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Archiver > IA-IRISH > 2002-03 > 1016634845


From: "Al Lewis" <>
Subject: Re: [IA-IRISH] On Cholera- 1849
Date: Wed, 20 Mar 2002 09:36:30 -0500
References: <01cb01c1cfb8$f2e65d00$a50f540c@4ladz>


Cathy:

First, thanks for all the incredible work you do. Don't know how you manage
to contribute so much Irish information to this Iowa List, your web site,
and soc.genealogy.ireland.

Regarding the cholera epidemic in 1849: Seventeen years earlier, in 1832, a
terrible cholera epidemic spread from Ireland to this area (Ottawa, Canada)
and decimated the early Irish population here.

There's a description of it at http://www3.sympatico.ca/ag.lewis/cholera.htm

There was also a typhus epidemic here in 1847 - 1849. It was brought from
Ireland on the famine ships.

Beginning about 1850, advertisements for land in Iowa began to appear in the
Ottawa newspapers. Many Irish, both Catholic and Protestant, left Ottawa for
Iowa during the 1850's.

... Al Lewis
Ottawa, Canada

----- Original Message -----
From: "Cathy Joynt Labath" <>
To: <>
Sent: Tuesday, March 19, 2002 9:42 PM
Subject: [IA-IRISH] On Cholera- 1849


