New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-07-16
NEW-YORK TRIBUNE.
DENS OF DEATH......NO. ".
PIE PLAQUES AND PEsrILENcEs OF EARLE
yInEs-DENsE PoPULATIoS-HUMAN PACK
ING IN GREAT CITIES, ETC.

ING IN GREAT CITIES, ETC.
In connection with the subjects Of Underground
Life and dense crowds in cellars and even above
ground, friend who takes deep interest in the
matter has furnished as some prominent historical
facts, which will be read with deep interest
The prominent condition under which the pesti
lences Of former day prevailed was uniformly sna'
OF excessive crowdDg, either oil private d"eih5
places or Of the walled cities and may DC nus
bsted by the disease known under the name o. tue
plague. This term originally signihed any SICKNESS
whatever; and means "a stroke or smuog,
and is Of very comprehensive application Tnosin
the sacred writings we read Of the plague OF ieP,
rosy"-and the plague where With the LORD WI,
sn.e all people, whose Hesh shall consume away
etc and again with great plague VIII toe Lofu
smiie thy people, and thy children, and tiny wives
and ali thy goods And thou shalt have great SICK
ness by disease of thy bowels" Ii is evident
therefore that the term plague was applied 70 all
diseases which were regarded as visltations from
the Almighty.
In the last mentioned disease it would almost
appear ne II q maady like our modern cholera was
referred to- Be that as Il may, the specific disease
known at the present day ia Egypt as the plague,
which is the same as the well-known Pestilence
Of ancient tines is distinct and definite disease
OF q typhus character, and /, under the influence
Of the same exciting and controlling causes iouad
among other diseases Of a similar nature. Inat !.
1t belongs 10 a class called zy motto or Ief'onss
diseases, and the conditions With we hnd Hecos
ssry for the extension Of oar Pestlence' 10 CUES
are equally necessary for the proPagaH o. ma
so that whatever applies 10 the plague viii ePuaF
~ apply TO diseases belonging 20 the same Glass;
with which we are familiar AZ epdehics. . 49,,
The first mention Of the plague occurs !" 10
,jxteen.h chapter Of the book OF Numbers, "here
il Is mention ed that 700 died. there IS 10 expo
riion of the circu instances under Whicn " occur
red bot it was doubtless miraculous. Inere are
however, passages of Scripture which refer 70 inc
principles respecting pestilence that are stl'l
known and appear TO depend upon the estaDlsned
law, of physics. The Prophets jeremiah and Eze-
kiel speak of three judgments, the sword PeSti,
lepce and famine. 1t is, however, to be remarked
that pestilence alone 10 mentioned az scoqrge Pc
6uiar to cities. In the 2lst pier OF Jeremiah
In said, al will smite the inhabitants OF TINS clty'
both man and beast they shall die by pestuencei
bat he that goeth out and falesh TO the Chaidess
that besiege yoo, he shsl live" &c al
There are other similar passages; out tne io,
lowing are most to the point The sword IS nun
out and the pestilence and the famine T'tntH nc
that 10 in the field shall die by the sword, ana ne
thsrIs in the city famine and pestllence snAl de
your him. Ezeh, vi, v. 16 Again Thus salth
the Lord, ss live, surely they that are In the
wastes shall fall by the sword, and him that Is in
the open field will give TO the beasts 70 be oe,
voured, and they that be IN the forests ana
caves shall die Of pestilence. LICK C. Hxxil
v. 27.
From this it would appear as if the fact was
well known that pestlentla diseases are the result
off crowded state OF the population, for 1t IS men
toned especially that they would exist In conhaed
and badly ventilated places, as elIses, forts and
saces.
The plague of Athens is the first of which we
have apy authentic account II occurred ia the
wear 400 c. and has been described by the poet
Iucretius the ply sican, Hippocrates and the MS
torisn Thucy dides As the object IS PLAIN state
ment Of the circumstances under which II occurred
/ shall only avail my self oil a small portion OF the
high wrought descriptO OF the historian Alter
very accurate and minute description ofthe disease,
be speaks thus of the effects of the unusual accu'
mutation of people in the city. "The general re.
noyal from the country into the city, more particu
larry to those who had been obliged tocome thlther
For az they had no houses bat dwelt all the Sum
er ,e ason in booths heTe there cGS scarce room 10
k,,ofbe. the pestience destroyed them with the
utmost disorder, that they lay together In heaps
tho diving upon the dead, and the dead upon inc
diving. The temples in which they mad erected
tents for their reception were tui OF the ooaies o.
those who had expired there. IL raseu nos'
and for the longest time in Athens, but aiterward
snrssd TO other Enthusiastically the most pop'
,,. a: ~: 40 siege "a iciea wnlcn TOOK pace
durine the same season, the plague followed tnem
sysn there making grevious havoc, &c. = Ihucy
dides Pelopon. War Book III. Ii,
\, uonld SEEM from the full manner IN whct
tho nature of the disease is described that IL wa
InovSn hslore this time in Athens. Thueydlde;
.videntlv regards it as induced or propasated oy
b crowd of people collected in the city during InS
.isse To escape from the ravages oil their enemies
Cor The whole surrounding country was ia'd wnI'
nv The sword. 1t was also remarked that Drd'
"a ousdrupeds died in great numbers, some have
go rom deyouring bodies. Lucretius, however
remarks as to dogs, that from their constant ssso
station with man they were especially the suoJsco
nj disease and persisted in gre at numbers, Wlthou
ealing the bodies Of such as died the general pes
tlential influence extesding TO them as well as U
man. ,,,.;..,;. II Eli
aisssse at Rome occurred about thirty years ate
that at Athens. Liyy says, when speaking, OF toi
event "the violence OF the disorder was lhcrease'
by admitting into the city the cattle aud the innao
itans of the country, who fed thither for shelter
from the enemy's ravages; such confused conec
tion of animals of every kind suifOcated tue citl
zeps by the unusual stencil, while the country
people. crowded together iH adTTor apartments
suffered no less from the heat, the want OF rest an
their attendance on each other (LIvy, Is. Ill
&C He also says that few patricians were III
victims its ravages were Principally among sue
poor; The plague occurred several times at Home
A. 7T-l70-l e9-the worst In 262 when It Is san
that 5000 died daily. During the reign Of Justlni
an, in 54A it is said, 1000 grave diggers were In
sufficient for the interment of the dead. Ii raget
horribly during the siege OF Jerusalem, as described
by Josephus. There many other instances 0
its ravages in various parts Of the world, bat thu
space allotted to US will not allow even Of list
them.
We are prepared, however, for the most impoi
taDt inquiry that the condition in which the PEI
pie lived to produce so dreadful state OF thing
wherever sickness prevailed. We have see
above that the people ead cattle crowded into tn
cities.
These cities were built evidently, withreierenc
TO a state Of war not for convenient residences
they were forts large scale, to which ever
one ned for safety. Every city was built in tn
manner, even before it was Inhabited Rome we
thus commenced, and was surrounded by wa
before it contained any people That the walls
the ancient cities were very high, compafed wit