The Cholera Epidemic Of Shaanxi Province In1932

In the year of1932, China experienced a serious and large-scale choleraepidemic, especially for the Shaanxi Province. The author will study theprevalence of Shaanxi Province on the basis of the predecessors’work,using archival materials, local records and medical books. The full text isdivided into four parts.The first part, I will discuss the main prevalence of Shaanxi Provincein1932, to estimate the number infected and dead more accurately. And thengroup the counties infected into four levels, according to the degree of theseverity, which are slight infection, middle-serious infection, epidemic andpandemic. At the same time, to find out the district where bring the Cholerainto Shaanxi Province. The second part, comparing the epidemic situationof Shaanxi Province with the Neighboring provinces, in order to stick outthe Severity and particularity of cholera epidemic in Shaanxi Province. Thethird part, analyzing the prevalence of cholera urge the starting of publichealth and epidemic prevention agencies in Shaanxi Province. The last part,to prove effect of the application of the modern medicine and vaccine in thetreatment and prevention, and stress that Yang Hucheng, the chairman ofShaanxi Province, played an important role of treatment and prevention.This paper has got the following findings. The total number of theinfected and dead persons are more than450,000and210,000with anaverage mortality of49%. The cholera probably was brought from theHenan Province, which spread along the railway. Through the grading of thecounties that are infected, it is obvious that the severely afflicted areas areWei River area and plain. It shows the characters that the cholera epidemicwere spread from east to west and along with the main roads and railways. The degree of the cholera epidemic of those neighboring provinces are lessserious than Shaanxi Province. So it took a powerful demonstration that thenorthern part of china which centered on Shaanxi Province is the mostserious part of cholera epidemic in1932, and it is in1930s, the choleraepidemic return of the inland-spread pattern again.On the other hand, it is undeniable that the appearance of the cholerain1932directly urged the starting of the public health and epidemicprevention agencies. But because of the lack of the medicine and doctors ornurses, the disease control were not so effective. It happened that westernmedicine play the priority role of curing patients, and the Chinese medicinebecame the adjunctive treatment ways.