, 1879-03-01
the ASTRAKHAN PLAGUE.
The Dread Scourge that is Causing Pan
in Eastern EuroDe.

rs A~"SacS" EUROPE
The disease now ravaging the district al
Astrakhan is the black death" which for
Seees has had its home in Egypt Syria,
Greece, Turkey and the adjoining provinces
OF Russia, to which countries it is now chief
ly hunted The people in the first infected
DISTRICTS arc dying the reports state, like
flies, So rapidly has the disease spread
that fully 10 per cent. of those in the newly
infected districts have perished No one
dares touch the dead, and they lie unburied
IL the streets
: In the commencement III the disease there
IS feeling OF WEAKNESS and fatigue, shiver-
ing, nauscs and sickness confusion of ideas,
giddineSs aud pain III the lpius- These are
quickly followed by increased stupor and
delirium, by palior and flushing of the face,
and a feeling OF intense binding or constric-
ton about the heart Darling pains are felt
II the groIns armpits and other parts OF the
body. The lymphatic glands become On
larged, and carbuncles appear. The tongue
becomes dry and brown. and the gums. teeth
and lips are covered with dark fur, while
the bGwe!s, which are at first constllated,
become relaxed aud dark; offensive and
samehMes bloody discharges are frequent
The will loses eoatrQl owe: the muscles
About the SECOND or third day EviI spo.s
and strips appear upon the skin, In fatal
eases-and most are tatal-,he pulse gradu-
ally sinks, the surface becomes cold and
clammy, blood oozes from the mucous sur
/ faces, aaa there is either conia or delirium.
! The victim usually fingers FIVE or six days,
and may PASS away without a struggle, or IN
commissions Ii is SAID that infected persons
] ,u,,+ lNafn
/ the sylap.oms We're recognized, AMI III this
way endanger the whole world.
The plague may be spontaneously ensen-
dered by endemic or epidemic influences 1t
may originate from local causes, and may he
propagated BY peculiar contagipn. Tonipera-
I ture seems to exert a very great influence
! over it. Ia tropical climates 1t is hot known,
and it doea uot long withstand the cold OF
porthesa climates. Is particular harvest
time In Europe is late IN the summer and
early in the fall; especially in September
Like the germs of yeiloy fever, 1t has thus
! far evaded the examination Of chemists and
microscopists. As soon as absorbed 1t alters
| the composition of the blood and the condi-
! ton of the tissues There Is no universal
cure for IT, IN occasional instances fresh AIR
I NJ ~ .c of benefit. Cleanliness Is generally
! I preventive, and it is due to this and supe
I riur ventilation that foreigners IN the hevant
are comparatively exempt
( la 1895 So Chinese historians tell us, there
| were great couvulsiOns IL nature, and earth
quakcs and floods, which were followed by
drouths and famines. Hills and lakes dis
appeared, and the gases rising from The earth
| and decayiag vegetation and animals render
ed the AR excessively impure. Following
! these cunvulsions came the great plague, and
before 1t entered Europe 1900, 600 people
| In China and 25,000, 900 people IN Western
| Asia aud Northern Africa had died
! 1t appeared III Russia near where 1t now
/ prevails i'll 1913. Constantlnople was at.
! tackled, and from there 1t spread over all
! Turkey The disease was carried to Italy,
and fr,m thence to France, England, Ger
! many aud the Low Countries. From ling
land it Tas conveyed to Sweden and passed
. over the Baltic Sea into Northern hassIa. In
! only three years il covered the whole of Eu-
/ rope. Hall the population OF Italy a;ad Of
! ii. Fifteen continental! ci,ies lost 800, Coz
! iula,,i;ants, London 100 600, and IN Europe
25.G00 eco people perished-
! The terrible disease was attributed by the
super stitious to the Jews, who were accused
would breed pestilenee. Entire colonies Gf
Jews were nl;lssacred, AID thousands were 50
terrified ihat they took their own hives. the
dlS,.aSe WAS extensively spread by numerous
h,ads Of religious zealots, who visited town
a.fjur town, tortuaing t:eir bodies N the VAIN
hope nf eXIiating the SINS OF the people.
THESE fiaggrilants, as they were called, eon'-
prised both men and women, who went
about nearly paked, and elch one wore 4
rel cross upon the breast. The church
resped ! rich harvest, fox many Of Its fright
eued subj cts gave 10 1t their al. The do
nurs were obliged to throw their gifts over
the walls of mciosure, for the monks were
afraid to come IL contact with them and
shut their gates. Multitudes sought to es-
cape the disease by living in caves and woods,
and starved. SO,ie endeavored to escape 10y
the SEA. They died, and the sailors who
uicked up their bodies shared the same fate.
Rottcd bodies foated down the streams,
poliuting them and filling the air with the
contariun. Some of the delirious victims
ran thrcy..h the streets OF vi!!ages, .esrinS
out the mar and scratching the faces OF every
Ole they met
The plague "f 1868, l6Gi and ln65, the
last that prevailed very extensively, pre-:
,incrd fewer deayhs In l720 Marselles was
almost dcropuiated, aid III 1890 Turkey,
Puia.d and Russia were again visited From
all reports the present piagne promises to
destgny ss many lives as those OF fo:lAer
years.