PRECAUTIONS AGAINST THE CHOLERA.

THE following valuable document, on the best means of preventing an attack of cholera, and of arresting its spread when it is actually present, will be perused with attention by our readers. We commend it to their favourable notice, and simply premising that the most recent and authentic accounts from England are adverse to the belief of the disease, as it appeared in Sunderland, either having been imported, or being contagious. Dr. Brown, "a very old army medical officer," in his letter to the Marquis of Londonderry, on the subject, gives, as the result of his inquiries, the following conclusions. 1st. That the disease has certainly not been imported. 2d. That it is not contagious. 3d. That it has attacked, almost exclusively, persons of the lowest order, living in the worst situations, and whose constitutions were broken down by previous disease, old age, or intemperance. Dr. Brown considers commercial restrictions to be totally superfluous, as the disease is not communicable; and, by throwing the working classes out of employment, and consequently of bread, they will, he alleges, fearfully aggravate the evil.

The Central Board of Health, have drawn up and ordered to be issued, the fol lowing important paper to the various Boards of Health:

Council Office, Nov. 14, 1831.

Sir-The Central Board of Health having maturely weighed all the information which has been transmitted to them, relative to the progress of the Asiatic spasmodic cholera in various parts of Europe, but more particularly guided by the conclusions on this head to which Doctors Russel and Barry have arrived, after a few months careful and laborious observation of the character of that disease, in those parts of Russia which they have visited, beg leave to suggest for your consideration the following sanatory hints.

I. As to Precautionary Measures.

In order to insure the adoption and realize the benefit of any system of sanatory arrangements, in a large community, the first essential point is, to divide that community into subordinate sections, and to form distinct Boards of Health, each to consist, if possible, of a resident clergyman, and a number of substantial householders, and of one medical man, at least.

These Boards should be charged with the following duties in their respective districts, viz:

1. To appoint inspectors. Each inspector to visit daily, and to inquire carefully after the health, means of subsistence, cleanliness, and comfort of the inmates, (of say one hundred houses, more or less, according to local circumstances.)

2. To receive and examine the reports of those inspectors; which should be made up to a given hour on each day.

3. To endeavour to remedy, by every means which individual and public charitable exertion can supply, such deficiency as may be found to exist in their respective districts, in the following primary elements of public health, viz: the food of the poor, clothing, bedding, ventilation, space, cleanliness, outlets for domestic filth, habits of temperance, prevention of panic.

4. To report to their principal Boards, respectively, on the above heads, as well as on the actual state of the health of their districts.

The subordinate divisions of each district ought to be numbered or lettered, and each district named; the names of the members of each Board; of the medical men attached to cach; and of the visiting inspectors employed, should be placarded in conspicuous places.

Principal Boards of cities, towns, or parishes, to report directly to the Central Board in London.

1. On the actual state of health of the whole population.

2. On the precautionary measures already carried into effect.

3. On the measures contemplated.

4. On suspected sources, if any there be, from whence this particular disease might possibly spring.

With regard to precautions, as to intercourse with suspected or really infected persons or places, the Board are confident that good sense and good feeling will not only point out, but morally establish, as may be practicable, the necessity of avoiding such communication as may endanger the lives of thousands.

But they strongly deprecate all measures of coercion for this purpose, which, when tried upon the continent, invariably have been found productive of evil. The best inducements to a prompt acknowledgment of the disease having entered a family, as well as to an early voluntary separation of the sick from the healthy, will always be found in the readiness and efficiency with which public charitable institutions attend to the object in sec. 3.

It is with much satisfaction that the Board feel themselves authorised to declare, and it will no doubt be highly consolatory to the public, to learn, that, under proper observances of cleanliness and ventilation, this disease seldom spreads in families, and rarely passes to those about the sick, under such favourable circumstances, unless they happen to be particularly predisposed.

It will not, therefore, be necessary, where there is space, and where due attention is paid to cleanliness and purity of air, to separate members of families actually affected by the disease, nor to insulate individual houses, unless in cases of crowded, filthy, badly-ventilated habitations, and other contingencies which involve the health and safety of all.

