the direction of Brevet Brigadier-General Thomas Lawson, Surgeon-General, by Richard H. Coolidge, M.D., Asst. Surgeon, U. S. A. Washington, 1856, and which embraces a period of sixteen years from January, 1839, to January, 1855.

3. A Statistical Report on the Sickness and Mortality in the Army of the United States, prepared under the direction of Brevet Brigadier-General Thomas Lawson, Surgeon-General, by Richard H. Coolidge, M. D., Asst. Surgeon, U. S. A., Washington, 1860, and which embraces a period of five years from January, 1855, to January, 1860.

4. Circular No. 5, War Department, S. G. O., Washington, May 4, 1867. Report on Epidemic Cholera in the Army of the United States during the year 1866. By Brevet Lieut.-Col. J. J. Woodward, Asst. Surgeon U. S. A., Washington, 1867. 5. Circular No. 1, War Dept., S. G. O., Washington, June 10, 1868. Report on Epidemic Cholera and Yellow Fever in the Army of the United States during the year 1867, by Brevet Lieut.-Col. J. J. Woodward, Asst. Surgeon, U. S. A., Washington, 1868.

6. Report on Cholera Epidemic of 1873 in the United States, by Ely McClellan, M.D., Asst. Surgeon, U. S. A., Washington, 1875.

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