St. Landry democrat., 1879-03-29
THE BLACK PLAGUE.


Brief Sketch Of Its Dreadful Rnvage
i'm TIE Past.
The terror which the appearance o
the Black Plague has caused in Eurep
might seem to be excessive, were it no
that history records many instances o
dreadful ravages wrought by diseas
similar to this one The plague in Lon
don, in 1865, carried of about 7O,OG(
souls in less than six months; and
though English readers are most fami
lar with this event, it is not a solitary
case. In the same year with the Lon
don plague, 10000 died in Neapolitat
territory. In the fourteenth century
during the reign of Edward Ill, there
was plague much more general and de-
structive than the one of 1865. Thi;
plague was supposed to have had its ORR
gin in the Far Cathay in 1888, though
that region was then so remote that
little could have been known about it.
But at least it was certain that the
plague came by the way of Constantine.
pie, Florence Vienna and Paris to Lon<
don. 1t was estimated that 60, 900 died in
Florence alone, 100000 in Venice, 80, OCO
in Paris, $4,000 in Avignon and 100000
in London. The plague was known still
further back. The beginnings of au.
thentic history contain references to it.
| One thousand years before Christ 10000
persons died OF it ina single year in Pal
estine. Rome lost half It's population
! by the plague in 542 B. c., and $1,000 a
hundred years later, It is said that the
plague spread over the whole known
world in the third century, and in the
eleventh century one>half the known
population was swept away by it. There
is very recent instance of it's appear
ance in Russia previous to the present
epidemic. It destroyed 10000 people
at Resin, on the Casipean Sea, in 1882,
and it almost snihilated tho Russian
army which crossed the Balkans in
1S2S-29.
A remarkable feature of the present
plague, and one thst makes it all the
more alarming, is its rapid spread in
spite of cold. The germ~theory, in ac-
cordance with which most epidenics are
now explained, assumes that certain
moderate temperature is required to keep
the germs alive, and that excessive cold
kills them. Yellow lever, for instance,
has never spread as an epidemic in cold
countries, and the frat severe frost kills
the germs in warm countries. But this
plague is spreading in midwinter in one
of the coolest countriesssot Europe. 1t is
said to nave approached within a few
miles of Moscow. Tbs mortality, more>
over, is unusually lar &c. Some reports
say as high as rs per cent. of all persons
attacked die. This reminds one of the
story of the great Indian city, contain
ing nearly 100000 inhabitants, that
was blotted out of existence two or three
centuries ago by visitation of an epide~
mic similar in its character to the Black
Plague.
There is occasion for all the alarm that
is felt in Europe in view of this dread
full visitation. Quarantine regulations
have already been established by Turkey,
Italy, and Austria and Germany
other nations will unquestiona5ly pro-
tect themselves in the same manner.
The usefulness of quarantine in no lon
ger disputed by scientific men. No
longer ago than last summer it saved
Galveston and Mobile from yellow fever,
though both cities had previously
suffered much from it, and were sup
posed to be peculiarly subject to its in
fuences. 1t is probable that rigid
quarantine may stop, or at lea.t limit to
comparatively small territory, the
spread Of this other and more dreadful
pestilence. But it will not do for the
authorities of our own country to take
for granted. Though there is
little apparent danger of the plague
reaching us, owing to our limited cons
mercial intercourse with the infected re-
gion, the most rigid scrutiny should be
exercised over all vessels coming from
the Black.Sea ports, and particularly
over those which, having sailed before
the full extent of the epidemic was
known, may innocently carry the germs
Of the disease I'M their cargces. If the
Black Plague should once be introduced
into this country, it might make ravages
IN comparison with which our previous
experience of yellow fever, cholera and
'mall.pox would be Insignificant; and
;here.would be less excuse for its passage
through quarantine since, 40 far as
Known, it has never appeared here, and
g not natural to our soil or climate,
The Mystery of Perfume.