Cholera Hospital facts for kids

The Cholera Hospital was a special hospital opened in New York City on June 24, 1854. It was built to help people sick with cholera. At that time, other hospitals in Manhattan, like City Hospital, wouldn't let cholera patients in.

The Mayor of New York, Jacob Westervelt, and city officials quickly took over a building at 105 Franklin Street. They did this because they expected a big outbreak of cholera. A few weeks later, another hospital for cholera patients opened at a schoolhouse on Mott Street in Manhattan. There was an older hospital called Duane-Street Cholera Hospital from 1835, but we don't know if it was connected to the Franklin Street hospital.

Cholera Hospital: Patient Numbers and Outcomes

A total of 696 patients were treated at both the Franklin Street and Mott Street hospitals. Sadly, about half of them did not survive. At the Franklin Street Cholera Hospital, 265 people passed away. At the Mott Street hospital, 57 people died. However, 323 patients did get better and recovered from the sickness.

In 1854, about 600,000 people lived in New York City. The number of cholera cases that year was much lower than in 1849, when nearly 5,000 cases were reported.

Doctors' Advice: How to Stop Cholera Spreading

Doctors Valey and Gull, who treated cholera patients in New York City, believed that cholera only spread when people were very close to someone who was already sick. They thought the disease was passed on when people breathed the air exhaled by cholera patients.

These doctors suggested that sick people needed to be in places with lots of fresh air. They also said that people with cholera should be kept away from swamps, trash, and dirty water. They recommended that sick people be quarantined at the Cholera Hospital. The New York City Board of Health chose this hospital to provide the special care the doctors wanted for their patients.

Community Concerns About the Hospital

On the evening of July 14, 1854, citizens in the 5th Ward of Manhattan held a meeting. Many people spoke out against the Franklin Street hospital. They didn't like how crowded it felt, the lack of cleanliness, and how close it was to other buildings at 105 Franklin Street. They worried these conditions could make the spread of contagious disease worse during an outbreak.

No one at the meeting wanted to stop helping cholera patients. Instead, everyone agreed that New York City should open hospitals in each neighborhood. This would allow sick people to get help much faster, as soon as they showed signs of cholera.

There were also false rumors that the Cholera Hospital was treating patients with smallpox, typhus, and other contagious diseases. People also spread untrue stories about workers making coffins, causing a disturbance in the neighborhood.

Cholera Cases Decline and Panic Ends

The doctor in charge of the Cholera Hospital published daily updates on how many new cholera cases were being treated at the Franklin Street facility. In mid-July 1854, they were treating about twelve new cases each day.

By late August 1854, the New York City Commissioners of Health decided to stop reporting news about cholera infections. This was because the number of new cases in New York City had dropped a lot. Visitors felt safe coming to the city again, and businesses started to do well as the panic disappeared.

Treating Cholera: A Doctor's Approach

Dr. Joseph C. Hutchison treated people with Asiatic cholera at the Brooklyn, New York Cholera Hospital in 1854. He wrote about his work in the New York Journal of Medicine in 1855.

Dr. Hutchison used a simple treatment to help with cholera symptoms. Patients were given a mixture of salt and water to make them vomit. This was meant to stop their throwing up and calm their stomachs. After that, other medicines could be given. Each patient received a small amount of calomel every hour. It was sprinkled on their tongues and washed down with ice water. The goal was to avoid too much salivation. If patients needed a boost, sulphuric ether was used. The amount depended on how each person reacted. Sometimes, hot air baths, blistering, and spirits of turpentine (turpentine) were used on the outside of the body.