Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 27.djvu/38

26 gave instances of cholera in the nurses; the largest number of cases occurred at Dharmsala, where there were eleven, Kasanli had three, Muttra and Moradabad each two, Fazabacl, Lakknau, Mirat, and two others one each. An epidemic among the nurses can therefore only be spoken of in the hospital of the First Ghorka Regiment stationed at Dharmsala, where eight nurses, two porters, and one other officer were taken ill of the disease. These statements show how exceptional such occurrences are. Why should not a hospital as well as a garrison now and again be a center of infection? Closer investigation proves, however, that the personnel of the hospital at Dharmsala was not affected in a greater degree than the population outside the hospitals. It may be shown that the percentage of cases of cholera among the outside population was 8·01; in other words, that eighty-six cases occurred out of 1,073, while of the hospital staff of 127 eleven fell ill, or a percentage of 8·66. Cuningham also inquired whether the immunity enjoyed by nurses could be explained by disinfection. He found from ancient sources that this striking immunity of nurses was by no means a new thing, and had certainly obtained before the days of disinfection. He draws attention, among other writings, to an experience of Dr. Bruce, who wrote: "In 1848 cholera broke out among the infantry at Caenpur from May to September. During the whole time the hospital was never free from single cases of cholera, and at times it was overfilled with them. The whole institution may be said to have lived in the rooms of the sick; the coolies did not leave the beds of the sick for an hour together, the physicians had much to do with the treatment of the patients; and yet not a man, whether European, half-caste, or native, showed a single symptom of cholera. I took the greatest pains to collect and sift these circumstances, but in this year not a single instance occurred." In India a practical use is made of this knowledge under the exceptional circumstances of the nurses being attacked. Nothing is said of isolation and disinfection; but the site on which the hospital stands is looked upon as unfavorable, and a change is made. This change of place is called by the English a movement, and as a prophylactic measure comes within the first ranks. If the site to which a movement has been made prove to be more unfavorable than that which was quitted from the frying-pan into the fire the movement has not availed anything. No good comes of the movement if the personnel has been already infected as much as possible. The Sixty-sixth Ghorka Regiment in its march through Tarai was not spared when it reached the Naini Valley; but, probably, if it had stayed a day longer in Tarai, the percentage of illness, instead of being ten, would have been twenty. It is the same as regards nurses and hospitals in Europe. I shall refer to Munich intentionally, not because it had so frequently been the seat of cholera (Munich had cholera once to Berlin's twelve times), but because I am better acquainted with the particulars. During the epidemic of 1873-'74 we had three hospitals