INOCULATION AS PROPHYLACTIC OF CHOLERA. To the Editor, " Indian Medical Gazette." Sir,?For over twenty years I have been advocating the principle that cholera results from devolution of proto-

; that the stability of protoplasm has recurrent periods of weakness ; that at such recurrent periods of instability almost any change in habituated environment may precipitate the devolution of protoplasm into " poisons " or modes, results are the symptoms we call cholera. whose Thirty I published in India, and very often since, that years ago at certain recurrent periods almost any change might lead to the evolution of cholera, I viewed cholera as evolved in the natives of India, owing to the inhehaving rent weakness of their vitality, or, in chemical language, that bonds molecular of the protop asm of the natives were the " or inharmonious chemical weak, and thus "poisons bodies tended to form in the system. As cholera in the native evolved so readily from so oreat a variety of slight changes. I reasoned that equally changes or conditions were enouirh to retain protoplasm in its normal condition, and to prevent its reversions or devolutions into cholera: hence thirty years ago.* I uro-ed a protective treatment,?rest, quiet, the avoidance of ventilation, or oth?r depressing influences or shock as the right method for preventing outbreaks of cholera in Calcutta coolie emigrant ships; but I further advocated the hypodermic injection of every one not affected with cholera, when in presence of an epidemic : my proposal was to use a solution of quinine. Liq. Ars. Hyd. and muriatic acid, or Dr. Scriven's solution of quinine in tartaric acid. Those of your readers who may be interested in the subject will find a short article, from my pen, bearing on it in the Indian Medical Gazette of December 1883, pa?e 351 ; there is a notice of it in the Englishman, Calcutta November loth. 1881. About 1881 I renewed very actively my proposals for the prophylaxis of cholera, and wrote the different Governments of India full expositions of my I had the honour of theories and proposals. receiving acknowledgments of my letters.?Bombay, C E. VV. Low? dell, Surgeon, November 9th, 1881 ; Simla. J. W. Cunningham. M.D., Surgeon-General. November 18th. 1881 ; Calcutta, E. F. Chapman, Lieut.-C lonel, Military Secretary, December 1881 ; Simla, Ayad Eteson, m.d., 10th, Secretary to the Surgeon-General. I have also replies to my the War Oflice ; the Admiralty ; the Turkish from proposals Ambassador; the Crown Colonies OfBce, Downing StreetCaptain Ommanay, May 25th, 18a3; I wrote also various other public bodies in Europe, Egypt, and India. I must ask you to pardon these personal details ; but the dates I have "iven may be of iuterest in the history of our efforts to reach a safe and sure prophylaxis of cholera. If any of jour readers should think that my hyootheses and proposals are reasonable, and suited to further extension, and if they would care to read the ground* of my hypotheses, I beg to refer them to the Indian Medical Gazette, December 1883, October 1888, page 292 Medical Press and Circular, May 12th, 1880; November 9th 1881 February 8th, 1882; December 5th, 1883 ; AucrUsfc 27tV i?84. ! August 19th, 1885; November 18th,

plasm

delicate

"great

Brigade-Surgeon,

?

?

1885;

Provincial

Journal, August 1886; December 1886 The short articles in the Indian Medical Gazette of 1883, and of October 1888. page 292, will perhaps be enough to make my hypotheses and proposals clear. Medical

2nd,

'December

Plymouth, July 3rd, 1891.

WILLIAM H. PEA.RSE,

m.d.

* Report of Ship Alnwick Castle, 1862; republished in Proving cial Medical Journal, June 1893.

Inoculation as a Prophylactic of Cholera.

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