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The
Cholera Epidemic of 1854 ~ In the summer of 1854 cholera ripped through
York Point and other slums, and then spread across the city, killing 1,500
in about eight weeks. Panic-stricken residents fled Saint John, leaving
some neighborhoods almost deserted. In the wake of the disaster, city
officials strengthened the Board of Health and took measures that
gradually improved water, sewerage and sanitation. Even in these tragic
circumstances, religious divisions prevailed. Separate Protestant and
Catholic orphan asylums were established to house children whose parents
had died.
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New Brunswick Community College - Saint John.