November 21, 1895] 



NATURE 



63 



A New Star in the Constellation Carina. — The first 

 iumber of the Harvard College Observatory C/rcM/ar contains 

 .1 note to the effect that, from an examination of si^ectrum-photo- 

 graphs taken at the Arequipa Station of the Observatory, Mrs. 

 Fleming has discovered that a new star appeared in the southern 

 constellation Carina in the spring of this year. A photograph of 

 a number of stars in the constellation contained a spectrum having 

 bright hydrogen lines accompanied by dark ones of slightly shorter 

 wave-length. Upon comparing this spectrum with those of 

 Nova Aurigae and Nova Normse, it was seen that all three 

 resembled one another, and were apparently identical in their 

 essential features. A later photograph showed a slight change 

 in the spectrum ; a line at about wave-length 4700 being as 

 bright as the hydrogen lines, though on the earlier photograph it 

 was barely visible. These facts led to a close examination of all 

 the sixty-two photographs of the region containing the star. 

 Upon the first, taken in May 1889, no trace of the star could be 

 made out, though stars of the fourteenth magnitude had recorded 

 their existence. The star first appears on a negative taken on 

 April 8 of this year, and last upon one obtained on July l, its 

 magnitude during the intervening period having diminished from 

 the eighth to the eleventh. The approximate position of the 

 star is R.A. iih. 3*9m., Decl. -61° 24'. 



CHOLERA IN GERMANY IN 1894. 



'T'HE part just issued of the Arbeiten aus dem Kaiserlichen 

 ■*• Gesundheitmmte is devoted to a very elaborate report on 

 all the cases of cholera which occurred in Germany during the 

 past year. The inquir)' has been so arranged that each district 

 IS responsible for its own report. Thus Prof. Dr. von Esmarch 

 has drawn up the document relating to East Prussia, Prof. 

 Dr. Flugge furnishes the statement for Schlesien, Prof. Dr. E. 

 Fraenkel describes the outbreak which took place in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Marburg, and so on, whilst a general introduction 

 has been written by Regierungsrath Dr. Kiibler. 



In all 1004 cases of cholera occurred between May 23 and the 

 middle of December, 1894, out of which 490 ended fatally. 

 These figures, taking the population of the Empire at its official 

 estimate of 49,429,470, represent 0*2 cases of cholera per 10,000, 

 and a mortality from cholera equal to 0"l per 10,000. The 

 report is extensively illustrated, but one of the most instructive 

 appendages is a map giving a graphic representation of localities 

 in which cholera was notified. Here at a glance it may be seen 

 how Germany suffers in this respect from her close proximity to 

 Russia and Galicia in the eastern portions of her Empire, by far 

 the greater number of outbreaks having taken place in East and 

 West Prussia, whilst in the districts bordering on France, 

 Belgium and Holland, hardly any cases of cholera occurred. 



Dr. Kiibler des not hesitate to assert that practically all the 

 cases of cholera which took place were attributable to fresh in- 

 fection imported into the country. West Prussia was last year 

 at a particular disadvantage in this respect, for whilst cholera has 

 invariably found its way from Russia along the water-ways, this 

 part of Germany, being so intimately connected with Russia by 

 the Vistula, in 1894 a specially alarming outbreak of cholera 

 raged in these Russian and Galician districts, and thus every 

 opportunity was afforded for its ingress into Germany. 



The various reports seem to be almost unanimous in stating 

 that cholera is disseminated throughout the Empire well-nigh 

 exclusively by means of the traffic along the rivers or water-ways 

 of the country, and that it is here that the greatest watchfulness 

 has to be exercised. Such surveillance has, however, exerted a 

 most salutary influence upon the hygienic conditions obtaining 

 on ships, and although the interference was in the first instance 

 opposed by the men, the latter are now most eager and active 

 in carrying out the sanitary improvements, and the best results 

 have ensued. 



