The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1879-03-13
The Doubtful iras:er of the Russian
.'pstiience.

The Doubtful irHrfer of the Russian
ssestiience.
The amour ement that the plague
has appeared a europe naturally occa-
sions some alarm in that continent.
The province 81 Astrakhan, lying north.
west of the Caspian Sea, and drained
chiefly by the river Volga, is the locality
of the outbreak. The habits of the pop
ulation in that part of Russia tend to
promote the progress and fatality of
epidemic disease when once introduced.
Temperance and cleanliness are so little
observed among the peasantry that there
is slight ground for surprise at the re-
ported destruction of whole villages of
people by the terrible malady which has
come upon them. The circumstances
attending the first appearance of the dis
ease in this region, however, seem to
justify some doubt as to whether it is
really tie league.
The peculiar and intensely malignant
carbuncular fever, which medical men
are content TO call by it's common name
of plague, appears to have permanent
abiding tl.tce in Asiatic Turkey, Persia
and Egypt. Since 1876 it has certainly
prevailed to some extent in the northern
provinces of Persia, on the southern
shore of the Caspian Sea, whence it
might readily be conveyed to the city of
Astrakhan, or other Russian ports, in
the absence of careful quarantine
But the earliest outbreak of the existing
pestiIence in Russia did not occur among
persons who had lately arrived from
Persia, or WAC had been exposed to con-
tagion from that source
The malady first appeared at the vii.
lage OF Vetlianka, which is situated on
the river Voiga, considerable distance
above Astrakhan. 1t attacked . de-
tachment of troops who had lately re-
turned from the Caucasus, where SIM
liar fever prevailed at the time they left
that region. The story that was re-
Gently telegraphed from Europe, attrib
utes the infection to a shawl which one
of the Cossacks brought home to his
sweetheart at Vetlianka; but, if this is
authentie, it argues against the view
that the disease is the plague, for the
transmissibility of plague by means of
merchandise has been questioned and
denied by high medical authority.
At all events, the fever was not recog-
nized as the plague at first. 1t was con-
fidently declared to be typhus. There
has been a great deal of typhus fever
among the troops engaged on both sides
OF the recent war, and the returning SOL
diery might naturally be expected to
bring the seeds of the disease from Tur-
key and Asia Minor and the Caucasus
On the other hand, the plague is not
known to have been prevalent lately in
any of these countries. Early in De-
cember, however, as soon as the out
break at Vetlianka was reported, the
Russian authorities sent medical Off
Ger to the village to make an investiga-
ton. He found neither typhus nor
plague, but only infiammatory fever and
simple continued fever. There was
nothing alarming in these affections,
and the epidemic appears to have gone
on without further attention until about
the first Of January. Then it became
known that 143 persons had died out of
1875 who were attacked by the disease,
and this in a population of less than 600.
The cry of plague was raised, and the
fled from the district, only to
spread the pestilence, whatever it may
be, Throughout the province, and per-
haps the empire.
Military measures were at once adopt
ed for lie establishment and enforce
ment OF strict quarantine, and every
effort has been made on the part of the
Government to prevent the infection
from extending outside the regions al
ready affected. This is all the more diff
ficuit from the fact that the Vo.ga is a
great highway of traffic into the interior
Of Russia. In the meantime, the true.
Character of the disease remains un-
known in Western Europe. The Lancet
says the last reports from Russia are
silent as to the nature of the
malady, and refer to it simply as "the
disease" while correspondent of the
Votce, Russian journal, pronounces
Jhe scourge a new one, hitherto un-
known to medical science and incura.
York Sun.