Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1872-09-24
FOR THE GAZETTE.
Scraps from History.

SMALL-pox-Spreading diseases, from the
great havoc they often commit, have been coul-
monty known by the name of plaques and
'pestilcuces. The word plague is apt to
convey to an unprofessional person very in
definite idea of some great calamity which he
is unable to describe but in reality it is neither
more nor less than "fever" Nearly all
plaques in medical language are fevers, and are
distinguished by their types or the character of
their symptoms. The Egyptian plague was
fever strongly resembling ordinary typhus.
The plague of London in 1865, which destroy
ed eight thousand persons in one week, was
similar to that Of Egypt.
Smallpox Is plague, which, previous to
the practice of vaccinations, exercised still
more destructive power even than the proceed
ing disease From the traces OF its early his.
tory it does not appear that the physicians OF
ancient Greece or Rome were acquainted with
smallpox. 1t seems to have originated further
east. In the traditions Of the people of China
and Hindostan smallpox was enumerated as
common disease, and in some OF their earliest
books devoted to religion and philosophy, de-
scriptions of it have been found. China or
Hindostan then must be considered the cradle
of small pox, and it has existed there for pc
riod of three thousand years.
Its FIRST appearance in Western Asia
can not be dated earlier than the mid
die of the sixth century, and In Europe at
later period. Its commencement In West
eru Asia was in the year 500, when the
CITY of Mecca, in Arabia, was besleged by an
army of Abyssinian Christians, for the purpose
of destroying the Kaaba or Pagan temple con-
taiued in that city. In this army smallpox
committed dreadful havoc and 1t is said that
measles made its appearance there at the same
time Between the years 500, and 732 small
pox was communicated to Alexandria, along
the shores of the Mediterranean, and then to
Spain.
Small pox probably reached Great Britain
about the beginning of the ninth century; but
no distinct notice of its introduction is given by
the writer's of that time. Sunk in the igno-
rance of the middle ages, they allowed the worst
scourge that had ever thiuned the human race
to pass almost without notice. We OF the pres
ant day can hardly form conception OF It's
mortality in its early course IN Europe. A dead
" pestilence to which, as general rule, every
Individual, in every rank Of life, from the high
est to the lowest, was liable, must necessarily
have filed the country from one extremity to
the other with sickness and death. TO aggra
vate the occurrence of such an evil, no disease
is in itself more loathsome than small pox:
in more modern times afford striking ex-
amples of the magnitude of this pestence
In 1917 St. Domingo was infected, and,
it is said, million Of Indians were de-
stroyed by small pox, and the murderous
arms of the Spanish invaders: About 1920
smallpox commenced in Cuba, and from
thence it was carried to Mexico. According to
computations that have been made, the pesti-
lcuce destroyed In Mexico three millions aud
half of the inhabitants. The emperor, brother
and successor to Monteszuma were among the
victims Also on the American continent, lying
north of Mexico and the Gulf, whole tribes OF
warlike Indians have been extirpated; and large
piles of bones found under the tufted trees are
charged to the ravages Of small pox.
Peculiarities of climate exercise no influence.
Iceland was invaded in 1907, and it suffered as
much as the southern regions. 1t destroyed
10000 persons more than fourth Of the esti-
mated population. In 1888 it appeared IN
Greenland and carried off nearly all It's lnhabl-
tantS.
Small pox is now familiar to every section
of the globe, but We hear of it no longer as
scourge to sweep away the population with the
rapidity and power of the tornado. The bene-
fcent Providence has placed within the reach
Of human intelligence numerous remedies capa.
BILE either of alleviating or of completely obvl-
ating its dangerous effects. Without the aid
of vaccination it is calculated that at least one
fourteenth of every generation OF mankind
would perish with small -pox, but under the
protective influence of vaccination that one
death is not to be expected in many hundreds,
of persons so treated.
o.