The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-02-23
rHE EASTERN PLAGUE IN RUSSIA.
The Views OF Dr. Botkin, Physician TO the
Imperial Family, ON the Disease.
Ma, IA. pan adrgJ a.-.o.

Prom hs PaH haH easee5.
All over Russia fly disturbing rumors. At
many new noints the pagae has manifested II
set. Near Moscow. even in Moscow itself. dis
quoting cuscs have occurred. The Government
Is doing what 4 can TO check the Toe but nnless
tho masses VIII cooperate VITA 1t OH iial pre-
cautions can avail hut little. The plague OF 1771
sw.nt away altogether about 10000 Of tho in
rnrrd f0r the attack. On the othur hand, when
terrible "tchumA broke out In Astrakhan
J. 1893 1t was soon stamped out But that city
hs physicinns were not unaccustOmed to deal
With tneir deadly Asiatic Toe.
The filth Of most Russian towns is something
hppnling. Even in St'Prtersburg the typhus
winch rHyed lHst year brought Ia light the exist
cnco OF snch iouiucss ~ the local adminisrn
tph seem never to lave so much as suspected
II may be imagined. then. what Ia the condition
OF such mercantile centres az Hybinsk ON the
NOlga. or l,ostof on the Don, or of cities where
artisans herd together rs in Tula or in Tver.
Nor IL IL only the inter disregard Of the Russian
people for clcanllness and comfort which II now
likely To accelerate the progress OF the plague.
Their poverty is also in its favor. lowering tleir
physical tone. and thus exposing them to inicc-
ton. IL IL hard Tor man, woman. or child to OBJ
iln from u diet OF rye bread picked cucum-
bers. and sour kpds tho strength necessary for
STRUGGLING successfully against SO terrible foe
~ the tchumA IL again proving itself to be.
DIR. BOtkin, who. rs physician to tho Imperial
family is man OF great influence in Russia.
fully deserves the praises which are being com
fcrred upon him by the Russian press for tho
STRAIGHTFORWARD manner in which he spoke
about the present outbreak nj the meet M,
which took place on the oath oi January. in the
rooms OF the Society OF Practical Physicians"
There can bc no question. he said. that Russia
IL again attacked 10y It's old enemy, the tchumA.
or Eastern plague which seems to b. so closely
akin to the Black Death of the Middle Ages.
The symptoms are Just the same as they were
OF old-viulent fever. affections of the glands.
Inflammation Of the throat and lungs. Vruent
buboes, splitting and vomiting OF blood. The
period through which the mAlady runs Is very
brief. Whenever the tchumA has estab-
lished itself in Russia, deaths have boon
a
on nearly two-thirds OF the inhabitants, while
a. Glukhof and Bleozersk, by the end OF the
same year. II II said To have not left single
soul alive In 1860 1t again attacked Pskof, and
70 1868 Il ragged along the lower part OF the
its attacks. sometimes devastating whole dis
tricts. or late years the plague has shown
itself on several OCCASIONS IN dangerous prox;
ut several points Of the Turco-persian frontier.
In 1870 an epidemic broke out IN Western Per
STA. the symptoms OF which were said to be
identical with those OF the Russian tchuma.
Toward the end Of 1876 the plague broke out in
Bagdad and passed thence 10 R"sht. where II
assumed n virulcnt character. its victims dying
on the third day OF their Illness. and there IL
continued it's ravages TIL the February OF 1878.
Prof. Tchudnovsly states positively that the
tchuma IL durable. though iis poison IL ahso-
lutely unknown to medical science" Cleanlt-
ness, care. diet the use OF hot aud cold BATHS
and iomcntntions-these are the points on which
he lays most stress and he feels sure that the
malndy Is not contagious The peasants I'M
doubleday think that Il II so. but lie attributes
their belief entirely t. fear As To quarantlncs
aud sanitary corlons." those are. according
10 DR.. Grish. who has closely yestlgntcd the
matter, n mere waste OF money" In fact quar-
antinc buildings are far less likely TO ward OF
the danger than to become hOthods OF disease.
OF much more pra II al use. says another au-
thority. Prof DubroSiaVin. will be dsniecting
measures aud he relies greatly upon the bcno-
fetal force OF IRE.
Not only ough, the bodies OF the dead to be-
burned. but also the houses in which they died.
In many cases. indeed. It would be rs well Ia
burn down whole villages. and transport their
inhabitants elsewhere. Strong measures must
undoubtedly bc uakon. II thc'peasants are left
alone they will PROBABLY content themselves
with two kinds OF supposed remedies. The
orthodox will send for the nearest " wonder
working tcoHa. or holy picture. II will bc car
ried in procession priests cscoriing IL with
Incense and with song: tue faithful ningIng
themselves promo on the ground rs II passes.
or kueeing down 80 that II may be borne
above their bodies. The wilder and less
respectable OF the Ra-kolniks. or scctaries. will
also adopt some strange measures supposed To
be- connected with Christian doctrines. But in
many a distant village IN the midst OF dream
ing forests or drenry swanps, the rustics Will
rcsort TO the strange rites by which their
heather ancestors believed that they could
drive awny the demons of pestiience Boniires
will be kindlcd at midnight and lghtly-clad
women with loosely flowing hair Will dance
around the flames and ding into them some
kind OF sacrifice. 10 may even be that in some
very remOt" spot a human victim Will he inn
molnteu. with the idea OF propitigting tho de-
mon 10 whose malice or hunger the pestilence
Is due.