It having been proved by ample experience, in more than one city in Europe, that the fitting up and furnishing of hospitals for the reception of the poorer classes supposed likely to be attacked by the disease, at a period too long before its actual breaking out, has been productive of great waste of means, by the spoiling of various articles, and the consequent want of wholesome accommodation, when most required, the Central Board would recommend that proper and sufficient houseroom only be secured and prepared in the first instance, and that the charitable be called upon only to pledge themselves to furnish, at a given notice, such articles of bedding, furniture, &c., or the value of them, as they would at once have con. tributed.

By this means the deterioration of perishable articles will be avoided; and, should the district entirely escape, the contributions will be saved.

The situation which the Board would recommend for temporary cholera hospitals, would be those most detached, insulated, and thoroughly exposed to free and open air; the description of house such as would admit of the most perfect ventilation and cleanliness, and the largest space around the sick,

The Board would recommend, when a family is reported to be in an unhealthy state by the sub-inspector, and the disease confirmed to be cholera by a medical member of the District Board, that the head of such family, if unable to afford accommodation at home, be advised to send the sick person forthwith to the temporary hospital; and that the other members of the family be supplied with such additional means and comforts as their state may require, to enable them to resist the influence of the infected atmosphere in which they live.

11. Medical and Dietic Precautions.

These will be found of considerable importance, from their contributing to provent or diminish the susceptibility to infection which individuals may possess at the moment the disease breaks out. No sudden nor extensive alterations should be made in the usual modes of living. All changes of food, to be useful, indeed not to be absolutely prejudicial, should tend to render it drier, more nutritive, and concentrated; moderately costive bowels, the almost invariable consequence of a dry invigorating diet, will be found more conducive to exemption from cholera, than an opposite habit.

Whenever aperients may become indispensable, those of a warm, aromatic kind, in moderate doses, or domestic means, should alone be resorted to.

What is generally understood by salts-viz. Glauber's salts and Epsom salts, as well as other cold purgatives, should not be taken in any quantities, nor, on any account, without the express prescription of a medical man.

The medical members of the Board beg to state, in the most decided manner, that no specific preventive against cholera is known to exist; and that the drugs hitherto offered with this pretension, in countries where the greatest ravages have been caused by this discase, not only did not possess the negative virtue of doing no harm, but were found to be absolutely injurious.

The true preventives are a healthful body and a cheerful, unruffled mind. Looseness of bowels should be immediately checked, and any thing like periodical chills or cold perspirations should be met by quinine in suitable quantities; but habitual drugging, at all times improper, is to be deprecated in the strongest terms when epidemic disease is apprehended.

The Board have been anxious to lay before the public, as early as possible, the above precautionary outlines, which they trust will tend, together with the suggestions emanating from the wisdom of your and other local Boards, if not to exempt the whole population of these realms from the scourge of spasmodic cholera, at least to enable them to meet it, in the event of its appearing amongst them, with physical and moral constitutions the least likely to suffer from its virulence.

The Central Board will avail themselves of the earliest opportunity to transmit to you any further sanatory suggestions which may occur to them on the subject of precautionary measures, as well as an outline of instructions now in preparation for communities supposed to be actually attacked.

I have the honour to be Sir, your most obedient servant,

E. STEWART, Chairman.

When Philip, king of Macedon, invited Dionysius the Younger to dine with him at Corinth, he felt an inclination to deride the father of his royal guest, because he had blended the characters of the prince and poet; and had employed his leisure hours in writing tragedies. "How could the king find leisure," said Philip, "to write these trifles?" "In those hours," answered Dionysius, "which you and I spend in drunkenness and debauchery.”

A COMPENDIOUS HISTORY OF THE ASIATIC, OR SPASMODIC CHOLERA, including an account of its causes, and the best means of prevention and of cure, will soon be published at this office.

