CHAPTER V.

NARRATIVE OF CHOLERA EPIDEMIC OF 1873 IN THE UNITED STATES.

In submitting the narrative of the epidemic of cholera, as it occurred in the United States during the year 1873, it has been thought best to present as distinct groups the cases of the disease that occurred in each Commonwealth.

The order of the narrative is governed by the dates at which the initial cases at each locality occurred; for which reason the history of the epidemic as it affected each county is presented as a distinct paper. We have endeavored so far as was in our power to present the views of the gentlemen who witnessed the demonstrations of the disease; and herewith present several most valuable contributions from physicians who resided within the area of infection.

The dates of all initial cases have been subjected to a rigid scrutiny, and it is believed that those presented are absolutely correct.

We submit a table of the dates of the initial cases of cholera in each State which was included in the area of infection. This table demonstrates the erratic course of the epidemic, and it is suggested that in it will be found a strong argument in favor of the portability of the disease.

It is a matter of regret that full information could not be obtained from all points of the area of infection. The extensive inundation of the States of Louisiana and Mississippi, together with the unsettled social condition of the population of those States, prevented our obtaining any information at many points. In the narrative of each group of cases, the date of the initial case at each infected locality, from which information could be obtained, is given; and, as an appendix, meteorological records, from the report of the Chief Signal-Officer of the Army, are reproduced."

LOUISIANA CONTRIBUTORS.

Surgeon James Simons, U. S. A., Medical Director Department of the Gulf.

Assistant Surgeon Van Buren Hubbard, U. S. A.

Assistant Surgeon R. S. Vickery, U. S. A.

Assistant Surgeon Clarence Ewen, U. S. A.

Acting Assistant Surgeon W. R. Mandeville, U. S. A.

LOUISIANA.

The earliest cholera-record in the United States, of the epidemic of 1873, is to be found in the city of New Orleans, La., as having occurred upon the 9th day of February, and the following summary, taken from the records of the State board of health, shows that at that city the fatal cases of the disease occurred as follows:

Through the kindness of Dr. C. B. White, president of the Louisiana board of health, who has placed at our disposal all the notes and other material from which the annual report of the Board of 1873 was prepared, we are able to present the following outline of the early cases of cholera that occurred at the city of New Orleans:

"Case No. 1.-Peter Thomson, a sailor, said to be a German, aged fifty-six years, died of cholera February 9, at 39 Ferdinand street. "Thomson went to Pensacola, Fla., from Galveston, Tex. At Pensacola, finding no work, he left his children and came to New Orleans tro months before his illness. He found no work until two days before his death, at which time he began to assist in discharging a general cargo from a Liverpool vessel, one and one-half blocks below the head of Ferdinand street. Four squares below lay a Bremen bark. At 2 p. m. of February 8, the second day of his labor, he was taken sick, and died at 9 a. m. the next morning, February 9.

"Eight other men who worked on the levee with him boarded in the same house. None of these suffered from the disease. There had been no sickness on the ship.

"No other case of cholera occurred in this vicinity until May 20, case No. 192 of the record, distant in space one and one-half blocks in direct ne, and distant in time one hundred days.

"Thomson was a temperate, steady man. The attending physician reported the case one of sporadic cholera, in his opinion, caused by eating largely of cabbage while suffering from diarrhoea.

"Case No. 2.-Justice Coig, native of France, aged twenty-six years, died February 10, of cholera morbus, at the corner of Hancock and Levee streets, a point two squares above the United States barracks, and about two miles distant from the locality of case No. 1.

"This man was a butcher, a hard drinker; occupation, slaughtering beeves for his brother at the abbattoir, just below the Jackson United States Barracks.

"He was taken sick during the night of the 9th February, and died on the morning of the 10th. He had resided in the city four years, living with his brother at the locality mentioned; had not been absent from home, save at work, for some time, and had visited no ships. No ships lie near that part of the city.

"Surgeon R. S. Vickery, U. S. A., who was called to attend him, says: 'I found him in bed, in a cold, barn-like loft, in a place used for storing

green hides. He was in a state of collapse, cold extremities, pinched features, speechless or nearly so.'

"From a comrade who had been with him a part of the time, I learned that he was seized in the night with an attack of bilious cholera, which soon passed into serious vomiting and purging. This had ceased from exhaustion before I saw him, and the evacuations had all been thrown away." Dr. Vickery attributed the fatal termination of the case partly to the extreme cold of the weather.

He also remarks: "Not having heard of any similar case in that neighborhood, I reported it cholera morbus, but some weeks later should most probably have called it true cholera."

"Case No. 3.-Joseph Honoci, (creole,) colored, native of the State, speaking French, aged fifty-two, died February 28, of cholera, on Dumaine street, between Roman and Derbigny streets.

"This death occurred eighteen days after the death of case No. 2, in a locality far removed from either of the first two cases, and having no connection with either of them.

