Constitutional Whig

At a meeting of the Board of Health of the city of Richmond, held at the Mayor's Office, on Saturday, the 28th July, 1832,

The Mayor presented to the Board a letter from Dr. Haxall, which was read in the words and figures following:

Richmond, July 27, 1832.

To Joseph Tate, Esq.,

Mayor of the City of Richmond:

Dear Sir—Your letter to Dr. Stevens, President of the New York Board of Health, in conjunction with others which were subsequently obtained, procured for me every facility towards investigating the object of my recent visit to that city. Four days were assiduously employed in visiting the different Hospitals containing cholera patients, and making those post mortem examinations so essentially necessary to a correct understanding of the disease; and valuable information has also been gleaned from conversations with gentlemen familiar with this affection since its introduction into our country.

The idea of the disease being aggravated common cholera, is, I believe, now abandoned by all who have witnessed and studied its symptomatology, or if the idea be entertained by such persons, they must possess the power of congregating and assimilating symptoms very dissimilar, and which, to my observation, has been denied. The truth is, it is a disease which for the first time has visited our shores, and is destined, I fear, to embrace a still wider range. The sufferings of those who become its victims, can hardly be appreciated by any one who has not beheld them, and the gloom depicted upon the countenances of all within the sphere of its influence, will oftentimes affect the stoutest heart. These considerations, however, so far from depriving us of our presence of mind, should rather tend to urge us on to the adoption of those means, which although they cannot prevent, will certainly mitigate, its ravages. Our city may escape—but on the other hand it may not, and such has hitherto been the progress of the disease, as to defy all human calculation as to the result.

There is one circumstance connected with the history of this affection, which must surely disarm it of many of its terrors, and which is now well established by the concurrent testimony of our own physicians and those who have seen it in India and in Europe; I allude to its non-contagious nature, and so perfectly satisfied am I of its truth, that I should as soon expect to find myself the subject of intermittent fever after visiting a patient, as of spasmodic cholera. So much are our quarantine regulations affected by a belief or disbelief as to its contagious character, that I was at some pains to collect facts connected with this branch of the subject, and from all that I have been able to learn, not an instance has fallen under my observation at all tending to establish such a doctrine; and I do hope, that should a case occur in any vessel bound to our port, the unfortunate individual may at once be introduced into our Hospital, and the necessary measures taken for his relief. It is hardly necessary to detail to you the long list of facts which have been collected, particularly in Europe, all going to prove the non-contagion of cholera; I shall, however, transcribe for your perusal, a short history of the disease while it existed in St. Petersburg, and if, in despite of this, a contagionist can yet be found, 'tis probable he will never be convinced:—"But there is a curious fact connected with locality in the history of the cholera in that city, (St. Petersburg,) which deserves mention here. Kristofsky Island, situated in the middle of the populous islands of St. Petersburg, and which communicates with them by two magnificent bridges, and with the town by a thousand barges, which bring every day, and especially on Sundays, a great many people who go to take a walk in that charming place; Kristofsky Island, we say, was completely preserved from the reach of cholera: there has not been a single patient in the three villages which it contains. It is not to be supposed that the inhabitants of those villages were of a different nature from those of the town; all the abodes of this island are country houses, empty in winter, and full of people in summer, either noblemen, artists, or citizens of the town." Now is it reasonable to believe that the inhabitants of this island could have escaped the disease, while such constant communication was kept up between it and St. Petersburg?

I should think not, and the author from whom I have quoted, goes on to account with much plausibility for its exemption from disease—he says, "the salubrity of this spot was owing to the many neighboring woods by which it was protected from the choleraic influence, whatever that may be, or however mixed with the atmosphere." The origin & course of the disease as witnessed in N. York, adds another proof to the doctrine of non-contagion. Bellevue Hospital containing 3 separate establishments, viz: the Alms-House, Fever Hospital, and the Penitentiary, is situated without the precincts of the city, and entirely unconnected with any other buildings. The first case occurred on the 27th of June, in the morning, and in the evening of the same day, another case was reported in the same building, (the Penitentiary, but in a different ward, and situated remotely from the first, and no possible communication could have existed between the two patients. These two cases were removed very soon to the Fever Hospital, for the purpose of procuring better attendance, and after their removal, the disease appeared in this part of the establishment, but mark, the very first patient who was attacked, was the inmate of a ward located in a different part of this Hospital, and who had had no connexion whatever, with the removed patients. From this time, the disease progressed rapidly in the Bellevue Establishment, not from contagion, but from the influence which atmospheric infection had upon the systems of all.

These are facts, and therefore cannot be controverted; persuade our community, that the dreaded Cholera is not a contagious disease, and teach them to avoid all exciting causes, and my life for it, should it appear among us, it will be disarmed of its thousand terrors, for it will be mitigated in its intensity. The remote or predisposing cause must be referred to atmospheric influence; but it is an influence cognizable only by its effects, and which has eluded every thing like chemical investigation. When our atmosphere shall have been tainted with this noxious miasm, all alike may feel its sickening influence; and those who have lived "temperate in all things," will, in a large majority of instances, escape, while those who have pursued a different course, will become its victims.

The exciting causes may be avoided, or at least lessened, by paying strict attention to the cleanliness of our streets and alleys. We have now hydrants at the corner of almost every street, and daily use should be made of them, wherever they are situated. Any impediment to a free ventilation in narrow alleys particularly, should be at once removed. As it is impossible that our Police can inspect every dwelling in the city, much must devolve upon the inhabitants themselves; a free circulation of air should be kept up through every room, damp cellars made as dry as possible, and the Chloride of Lime frequently used. In our Schools and Tobacco Manufactories, these precautions cannot be too rigidly enforced. As to individuals themselves, 'tis hardly necessary to say, that the most perfect cleanliness should be observed; tepid bathing two or three times a week may be employed, succeeded by dry friction with coarse towels, or the flesh brush, temperance, avoiding exposure to the night air, and an entire abstinence from all crude and indigestible articles, are valuable auxiliaries. With such precautions, we may reasonably indulge the hope, that should our city become the abode of Spasmodic Cholera, its violence may be much abated. We should however, prepare for the worst that may happen, by procuring temporary Hospitals in different parts of our city. Having paid some attention to their interior arrangements, both in New York and Philadelphia, I will most cheerfully impart to our Board of Health, all the information which I possess.

With sentiments of much respect, I remain your most obd't serv't,

ROBERT W. HAXALL.

From the Proceedings of the Board of Health

JAMES RAWLINGS,

Secretary.