The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1879-02-14
THE PLAGuE

THE PLAGUE.
No wonder all Europe is excited and
frightened over the plague now raging
in Russia, when it is generally under
stood to be the genuine plague or "black
death" which devastated the European
countries in the thirteenth and sixteenth
centuries. 1t seems returning Cossack
soldier brought fine shawl to his lady
love at the village of Williskina. This
came from the infected districts, and is
thought to have contained the germs of
the disease, as she died after wearing it
two days. Thence it spread, and is at
tended with alarming fatality. Official
reports say that ninety-five per cent. of
the victims die. In the village of Wet
lianka, out of population of 1900, not
soul is left. Four hundred dead bodies
were left unburied in the streets. In
Prischile, out of a population of $50,
500 died in two weeks. The disease ad-
vances through the country with great
rapidity, appearing simultaneously at
different points ten miles from each 9TH
er. The Russian physicians desbribe
the disease as commencing with swell
ings in the groin the size of hens egg,
general indisposition and violent head
aches which develop in few hours. In
ternal pains and violent vomitings
speedily ensue, and black spots appear
on the body, notably on the breast, fore
arm and top of the back. In two hours
after the black spots appear, death in
variably follows. Such is the dreadful
calamity now speeding through Russia
in spite of military cordons.
A report to the French Academy, Paris,
in 1916, says the plague originates In
the first place in Egypt, afterwards in
Syria and the two Turkeys. In those
countries the conditions which deter
mine and favor its development are
the habitation of alluvial or marshy
grounds; hot, moist atmosphere; low,
badly aired, and crowded houses; the &C
emulation of great quantity of animal
and vegetable matter in a state of putri-
faction; scanty and unwhOlesome diet;
great moral and physical restitution, ETC.
Epidemic plague is transmissible. 1t is
spread by means of miasma given out
by the bodies of the sick. This dreadful
disease has at various periods of the
worlds history, both in ancient and mod
ern times, ravaged the world. In 1865
it prevailed in London to a degree that
was simply horrible. In June the deaths
were 500; in July, 4,12O; in August, 90
GAG; in September, $3.50; in. October,
14,373; in November, 3,440, and in De
cember the mortality was less than I, 600
This would seem to indicate that cold
weather acts as a check on the disease
In the year 1348 the plague visited Lon
don. 1t exhibited itself in infiammatory
boils and tumors of the glands, accom-
panied with burning thirst. Sometimes
inflammation of the lungs and expector-
alton of blood and vomitings, with dis
celebrations of the skin and black spots,
indicating putrid decomposition. From
this it was called "black death" In Flo
renee, 10000 people died; in Venice,
100000; in Marsailles, in one month,
10000; in Sienne, 10000; in Paris,
sc, 900; at Saint Denis, $4,000; in Av-
ignon, 10000; in London, 100000. At
that time superstition ran rampant 1t
was charged that the Jews had poisoned
the wells. Twelve thousand of these I'M
fortunates were massacred at Mentz. It
was supposed that the disease commenc-
ed in the kingdom of Cathay, north of
China, in 1888; thence it spread TO Con-
stantinople, where it appeared in 1S47,
and in 1913 at Avignon, in the south of
France, in Northern Italy, in Spain and
England. Despair seized every one, SO
ffightful was the mortality. The wealthy
the poor died in the fields. The plague
is the Oldest of known diseases. It was
well known to the Greeks, Romans and
inhabitants of Palestine. In the year
1917 b. c. it carried off 10000 in Pales-
tine, and 452 B. G. it swept away half
the population of Rome. One hundred
years later the daily death rate in Rome
was 10000. In the year 126 B. C. SO0,-
600 died of the plague in Numidia, and
100000 in Carthage. From PCS to ESQ
B. c., it spread all over the then known
world. In A. d. 1905 historians estimat-
ed that it killed one-half the entire pop
ulation of the then inhabited world.
Medical authorities do not agree con-
corning the origin of the plague. Some
declare that it is propagated exclusively
by peculiar contagiOn; others admit
ting its contagious nature contend that
it may be spontaneously engendered by
endemic or epidemic forces. Others re-
ject the contagious view, and assert that
it originates exclusively in local causes
or epidemic influences.