Thanks to the Regional Commissioner of the Italian Red Cross, avv.to Raffaele Pio Di Sabato, and the hospital of Monte Sant'Angelo, who donated extraordinary exhibits dating back to the early 1900s to the historical museum on Firefighters and the Italian Red Cross in Manfredonia, we were able to understand how, in addition to our city, Monte Sant'Angelo also managed to organize a Public Health Committee to contain the cholera epidemic. There are numerous documents, equipment, and even a flying stretcher that have further enriched our museum's collection and helped us understand how the two cities organized themselves during the cholera days.
The cholera epidemic of 1893, after sparing Manfredonia and all of Capitanata, returned to terrorize our South in the summer of 1910. This time, the starting point was our own Region (Trani or Margherita di Savoia), where cholera claimed its first victims, transported by "peddlers, vagrants, street vendors, and shopkeepers of all kinds, as well as acetylene gas lighting personnel and even pyrotechnic personnel," who traveled from town to town for the patron saint festivals traditionally held in the summer months. Fearing that, along with goods, cholera vibrios from Trani and Margherita di Savoia might also be exchanged, the Mayor of Manfredonia, Vincenzo Capparelli, urgently convened the "Local Health Corps," and with all the readiness the situation required, energetic hygienic and prophylactic measures were adopted. The city was divided into 5 sections, entrusting the service of each section to a doctor under the direction of the health official Dr. Giuseppe Borgia, who operated in the first central section. A surveillance service was established at the train station "upon the arrival of trains" and at the port "upon the arrival of steamboats and sailing ships." A wooden shack was built on the pier for disinfection practices "for maritime arrivals," while at the other end of the city, several Italian Red Cross tents were set up for the care of the sick, and rooms in an ancient church were equipped for the isolation of suspects. To support the municipal council's action "with the aim of further increasing urban cleanliness, in order to stem the onset of the disease in this municipality," a public health committee called "Croce Verde" was established on the initiative of a team of students and some willing citizens. It included 36 founding members, including the President Pietro Guerra. The cholera epidemic lasted more than a month and died out on November 22, the day the Lazzaretto ceased to function after 26 deaths had been counted, who were given a merciful burial at the expense of the municipality of Manfredonia. This last historical cholera epidemic was a human tragedy that, in addition to causing numerous deaths, was also a terrible blow to the municipal finances.
DIVISION OF THE CITY INTO 5 SECTIONS DURING THE CHOLERA OF 1911-1912.
First section - Central area
Dr. Giuseppe Borgia, Health Officer, assisted by medical student Ettore Guerra.
Health warden Scarano Raffaele; agents Sant'Arcangelo Domenico, Di Lauro Giuseppe, Del Vecchio Francesco, and 2 Red Cross members.
Second section - inland town A
Dr. Camillo Grasso, agent Pesante Michele, 4 Red Cross members. 4 Red Cross members, agent Potenza Nicola, and 2 Red Cross members.
Third section - inland town B (inhabited from Via Arcivescovato to Monticchio).
Dr. Pietro Guerra, agent Castriotta Matteo, and 3 Red Cross members.
Fourth section - Railway, Lazzaretto, Surveillance Station.
Dr. Castigliego Giuliano and Azzarore Raffaele, on shifts, agents, Carabinieri, Guardia di Finanza, and Marcolongo Gaetano and 7 Red Cross members.
Fifth section "surveillance of hotels, rented houses, and people to be kept under observation."
Dr. Simone Luigi, agent Florio Giuseppe, and 6 Red Cross members.
At the same time, on August 22, 1910, the city of Monte Sant'Angelo also established the Italian Red Cross Delegation, which was a very advanced organization for its time. Its staff included Grand Officer Renzulli Matteo - Delegate, Piemontese Matteo - Vice Delegate
Piemontese Francesco - Secretary
Esposito Luigi - Treasurer
Piemontese Giuseppe - Member
Santoro Michele - Member
De Cillis Gabriele - Member
Rinaldi Angelo - Member
D'iasio Matteo - Member
Bisceglia Bernardo - Member.