Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1879-02-08
THE PLAGUE.

THE PLAGUE.
The plague which is causing such q
sensation in eastern Europe at present
was first heard of from Astrachan on the
Sd INST, when it was reported that Of 1875
cases on the first two days of the year,
143 had proved fatal, rate OF mortality
sufficient to exclude the idea that the dis
ease was typhus. 1t had shown Itself
previously, and the occasion OF the sud-
den extension was thaw. Its first ap-
pearance WAS in the Cossack village OF
Vetlyanka soon after the return OF two
Cossack regiments from the war in Asia
Minor Typhus had prevailed among
the men, but their clothing and effects
had been fumigated-probably imper-
fectly-and to this the disease was trac-
ed, being announced as typhus. Sick
ness began to prevail toward the close
of November; in the second week of De-
cember the daily mortality in q village
OF 600 souls was 8 per cent. then panic
seized the people, who would neither
succor the sick nor bury the dead. and
they fled, carrying the infection and ter
ror with them. Even when it became
clear that the disease was not typhus,
but the plague. the Russian authorities
were remiss in checking it and prepar-
lug for it. This remissness is the more
lnexcusable, apart from the questions OF
international obligations, because Of the
pecu iarly disadvantageous circumstan-
ces under which Russia finds herself
with population never notable for its
oh 4 oif 1,,D nd Of
ent enieebled by the hardships conse-
quent upon war and partial famine, aud
with an extremely limited body OF med
ical men, which the war had greatly de-
pleted. The disease has spread along
the course OF the Volga toward the north
and west, till now it threatens Moscow
and Europe generally. Expert physi-
clans declare it to be the plague, and
the symptoms which are described
"headache, accompanied by lever and
swelling of the glands" are those Of
the plague. The true plague, according
to McCready, ''ls contagious fever
characterized by an eruption OF carbun-
cles and buboes," and it is added that cas-
es in which these glandular swellings
appear are ATTENDED with higher grade
OF lever, and with profounder depression
OF the vital forces; headache, restless
ness, chills and vertigo are commonly
present" Morbid anatomy hitherto has
added nothing to the knowledge of the
disease, of which a majority OF the pa
tients die In severe epidemics. GONZALES
cence being tedious in the event of re-
covery. OF the treatment all that can
be said is that local applications have to
be made to the eruptiens; the patients
strength should be supported and the
most favorable hygienic conditions pos
sible be established-the rest is with
nature.
The last appearance OF the plague In
Europe was in 1874, and thereafter till
1853 it was not recognized as existing,
Since the latter year it has been occur.
ring at intervals In the form of scattered
local epidemics in various partsof Per
sia and Arabia. Three years ago Mr.
Melton Radcliffe called the special atten
ton of the English Society of Medical
Officers of Health to the threatening ma
ture of these epidemics and the higt
probability that the disease, If it shoule
assume an active character of diffusive
ness. would penetrate not only into Eu
rope but also to Great Britain, the seat!
of the disease being in close and constan
communication with Russia by land ant
the Mediterranean ports by sea. Their
seems to be little reason to doubt tha
the plague has gradually assumed an in
creasing degree OF virulence and OF in
fectivity, and that the outbreaks in AS
trachan and the adjoining provinces ar
links in a chain OF continued progres
toward the west. Less than two year
ago, when the plague visited Resht,
Persian town at the southwest angle {
the Caspian, which in 1882 was smitte
by the pestilence, 10000 OF its 10000 ir
habltants falling victims in few week
and the city being reduced during th
panic to the condition of "a charne
house, city of the dead; no living crea
ture was to be seen lt,and these who ha
been abandoned by their friends died {
sheer want" Resht was invaded in 1877
from two Persian villages at the soutI
east angle Of theCaspian; the plague hs
now stepped from the southwest up
Astrachan, at the northwest corner.
The opinion of recent English write
was that it was by no means unlikel
that the contagion would overstep th
barriers erected by the Russian autho
tiles. 1t is too subtle. and the possibi
tiles of evading quarantine are too nj
merous to allow much to be hoped fe
from official precautions. and even th
cordons Of troops drawn around tt
infected districts to stop tugltives hay
every prospect of becoming fresh Gel
tres IRON which the disease may be di
tributed. An absolute and complel
quarantine, which would certainly ARE
the plague, is hardly to be established
especially in these times of increase
complexity of human intercourse. Still
though the disease is as formidable as
was two centuries ago, when 1t last vi
tied England, it is confidently asserte
that the provisions of the British sanital
laws and the powers OF the local autho
lties to deal with epidemics would
found sufficient to confine and local.;
any cases that might occur and rend
| them merely pathological curiositie
/ London, at the time Of the great plagu
, was inconceivably filthy, and there WI
no organization tor the isolation of 81
terers from infectious maladies and #
the prompt suppression Of epidemlcs.
f The plaques recorded In history O.
: almost numberless, and in many insta
ces their ravages. though truthfully 8
down, seem incredible. Before Il
great plague of 542 many disastro
epldemics had been noticed. The fir
, general plague which visited all parts
: the then known world broke out in n
: B. c. In 534 b. e. Carthage was
3 sorely smitten that women sacritic,
: their children to appease the angry d.
5 ties; in 461 there died at Rome and
r environs 100000 people. Thucydid
I. has graphically depicted the plag
f which visited Athens B. c. 4SO, layil
: waste also Egypt and Ethiopia. PHI
t records pestilence IN the Archipelag
/ Egypt and Syria in 1SS B. c.. whi
, swept of 1000 persons day during
] continuance. Rome thereafter was r
5 peatedly scourged. A. D. 80 10000 pc
! sons are said to have died daily durir
4 the pestilence; another plague swe
) through the empi,e in 1879; still anot
n er in 169. while between 250 and 2
n many towns were depopulated and maj
e provinces ravaged, the daily mortali