The Shasta courier., 1865-08-05
The Black Death.

The black death. like many other plaques
of its class, can be traced far back INTO the
remote East, and there is no doubt that II
was the same disease which ravaged China
and Tartary in 1888 fifteen years before 1t
arrived on the shores of Europe. There had
been a great famine in China, preceded by
floods and earthquakes, which alone destroy
ed 10000 persons, and in the following
year no fewer than 100000 died there CT
this plague. From the remote East it made
its way into Europe some years later, Tor
pestilence often travels slowly, accompany
ing the migrations of men. and being carried
about in their clothing and merchandise. 1t
O.. not arrive in Europe until 1917, fifteen
years after the outbreak in China. - From
China" saws Hecker, - the routes of the
caravans lay to the north of the Caspian sea.
through Central Asia to Tauris. Here ships
were ready to take the produce of the East TO
Constantinople, the Capital of commerce and
the medium of communication between Eu
rope, Asia and Africa" Contagion made its
way along these channels, and Constantine
pie and the seaports of Asia Minor were the
foc whence the disease was carried to every
country of Europe. Making its way across
the European continent, it committed its
greatest ravages-save, perhaps, in England
in Italy. raging terribly at Florence, where
it was observed and described by the poet
Boccaccio.
Passing along the shores of the Mediterra-
mean, it invaded France by way of Avignon,
spreading thence to England on the one
hand, and to Germany on the other; whence
like the cholera Of the present day, it doubled
back, two years later, to Russia, and so back
to the East The black death, so called from
the rapid putrefaction of the bodies of the
victims. was of the same nature as the Orien-
tai plague, viz: putrid typhus, only of
greater malignty. The boils and buboes of
the latter diseases were found in the former
whenever the patient lived long enough to
permit their development. The inhabitants
of Europe at that time have been computed
at l05 ,000O00-a high estimate. Of these
%, 900 coo, one fourth Of the whole, perish
ed. In England it was still more fatal, ow
ing, probably. to the ruder habits of the
people. During the term of one year, viz
from August. 1919, three fourths Of the
whole population perished Indeed, if we
are to credit the annalists Of the period, not
more than one tenth escaped. Many sue
cumbed in few hours, like Sennaeharib's
host; none endured for three days.
In France numbers died on the spot where
they were first smtten, as if struck by light
ming This terrible scourge, having swept
over the then known world. committing such
destruction of life, and leaving behind it
such misery and poverty as the world Iever
saw before or since. at length died out.
never again, we trust, to visit the earth. 1t
spared neither age sex nor conditions the
rich and poor alike succumbed. There died
in Venice Of the aristocratic. no less than
100, 600 persons in Florence the refined, co.
600; In Paris the gay. $4,000; in London
the wealthy, 1000 while in busy, rich.
industrious Norwich there died the almost
incredible number of50, 600 persons-uearly
the whole one would suppose, Of its inhabi-
tantsl At Avignon, the deaths occurred with
such frghtful rapidity as wholly to Dafiie the
attempts of the living to inter their friends
and relatives; and the Pope was obliged to
consecrate the Rhine to allow of the dead
bodies finding hallowed resting place upon
its bosom, until it finally committed them to
the great deep ! CormhH Magazine