460 SPIRILLUM CHOLEBJE ASIATICS. 



lias pointed out that in Lyons, for example, the custom 

 is not to wash the linen in the house, but on boats in 

 the quickly-flowing water of the Rhone, or further clown 

 the stream, for example, in the village of Craponne. 

 Clothes are soiled with dejecta in almost every case of 

 cholera ; the infective material retains its vitality under 

 these circumstances for a relatively long period ; the 

 linen is a valuable material, which is treated with care 

 and subjected to many manipulations ; it is handled the 

 more incautiously in that the cholera dejecta do not 

 betray their presence by stink, or by any other disagree- 

 able character. Hence linen is evidently one of the 

 most dangerous sources of infection, and thus a very 

 great part of the chances in favour of the distribution of 

 cholera is removed when, as in Lyons, the linen is with- 

 out exception cleansed outside the house ; while on the 

 other hand the greatest chance of infection is furnished 

 when the linen is kept in the house, washed in leaky 

 wells, or, as in India, in stagnant tanks. 



<j. influence of 6. An important factor which hinders or favours the 

 pmiispofci- local and seasonal spread of cholera is, finally, the indivi- 

 tion - dual predisposition of the population. Such a predispo- 



sition can in the first place be based on the habits of the 

 population with regard to food, habits which show marked 

 differences in different places and at different seasons. 

 Mode of In one country the people live relatively sparingl} 7 , in 

 other countries or towns, or in certain classes of the popu- 

 lation, a very large amount of food, and more especially 

 of fluid food, is swallowed. It is further worthy of 

 notice that in our countries the food is almost always 

 cooked during winter and spring, while in summer and 

 harvest raw fruits and vegetables often form a consider- 

 able portion of the daily nourishment ; these raw materials 

 often set up mild gastric disturbances, and are also very 

 suitable for the transport of bacteria. In other countries 

 a much larger proportion of the food is constantly used 

 without any preparation. It can easily be understood 

 that by employing raw food the paths of infection are in 

 the first place increased in number ; that also as the 

 result of the gastric disturbances, as well as of the 