> Prior to these articles in the newspapers there were numerous small
articles
> mentioning the spread of Cholera in parts of Europe, New York, New
Orleans,
> St. Louis...I don't know if it ever reached Iowa as I didn't really notice
> any deaths of Cholera while transcribing deaths and marriages for 1849 in
> Scott County where these newspapers were published. Nevertheless, I
thought
> the articles all interesting...
>
>
> The Gazette
> Davenport, Scott, Iowa
>
> Feb 8, 1849
>
> [From the Cincinnati Gazette]
> The press should be careful what it publishes touching the treatment of
> Cholera, and the public still more careful what they receive as authority
> and act upon. An almost infinite amount of crude matter has been published
> concerning this mysterious and dreadful malady, compared to which the
really
> valuable treatises or suggestions are as the planets among the stars.
> Theories too many to mention have been started, as to theorigin or cause
of
> the disease, and nostrums offered for its prevention and cure almost as
> numerous as trees in the forests. It is rare to find a person who has read
a
> few medical books, and hung out the sign of Doctor, who does not
understand
> all about it, but still more rare to find one who can make a few sensible
> remarks with reference to it, and propose simple, reasonable, and
> efficacious means for the treatment of its curable stages.
>
> We commend to the attention of our readers, and hte public generally, the
> following brief, plain and practical communication. It comes from an old
and
> extensive practioner of this city, who saw and treated a great deal of the
> Cholera when it was here in 1832. We have confidence in the course of
> treatment it recommends for theearly and curable manifestations of the
> disease, not only because we know its writer to be one who may be relied
on,
> but also for the reason that we know his suggestion accord with the
> treatment used successfully when the Cholera was here.
>
> MESSRS. EDITORS:
> The questions are daily asked- Will the Cholera visit Cincinnati? -
> When may we expect its approach? Should it make its appearance, what can
be
> done to escape an attack, or to effect a cure? Now I will endeavor to
answer
> these questions in a very concise and simple manner, that all who choose
may
> avail themselves of my suggestions. In the first place there is a strong
> probability that the epidemic will reach Cincinnati in the course of the
> present winter, and if the telegraphic recport be correct that it is now
> prevailing in the Staten Island Hospital, we may daily expect to hear of
> cases among us. What can we do then as a city, or as individuals, to stay
> its ravages, or to protect our own persons? It is now almost universally
> conceded that it is not a contagious disease. Of course all quarantine
> regulations are unnecessary, and experience always shows that wherever
they
> have been adopted they have proved entirely unavailing. All he city
> authorities can do then, is to abate nuisances, and remove offensive
matters
> of every kind, which, by vitiating the atmosphere we breathe, tend to
> predispose the system to whatever epidemic may be prevalent.
>
> But although we cannot rely much upon public effort, we can do much to
> protect ourselves. Among the most important prophylactic measures are
> attention to personal cleanliness; keeping regular hours; being temperate
in
> our drinking; taking regular meals of wholesome food, such as beef,
mutton,
> poultry, potatoes, rice and bread- carefully avoiding such kinds of
ailment
> as are known to be difficult of digestion, such as fresh pork, veal, fresh
> fish, oysters, crude vegetables, pastyr, sweet meats, &c., and above all,
> keeping themind free from undue solicitude, which is best affected by
> pursuing our regular business, whatever it may be, so it be honest and
> useful. And why should we be overanxious? Remember that in ninety-nine
cases
> in a hundred of Cholera, there is a stage of the disease which is almost
> always curable, and that is the stage of simple diarrhoea. During the
> epidemic of 1832 many were betrayed into false security by regarding
> diarrhoea as a pemonitory symptom, whereas it is the first stage of
Cholera
> itself. Attend to that at once, and there is but little to fear.
>
> That brings me to the last question- What can be done to affect a cure? To
> this I answer: Any person finding his bowels to be loose, (how ever well
he
> may feel in other respects) should go immediately to bed, and send for his
> physician. Should the physician not be at hand, take twenty drops of
> Laudanum with the same quantity of Camphor mixed with a little water, and
> apply a hot brick to the feet. If there should be nausea or vomiting,
apply
> a mustard poultice over hte pit of the stomach. Take no food. If thirsty,
> drink small quantities of herb tea, such as spearmint or pennyroyal. If
the
> laudanum and camphor should not arrest the diarrhoea in an hour, and the
> physician does not arrive, take 10 grs. of calomel with 1 gr. of opium, to
> be followed in 12 hours with a tablespoonful of castor oil. Let the above
> course be promptly pursued, and we should hear of but few fatal cases of
> Cholera.
>
> MEDICUS.
>
>
> Mar 22, 1849
>
> Prepare for the Cholera
> Each citizen has been furnished with a notice by the corporation,
enjoining
> cleanliness upon them and the removal of every thing from their premises
> that may have a tendency to superinduce Cholera. In behalf of the
citizens,
> we notify our City Fathers of the existence of a greater nuisance and one
> that has a stronger tendency to cause Cholera to visit us than all others
> combined. It stands upon the Front streeet and invites the disease as it
> ascends the Mississippi to tarry awhile for victims- Shall it not be
abated?
>
>
> June 7, 1849
>
> CHOLERA
> ...Cholera is not contagious,and it is important that this fact should be
> thoroughly understood.
>
> During the prevalence of the epidemic, the collection of the sick into
> narrow, damp, badly-ventilated situations, greatly favors its intensity
and
> extension. Persons attacked in these situations should be instantly
removed.
>
> During epidemic cholera derangements of the digestive functions are more
> common.
>
> 1. Those who feel symptoms of cholic or diarrhoea, or who have pains of
the
> stomach, should be excessively prudent in diet; and avoid fatigue, cold,
and
> humidity.--They should wrap the abdomen in a flannel jacket, go otherwise
> warmly clad, and use mild infusions of tea, or sage or chamomile, or balm.
> If these symptoms do not suddenly disappear, a physician should be sent
for.
> It rarely occurs that attacks of cholera are not ushered in by symptoms of
> disease of the stomach and bowels. In this condition any intelligent
person
> is capable of giving relief; and promptitude is the important point.
>
> 2. If the disease is not checked in this, its first stage- and if
diarrhoea
> increases, accompanied with vomiting, chilliness, coldness of the
> extremities- the patient must be placed in a warm bed, between blankets;
> have hot bricks, or bags of sand, or bottles of water, applied to his
feet,
> and warm napkins to the abdomen and stomach- the extremities must be
rubbed
> with flannel dipped in alcohol, camphor, or other stimulant--warm drinks
> must be administered every few minutes; such as teas, chamomile &c. -
> cataplasms of ground flaxseed and mustard must be put on the extremities-
> all causes of chilliness must be avoided- and small injections of rice
> water, starch, or decoction of marsh mallow must be given, with a
decoction
> of poppy heads superadded- frequent small injections are best.
>
> 3. When pain in the head, cramps, in the limbs, and extension of cold
occur-
> when the tongue is cold, the eyes sunken, the skin bluish on the face and
> hands- the remedies above indicated should be more promptly used until a
> physician arrives.
>
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> (Ad)
> DR. WHITE'S CHOLERA MEDICINE
> 2 DOZEN packages of this popular remedy received on commission per last
boat
> for sale by A.SANDERS.
> May 31st.
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>
>
>
> Cathy Joynt Labath
> Scott Co, Iowa USGenWeb Project
> http://www.celticcousins.net/scott/
> The Irish in Iowa
> http://www.celticcousins.net/irishiniowa/
>
>
>
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