Doctors during the 1837 Cholera epidemic in Malta : unearthing the truth

Abstract

Epidemic cholera devastated Europe throughout the 19th century. The first cholera epidemic reached Malta in the summer of 1837 finding a poor and destitute population. Maltese doctors under the influence of the Italian school believed cholera to be contagious while British doctors alongside with the French and German medical institutions were convinced that the disease was non-contagious. When it hit the islands in June 1837, the Government and the doctors were unprepared. Recruiting medical personnel was difficult because there was fear of contagion and knowledge was lacking. Maltese doctors ran the cholera hospitals erected in different locations in Malta and Gozo and all the British doctors stationed in Malta with the army and navy although few in numbers joined in to help the sick and dying. Although a number of doctors failed in their responsibility towards the patients, many others performed their duties correctly. Some doctors who attended cholera patients lost their life to the disease.