In 1832, Cleveland Found Itself Battling A Month-Long Cholera Epidemic
By Nikki Rhoades|Published January 31, 2020
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Nikki Rhoades
Author
Nikki is a lifelong Ohioan with a love for literature. She holds a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Akron and has enjoyed publishing her written work since 2007. She has a love of travel and does so frequently, though she believes that home is where the heart is — she continues to work in and around Cleveland as a digital content specialist to this day, working on everything from commercial scripts and social media posts to grassroots marketing initiatives.
Disease is an awful and disturbing aspect of human history. Nobody wants to consider it, but over the years, millions of humans have lost lives to infections and diseases. Plagues and epidemics are much less common today due to advances in medicine and sanitation, but the world wasn’t always so fortunate. Here, the Cleveland Cholera Epidemic of 1832 left locals shaking in their boots… and it wouldn’t be the last time disease affected the area. Check it out:
In 1832, North America and Europe were in a panic as cholera swept through the population.
The Cholera Epidemic of 1832 is one of the more recent epidemics in human history. It was a disturbing disease, one that infects the small intestine and causes severe dehydration. In addition to vomiting and diarrhea, dehydration can famously give the skin of the afflicted a bluish tint.
Here in the United States, many feared the disease and blamed immigrants for bringing it into the nation.
This belief was based on the fact that the disease spread quickly in poor neighborhoods, many of which housed immigrants. We did not understand how or why the disease spread, so its reign over the population was a chilling reminder of human mortality.
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Today, we know that cholera is caused by ingesting water infected with vibrio cholerae.
The 1832 outbreak had roots in India. It spread through Asia, then the Middle East, and then it entered Russia in the early 1830s. By early 1832, it was in London, and by that summer, cases popped up across the ocean in Canada.
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When cholera first arrived in Cleveland, it hailed from a steamboat named Henry Clay.
The boat docked on June 10, 1832. Locals had already appointed a Board of Health in response to the international panic caused by the disease, so locals had already secured a building at which to treat potential sufferers.
Locals proposed burning the boat out of fear. Ultimately, the citizens decided to help those on the boat, providing doctors and supplies. Many men died, and soon... well, the disease spread into Cleveland, afflicting even those who had no contact with the ship.
Those ill Clevelanders were the first Ohioans to contract cholera amidst the epidemic, though it would spread to Cincinnati by autumn.
All in all, Cleveland's epidemic lasted roughly a month, claiming nearly two lives per day. The disease experienced a brief resurgence in October before vanishing for another few years.
As a result of the epidemic, cholera cemeteries were established across the state.
Pictured above is a Sandusky cemetery hailing from a slightly later outbreak in 1849. At the time, treatment consisted primarily of waiting for symptoms to pass... which, sadly, left many victims dehydrated. Following the epidemic, Cleveland converted a poorhouse into City Hospital, which was located on the grounds of Erie Street Cemetery. As the first public hospital, this edifice was a step in the right direction... even though most people hospitalized at the time would die shortly thereafter.
That epidemic wasn't the first or last outbreak of cholera, but it was one of widespread destruction that left communities crippled with fear.
Cholera was so intimidating because, quite simply, people did not understand how or why it spread. Here in Ohio, stagnant canals created a breeding ground for the disease. Ultimately, advances in sanitation helped to keep the disease at bay. Today, it's a classified pandemic, continuing to affect 3 to 5 million people worldwide each year.
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This devastating disease shook the entire world, but reflecting on it today reminds us to put health and sanitation first.
Thousands of people died worldwide in this 1832 epidemic. Today, the disease is much less common in the developed world, fortunately, though other unusual diseases continue to rear their ugly heads. Ebola, coronavirus, and influenza continue to strike fear in modern populations, but a dedication to eradicating disease can help us move in the right direction.
So there you have it! Here in Cleveland, the Cholera Epidemic of 1832 only claimed 50 lives… but it was enough death and suffering in so short a time that locals were paralyzed with fear. And how could they not be? A silent villain with no known weaknesses was creeping into homes and stealing away unsuspecting loved ones, sometimes in mere hours. Fortunately, an understanding of sanitation and medicinal advances put an end to this plague in Cleveland. Do you remember any mass panics related to disease in your lifetime? What about in your parents’ or grandparents’ lifetime — did they ever tell you any stories similar to this one? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Want to learn more about local mysteries? Check out this Cleveland neighborhood that was abandoned almost overnight — it is a chilling reminder of the impermanence of our society.
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