, 1879-07-31
THE PLAGUE IN RUSSIA,

| hv III. Co-w., f,.,.. eo!''1'''eo'''ct bent ou'
plague, has Just delivered discourse on The
| subject before tlie Medical A.sossI.tfnn NJ r1e,
LIN. The Professor said that a, ,,a w., " -, a..
tcar n dftsoae h,d onr,ox., T.. 'I e''o VI 'a"s
~ ..,.aahs -.ssAsu w., !" 'he HoVcrnment
OF Astrachan as to the character ot which The
| FACULTY had been for Bomc tfnc ,,nccrta,n. b,,t
t which ultimately had proved 10 be The As,atic
plague. Six piacca IN Tho hsnk. ~ ~, x",a.
haJ hccr tl,c o.,.e,. -, ,.s a"s u. ~" olga
49,. 49, w. ,'' u '',S te'Ho'e Vlt'taton,-
tnfee on tic right and three on the left bank
Tho Government Of Astracllan was vast ttcpne
lntcrsec:ci by the Volra, the right siony ho',t
Of which vns aftv metres aho,c ,hc wa,ns rs'"
,nr,, ~h,," "a a., Ivy m.ne" aoote u'e water
'e'''! Fn"e INC country on The left hank
was Wide plain. The aDi was a
| heavy clay containing spt.dstont. With iarpo
! salt beds, tl,e subscI] bcinr nm a,;mvt,1
~. ,.an.,,...a c....h, eu a""'i M
e'a5' Il p'""ouneea eoo''oen'al clmato pre-
vaueo,-e1..eaelf ~. .ot summers and very cold
cot,rsc, t1ctesmincd by these con,,I,f,,n. N,
,orn WA cro,,n crcent IN a ,n,.,I H., W., l., ~
..,. as ,,'-..L. 10 e'""'l u's.tcI :" INC
nosmsaet' a ,uAus'ah. nora covered The sfcppe
IN spring, g1cIdlttC abundant hcrbaEe for fud-
der, which had led to the extensive stock zrcar-
,nr carried on. Tho rr,nr,naI nuraut,a ho.i,,,s
thfa wore f1sl,trr n,,, s1t d,o..t,,,- -. .','.e
. ',''u ~, sa's ",.es F,ou' t''eso
stcppc lad acquired teriain degree Of cUrIl-
| pctGnrc, which IN those places Inhabited BY
Cossacks had risen to opulenee. Tie In
| hubtants were mocr composition Of fllg--
| sfans, kirF1tz, ka!mucks, and Tartars. The
| pariahs OF tho land nero tho wandering Kali
mucks. The prosperity Of the pcople was cy-
dcnccd BY ccriain comfort antl cleanliness In
which, presenting 80 contrary plcturo to lie
gloomy d<scriptlons that hatl been rtyen. agree
ably sHTpsitcd the Professor anti his companions.
ETcn those buildings appropriated to prcparin,
u.l sailing ;hc iish.'0xea upon By nauy tileo-
ristB MS the l,ssthplaccs Of the rlaeue had been
found to he kept witt, scrupuloua cleanliness
Ii,sso might possibly have been subjected to Il
!iltle extra eIeauinE In anticipation Of visit,
but appcarat'ces altoretller werc quite inconsst-
ehs with the view that defective hygientc condi-
tions had been The root Of the evil.
me inSI outo!Gak @ 81 TUG plague was III the
ueht from Aaia By pilgrltns. Al tint lime
!. lud sprcnd along the banka nf the volca, ltls
had not extended beyond !iuitcd arca. Speak
lug Of the sanitary circumstances uf WetI!u
coesaeks and uared under a sl,erta tioycr,lor,
| resident fn .Astrachnn4 the Professor ,atI found
that the ONLY medical rcFourccs exclusive Of tic
Surcedn'Gcnera!. who with ha few qualified as.
Governor, werc number Of raw. uucducated
hsld.surEeons. Tic healing art 10 the Cossact
villages being exercised almost exclusively by
these 'ncapabes, 1t was only under exceptional
~ urgent circumstances tllat any Information
regarding the hcallh OF tic Inhabitants rcacf1cd
Astsachnu, thence to be forwarded to the cen
trnl authorities. Ihl8 would explain WHY M
precautionary measures had been takcn Until
tic plauuo had ragged for four weeks.
The right bnnh Of the rtrcE hau aleuo been
| visited by tue German Commissioners, q few
mild eases only having occnHrd On the left
] hank. The epidemic commenced ut tic begin
| nlnv Of October. advancing slowly during the
| following nine weeks. and then, after sudden
| accession OF lutensity lasting nine weeks, had
rapidly reecdcd. The period OF the Ercntcst In
! tenssty was from the beginning OF December to
| the beginning Of January. Tile number OF
deaths stated YVES not entirely Trustworthy, rs
.he priest Eilo kept the register Eud fallen d VIC
tn to the disease IN the 'n,ddlc Of Dceeubcr,
1ut tho list had subsequently been comolcted on
lie best evidence available. These showed the
deaths during the prcvalence OF the plaguc to
" 3is or ~ per cent OF the entire population.
\ ncaacting frutn tltis number tlic usual average.
Il: u appenrs TINT 3G4 deaths had beeu due to
tbis diaeaGc. Including the caacs elrai, ii, the
total number stricken hud been 4a5. 81 per rent
Of whom had died. IN fire other places
defined cases. many Of wlllc, had proved fatal.
On the steppe, too, and Oh an island OF u,e
luga, cospscs Of persons who had persisted
irom the kaine cause had been fund In all
the Professor md Ills colleagues had had the
opportunity Of observing a few Slight eascs
only, was the genuine Oriental plague, which
did not ~ every case involve I'll, affection If tic
description OF ttle appearance and symptoms OF
the plaque hnd been found among tile paners
OF tue priest referred TO. post-mortcm cxnW-
lnations not having been undertaken, there wis
no evidence as to ti.c oreanie el,ankss eirectcd
by the disease. The period Of Incubation had,
on the other hund, been definitely ascrrt aiue,i.
This was on an average 5.a days, lu no casu
less than forty-cirhs hnuts.
The important question wns, How had the
plague been introduced to Wettanka{ Thrrr
could ouly be TWO answers: either 1t had been
autochthonic or brought fro,n ether parts. Tie
first theory would not hcar moments e1uu,3nu-
ttult, inasnlucl as local conditions and sanitary
crcimstanccs had not been less favorable ii, lie
year 1875 tflnn during many preceding ,lcccna-
rca, and got the plaeuo llad not l,cc,. obscrycti
there since 1907. Not a sinEle Commission II
the tiif1crunt Europcon States hid succeeded In
cstab!tshinstle eautochthoulc theory. This might,
therefore, be dismissed at once. With regard
to It's being brought fr0m elsewhere there we're
only two countries which, before tic outUreai;
In Aetrachan, had beet. lutey visited by the
plaguc.-nanIeiy, PersEajnnd Mesopotamiu. 1t
Was well known tint tow ards tlc ricsu OF tl,,
year 1870 II had appeared Ia lsnscht aud, raging
until the summer of 1877, lind cal,sed large
number Of dcuths. As " had bccn only ut
sosucwl,at later periot tint The Russian Goycrn-
ment had instituted quarantine, ar,l as MI rp,-
l.cInlc characterized br eiutnr ,tnptt,nis though
Of q much miitttr Gnr1rter. hail tct1,n11u nv,