CHOLERA. 755 



refer to the intercommunication between New York and Europe in 

 the year of cholera, 1873. In that year, according to the register of 

 the offices at New York, there were 700 vessels which arrived from 

 different parts of the world, giving an aggregate of 316,956 individ- 

 uals, but of these 266,055 came from Em-ope, Of these, 113,920 came 

 from England, which was free from cholera ; from the remainder of 

 Europe the numbers were 152,135, and about 400 vessels served to 

 convey the individuals, making up the last figures, from ports infected 

 with cholera. If we inquire into the statistics, we find that cholera 

 chiefly occui'red on four vessels only. Eleven cases were registered 

 from the Westphalia ; one fatal case from the Ville du Havre ; from 

 the Washington three fatal cases ; and from the Holland one fatal case. 



Although the chances of contagion aboard ship are very favorable, 

 yet how small was the number of cases of cholera ! Take the ship with 

 eleven cases, and we find that they belonged to two German families 

 only ; two died during the voyage, nine were landed on Dix Island, 

 and of these but one died and the rest recovered. How is it conceiv- 

 able that cholera should have confined itself to two families without 

 attacking others ? I believe that both families had contracted cholera 

 before going on board ; indeed, an epidemic may occur in a ship pro- 

 vided the passengers have all come from a place where cholei*a exists. 

 The contagionists have, however, replied that some remarkable epi- 

 demics have happened on board ship, which could not be explained on 

 the above-mentioned view. It is a question whether cholera can infect 

 on board ship. The contagionists take facts conveniently ; they select 

 those instances which occur least frequently and adopt them, to the 

 exclusion of the great majority of instances which tells against them. 

 I recall the articles which I wrote in the " Vierteljahressclirift fiir 

 offentliche Gesundheitspflege " and in the " Zeitschrift fiir Biologic " 

 to prove that I have thoroughly investigated the nature of epidemics 

 of cholera on ships. Rumors of false returns concerning cholera on 

 board ship have been bruited. But these falsifications can hardly be 

 committed when an epidemic occurs during a voyage. It may be said 

 that my instance of 1873 does not disprove the contagiousness of 

 cholera. Cholera, like small-pox, does not attack every one who is 

 brought into relationship with it. If even a few instances of conta- 

 gion were proved to have occurred on board ship, we should have to 

 admit the contagiousness of the disease. 



I do not doubt that instances may exceptionally be found among 

 infectious diseases in which the behavior is essentially the same as that 

 of cholera on the ships going between Europe and New York. But 

 the question is. How do such cases generally, not exceptionally, be- 

 have? Vaccinated persons maybe brought into contact with cases 

 of small-pox without fear of infection ; and, at times, individuals who 

 have not been vaccinated may come in contact with small-pox without 

 taking the disease. As a rule, however, small-pox on board ship be- 



