Cholera and its treatment.

Bookseller Notes

A remarkably well-preserved copy of this apparently unrecorded Maine imprint of a very successful short pamphlet on cholera treatment. In the same year, it was also published in New York, Boston, Washington, Dayton and (in Arabic) Beirut.Its author Rev. Cyrus Hamlin (1811-1900), an American educator and Congregational missionary was born and raised in Maine. He wrote this pamphlet in light of his direct experience of cholera in Turkey, under the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. During the Crimean War, he collaborate with Florence Nightingale.The pamphlet sought to prepare Americans for a potential cholera pandemic 'which has just left us after committing fearful ravages' and 'is making its way into Europe, and will probably cross the Atlantic before another summer has passed'. It provides practical advice on facing a sudden arrival of cholera, its causes (e.g., improper diet), symptoms, worsening, treatments (e.g., mustard poultices), and four case studies all in a clear language, without medical jargon.The pamphlet was printed at the Journal Office in Lewiston, probably at the expense of the local apothecary, John G. Cook. He added a final advertisement of his chlorate dentifrice and had a small map of the location of his shop printed on the lower wrapper.We have not traced any copies of this Maine edition in OCLC or AAS.