Complete Record - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 2028

E HUTCHINSON (fl. 1840) The Asiatic cholera!!! Its symptoms, cure, and remedies. E. Hutchinson; Pittsburgh: W. S. Caldwell 1848 64 pp., map. 25 cm.

Asiatic cholera, normally endemic to southern Asia, reached pandemic proportions several times during the nineteenth century and took many lives throughout the world. The first pandemic that spread around the world began in 1829 and recurred at intervals through 1852. In 1832 the pandemic reached North America from Europe, moved rapidly along the Atlantic seaboard of the United States, and by 1834 had reached the Pacific coast. Since the bacterial cause of cholera was not identified until the latter part of the nineteenth century, it was many years before it was possible to implement effective therapies and realistic policies for controlling the disease. This pamphlet was prepared to help its readers cope with a new outbreak of cholera that began in the United States late in 1848. Hutchinson, the editor and publisher, drew upon the works of seven physicians of international reputation for the material in the book. Beginning with a short history of the disease, he proceeds to a graphic description of the symptoms, and goes on to discuss a variety of remedies. The chief cause of cholera is ascribed to an atmospheric miasma or contagion usually accompanied by unusual climatic conditions. Low and damp places, crowded living conditions, an intemperate life style, poor diet, and extreme physical and mental duress are also believed to be contributing factors to an attack of the disease. Preventive measures are based on the causes of the disease and include personal cleanliness and temperate living. A series of ten arguments are also presented to show that cholera is not a contagious disease.