It is interesting to note that not a single case of cholera 

 occurred in Hamburg,^ and only six in the whole of the Elbe 

 district. 



There cannot be a doubt that these most satisfactory results 

 are a direct consequence of the splendid way in which the regu- 

 lations drawn up by the German Cholera Commission of 1893 

 were carried out, and that it is to the conscientious manner 

 in which the various officials fulfilled their instructions, that 



y The fatal case of cholera, which occurred in the Hamburg Hygienic In- 

 stitute, is not included, as this was due to accidental infection during the 

 carrying out of some laboratory experiments on cholera. 



Germany owes her comparative freedom from cholera and its 

 restriction when an outbreak did occur. 



Prof. Flugge cites an interesting table confirming the improve- 

 ment which has taken place in combating cholera, in which the 

 total number of cases of cholera which have occurred in Ober- 

 schlesien from the years 183 1 to 1894 are given. 



This improved condition, which is so apparent within the past 

 twenty years, Prof. Flugge a.scribes to the achievements of Robert 

 Koch, whose labours have revealed not only the nature of cholera, 

 but also the most effective way of dealing with it and crippling 

 its power. 



But perhaps the most striking testimony to the effectiveness of 

 the measures taken to stamp out cholera, is to be found in the 

 fact that in spite of the prevalence of cholera in East and West 

 Prussia, the army manoeuvres were conducted on a large scale in 

 this district, and no cases of cholera occurred amongst the troops. 

 As an instance of the precautions taken, it may be interesting to 

 read the following instructions which were issued, such instruc- 

 tions being by no" means the most elaborate which were carried 

 into execution. 



During the mobilisation of troops on the Vistula, no eatables 

 were allowed to be taken ; to prevent the river water from being 

 drunk, casks of boiled drinking water accompanied the soldiers, 

 and every man was provided with an infusion of tea ; further, it 

 was ordered, and most strictly carried out, that all articles of 

 clothing which had come in contact with Vistula water, were not 

 to be returned to the barracks, but to be sent straight to the dis- 

 infecting station, and the men were further obliged to wash their 

 hands with soap and pure spring water on the parade ground 

 each time after the various drills had been gone through. 



There seems to be no doubt that personal disposition to 

 cholera, as in diphtheria and other zymotic diseases, varies with 

 the individual, and members of a cholera-stricken household, 

 although not themselves affected, may in cholera, as also in 

 diphtheria, become the transmitters of the disease. This is an 

 accepted fact in Germany, and Dr. Kiibler states that last year 

 this received fresh confirmation from the bacteriological evi- 

 dence afforded by numerous investigations of perfectly healthy 

 persons in cholera surroundings. The isolation of these suspects, 

 Dr. Kiibler regards as an important measure in helping to 

 restrict cholera-infected areas. 



This disposition to cholera, even in cholera-disposed indi- 

 viduals, appears to vary at different seasons of the year, and the 

 consensus of opinion, derived from all parts of Europe, decrees 

 the late summer and autumn as the period when the chances 

 of infection are greatest. What the special circumstances are 

 which determine this seasonable predisposition, no one rightly 

 understands, and a great diversity of opinion on this question 

 exists ; but there can be no doubt as to the facts, and the following 

 statistics of cholera cases per month, collected over a period of 

 more than thirty years in Schlesien, bring out this point very 

 clearly. 



The organisation and elaborate machinery necessary to combat 

 effectively with cholera, and the discipline with which the sani- 

 tary precautions have been carried out in Germany, call for un- 

 grudging admiration ; it is, therefore, with the more surprise that 

 we learn from Prof. Fliigge's report how much remains yet to be 

 accomplished in the management of so important a matter as 

 disinfection. The most approved apparatus was frequently 

 rendered useless by the ignorance of those to whom the work of 

 disinfection was entrusted. "The modern practice and tech- 

 nique of disinfection is something," writes Prof. Flugge, "which 

 every doctor does not co ipso understand or can learn either from 



NO. 1360, VOL. 53] 