"Honoci was employed as a laborer, unloading the Belle Lee, a river steamboat, at the head of Canal street, on February 27, came home that evening, and died the same night at 12 o'clock.

"The sister and wife of Honoci, his brother-in-law, and three children, occupied the house, which Honoci owned, with the deceased. No other case occurred on the premises, and none in that vicinity, until May 13, case 152 of the record.

"It is to be remembered that the shipping and steamboat landings are at different portions of the levee; that ships are never landed or unloaded at the steamboat levee, or vice versa, and that those who unload ships seldom work on steamboats, and steamboat-hands are rarely employed about ships.

Case No. 4.-Hannah Nelson, female, black, aged twenty-one, died March 1, of cholera, at 166 Franklin street.

"While returning from the funeral of her husband on the afternoon of February 28, she became too ill to go to her residence, 55 Burgundy street, and stopping at the house of a friend, remained there until her death, which happened the next day.

"The husband, Edward Nelson, by the neighbors was stated to have died by disease similar to that of the wife. His physician gave a certi ficate of death by acute gastro-enteritis, and upon after-inquiry being made, insisted on the correctness of the diagnosis already given.

"Nelson came into the city on the Mississippi River boat R. E. Lee, February 24; worked on her during the 25th, and until 3 p. m. of the 26th, at which hour he was carried home, and died the next morning. The premises were in good condition, seven rooms, six occupants. No one here had anything to do with shipping. Nelson visited no other parts of the city between his arrival and death.

"Case No. 5.-Margaret Woods, female, black; four and a half years of age, died of cholera-morbus, March 2, at 536 Goodchildren street. In the same house, on March 8, died No. 10 of the record, Isabella Woods, her sister, aged two and a half years.

"On March 1, Perry Scott, uncle of these two children, living at the same place, died, and was buried by the coroner, who gave a certificate of death by diarrhoea. He, however, had the body interred in haste, giving as a reason that Scott had died of a dangerous disorder, and the safety of the community required speedy burial. The case was not re

ported to the board of health, and the facts stated were elicited in the investigation made of the Woods cases. Scott was a laborer on the steamboat levee.

"The house where these cases occurred was small, crowded, with a very foul privy vault. This was disinfected, and the premises vacated. No other deaths occurred in this immediate vicinity for the next ninety days.

"Case No. 6.-Robert Banks, male, black, aged fifty years, died of cholera, March 3, corner of Prytania and Polymnia streets.

Banks kept an eating-house on the levee, near Canal street, went to his business in the morning, and died at 2 p. m. on the same day. No circumstances connect this case with the shipping. The premises in which he lived and died were in bad sanitary condition, the house old and leaky, stable filthy, privy vault overflowing into yard. The premises were disinfected, vacated, and remain unoccupied. Case No. 22 occurred five blocks distant and twenty-eight days later. Case No. 36, two blocks distant and forty days later. No connection between the two cases traceable.

"Case No. 7.-George Williams, male, black, twenty-nine, taken sick March 2, at No. 59 Erato street, removed to Charity Hospital, died March 4, of cholera morbus.

"Williams came to the city from one of the Red River parishes fifteen days before his death, worked on the steamboat levee, unloading barges from Saint Louis, one of which he "pumped out" the night he was taken sick. He did not lodge at 59 Erato street, but somewhere about the New Basin.

"Case No. S.-Daniel Donovan, white, male, native of Illinois, aged eighteen years, 'homeless,' admitted to Charity Hospital March 3, died March 6, of cholera morbus; came from Natchez, Miss.; had been in the city fire days.

"Case No. 9.-Mrs. Nairnes, thirty-four, died March 8, of cholera morbas, at 132 Dryades street.

"Previous to the sickness of Mrs. Nairnes, the husband, by trade a tailor, had an attack said to be similar to that of the wife, but recov ered. After the death of Mrs. Nairnes, their child was attacked and recovered.

"The habits of both husband and wife were bad, the latter being reported a hard drinker.

"The family had no connection with either boats or shipping. The premises are unhealthy, being low and damp. Stagnant and filthy water was found in the yard. No. 12 was three blocks distant from this place, but no connection existed between them.

"Case No. 10-Isabella Woods, black, aged two and a half years, died of cholera morbus, at 533 Goodchildren street, a sister of case No. 5. The history has already been given.

"Case No. 11.-Frank Baisey, male, black, forty-five, died of cholera morbus, March 7, at 308 Perdido street.

"Baisey was employed on the steamboat levee; had not been at work the day upon which he was taken sick. His physician attributed his attack to an immoderate meal of pigs' feet, eaten just before going to bed at night. He had visited no sick persons. His child, wife, and another woman living in the house did not have the disease. No connection with shipping could be ascertained.

"The premises were in good order, lot well filled, yard paved. The location is back of Galvez Canal, one of the foul draining ditches of the city, and subject to both swamp and sewage poison.