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80
St. Helena Place, which is a long, narrow, and overcrowded
street, and where 6 deaths occurred, the disease began at a
coal-shed, where vegetables were sold. These were kept in a
yard, which was badly paved, with an open offensive privy and
an open drain. The disease spread to the two next houses, and
some cases occurred in two other houses on the opposite side of
the street, but all pretty near together. The probability is that
the Cholera evacuations were emptied into the yard,and splashed
over the vegetables, which thus conveyed the disease to the
neighbouring customers.
One instance is worth special notice: a clockmaker went to
a house where some nurses lived who attended upon Cholera
patients; soon afterwards his wife was attacked and died, and
subsequently his sister, who temporarily resided there—he himself
escaping.
The preponderance of evidence is in favor of the idea, that
the Cholera is propagated by a person taking with his drink or
food the matter composing the vomit or intestinal discharges of
a patient suffering from the disease. Hence the great importance
of destroying or decomposing by disinfectants every
trace of these matters, and of extreme care in protecting the
drink water or food from any possible contamination with them.
The importance of attending to the purity of water is generally
admitted; but we have but little control over the manner in
which the fruit, vegetables, and fish, so largely distributed by
the costermongers to the poorer classes, are kept—mostly in
very small backyards, in close proximity to closets where there
is no water, and where the slops are carelessly thrown. It
might be argued that cooking will destroy the poison; but there
is no doubt that the slight and imperfect boiling to which these
provisions are subjected is inefficient for the purpose. The last
case which occurred in the Parish, was that of a man who went
to Petticoat Lane, and in good health. He partook freely of
mussels at a stall in the street, came home, and died of Cholera
within 24 hours.
In one visitation to a house where there were two cases
of Cholera, I found some washed clothes hung to dry on the
margin of a water-butt, which had no lid!
The courts in Turnmill Street, as I have stated, yielded
just l-7th of the entire mortality from Cholera; the population
being about 450. The inhabitants are mostly costermongers,
and "roughs" in their habits. Many of the houses are realty
not fit for human habitation, being very small and dark, and
the courts very narrow, without back ventilations. Horses and