ORIGIN, SYMPTOMS, AND CURE OF THE INFLUENZA, OR EPIDEMIC CATARRH, with some hints respecting common colds, and incipient Pulmonary Consumption, pp. 80. Published at the office of the Journal of Health, No. 121 Chesnut street, Philadelphia.

JOURNAL OF INSTRUCTION,

Conducted by "The Philadelphia Association of Teachers."

The first number of this work was issued from the Literary Rooms, No. 121 Chesnut street, Philadelphia, Office of the Journal of Health, on the second Wednesday in January, and will be regularly continued on the second and fourth Wednesdays of every month, on a medium sheet, in quarto form, at $1 25 per annum. All Agents for the Journal of Health are requested to act as such for the above work.

OUR readers must all, by this time, have heard of the magnificent bequest of Stephen Girard, "mariner and merchant," to the city of Philadelphia. It affords the most substantial proof of a sound and discriminating mind, intent on the accomplishment of schemes of practical benevolence, and enduring public good. Vanity might have devised other means of appropriating such vast wealth as he died possessed of; and might, perhaps, have been still more successful in extorting the praise and wonder of the multitude. Girard's aim was high and noble—it was to ameliorate the condition of the poor, by lightening their burdens, and improving their health; and educating the helpless orphan to usefulness for himself and society, in place of allowing him to become an outcast, perhaps a criminal!-We cannot do better here than give the very language of his "Will."

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"And whereas," says he, "I have been for a long time impressed with the importance of educating the poor, and placing them, by the early cultivation of their minds and the development of their moral principles, above the many temptations to which, through poverty and ignorance, they are exposed; and I am particularly desirous to provide for such a number of poor male white orphan children as can be trained in one institution, a better education, as well as a more comfortable maintenance, than they usually receive from the application of the public funds: And whereas, together with the object just adverted to, I have sincerely at heart the welfare of the City of Philadelphia, and, as a part of it, am desirous to improve the neighbourhood of VOL. III.-21

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the river Delaware, so that the health of the citizens may be promoted and preserved, and that the eastern part of the city may be made to correspond better with the interior: Now I do give, devise, and bequeath.".

Then follow the details respecting the disposition of his property for the purposes aforesaid:

Some hygeinic hints are furnished in various parts of the will. Thus, among the very full details respecting the construction of the college for orphan children, we cannot but approve of the direction to have all the outside foundation walls, forming the cellars, three feet six inches thick up to the first floor, or as high as may be necessary to fix the centres for the first floor; and the under foundation wall, running north and south, and the three inside foundation walls running east and west, three feet thick up to the first floor: the outside and under walls, from this to the top or roof of the building, shall be of two feet thickness. Not only is greater strength and durability obtained by thick walls, but also the percolation of underground moisture into the cellar, and of that of the atmosphere into the rooms above, are prevented.-A more uniform temperature is also insured by this means, the air of the apartments being less changed, in this respect, by either the cold of winter or heat of summer.

The testator has, also, been careful to direct the manner in which the building shall be warmed in winter. "A furnace or furnaces for the generation of heated air shall be placed in the cellar, and the heated air shall be introduced in adequate quantity, whenever wanted, by means of pipes and flues inserted and made for the purpose in the walls, and as those walls shall be constructed." Descriptions (with plates) of the apparatus for this purpose have been repeatedly given in this Journal,* and we have never ceased to urge its use on our fellow citizens. The strong testimony in its favour, thus borne by Mr. Girard, is entitled to the more weight, from the fact that he was well versed in the economy and details of building, and had introduced this plan in some of his new private houses.

With the same wise intent of guarding against currents of cold air from without, as well as for other purposes of safety and convenience, double doors in each instance are directed-" Those opening into the rooms to be what are termed glass doors, so as to increase the quantity of light for each room; and those opening outward, to be of substantial wood-work, well lined, and secured." -There is to be a double stair case on the north and south sides, carried up through the several stories. Ornament is not lost sight of, but is rendered more attractive by being subservient to durability, as when the testator directs the outside walls to be faced with slabs or blocks of marble or granite, fastened together with * Vol. II. p. 80-133, and 140.