The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1879-03-12
HORRORS OF THE PLAGUE.
It's Medieval History Ravagss Of the
Pest in the Fourteenth
Century.
Seventy to Seventy Millions Of People
Perish.
Symptoms, Progress AND Character
fstics of the Disease-Preven.
tion Fracticable-Gure
Impossible.
New Tork TInesl

Many Americans are inclined to regard
the plague which devastated the old world in
the fourteenth, fifteenth, sixteenth and sew
enteenth centuries as an extinct disease; to
imagine that 1t could not now prevail in
any part of civilization, owing to the total
absence of such conditions as produced and
fosteTed it. Since they have begun to read .
of its ravages in Russia, they have hardly
thought it to be the old plague, but varia-
ton of il with the same name, deadly
distemper, though nothing like SO terrible
as the ancient pestilence, and very diff
ferent in its symptoms and conse-
auences. The plague in Russia to day Is,
essentially, if not exactly, the same plague so
horribly conspicuous in every history of the
middle ages and which has never ceased to
exist in certain regions of the East. Since
1920, when it destroyed nearly half the en-
tire population of Marseilles, France, and
.1779, when it visited Russia aud Poland. it
has until the present been almost unknown
in Western Europe. During the last hun
dred years it has been limited mainly TO
Egypt, Syria, A!natolia, Greece and Turkey,
occasionally spreading northward toward
Russia and westward toward Malta. It's true
and permanent home seems to be the
territory bordering on the eastern extremity
of the Mediterranean, where the condition
and habits of the people foster and stimulate
it. But the mass of Americans have so lit
tie knowledge OF. and SO small concern for,
what is going on in that quarter of the globe
that, never thinking of the plague, they
naturally presume Its CHASTITY engagement
closed long ago and forever.
Plague Latin, playa; Greek, PLACE, blow
or stroke,) was used by ancient writer's as
the words pests and pestilentia, and the cor
responding Greek terms were very loosely,
in sense that meant nothing more than
epidemic fever. Still. the plague mentioned
by some old authors was unquestionably the
fearful medieval and contemporaneous
plague, as those will admit who recall the
terrible scourge of Athens wildly and
horribly plcturesquely described in the
History of the Peioponnesiau War;" by
Thucydides himself sufferer from its fury.
SYMPTOMS AND COURSE OF THE sCoURGE.
The genuine plague is very malignant
kind of contagious fever, marked by buboes,
or sweIlings of the Emphatic glands, by car
buncles and petecchie, and without any ap.
parent security against recurrence to the
same person. 1t commonly begins with q
feeling of intense fatigue, slight chilliness.
much nausea, giddiness, mental confusion
and lumbar pains. These symptoms are
speedily followed by increased disturbance
of mind, with occasional stupor and de-
lirium, by alternate pallor and flushing of
face, euffusion of the eye and sense of ex-
IRENE restriction in or about the hear.
Sharp, darling pains are experienced IN the
groins, armpits and other parts of the body.
soon succeeded by enlargement of the lynn
phatic glands, which occurs sometimes the
first or second day, sometimes not until
near the close of the disease, and ct others
not at ell, aud also the forma-
ton of carbuncles in various places. AS the
distemper advances the fongue grows dry and
brown, while the gums, teeth and lips ore
covered with a dark fur: the bowels, at first
constpated, relax, aud the excavations are
dusky, offensive and sangulneous- The
patient loses much power of Will over his
muscles, and presents the appearance of IN
toxIcation. He is more or less faint through
out the attack, and usually the second or
third day purple spots, livid patches, like
bruises, and dark stri pes (yibeces) are visible
on the skin-especially in severe cases-in
consequence OF extrsvasation OF blood and
are often accompanied with hemorrhagic
discharges from the mucous membranes. In
fatal cases the pulse gradually sinks; the
sufferers body grows cold and clammy
blood flows from the mucous membranes;
either coma or low delirium sets in, and
death takes place either without struggle
or preceded by commissions.
The period of incubation in plague would
seem in no case to extend beyond eight days
Sometimes the local symptoms first show
themselves, and the fever that follows is
comparatively mild At other times the
disorder is rapid and violent, and causes
death without the appearance OF buboes OIL
carbuncles. Between these extremes, tend
ing to the mild or virulent form, the disease
presents every phase of variety. In milo
csses small red spots, resembling hea-bites
are seen, especially on parts where the body
is exposed TO the air, gradually enlarge, ge
dusky, and are covered by vesicles filled
with dark hued fluid. The base OF the spot
is hard grows black. forming a gangrenou
eschar an inch or an inch and half in diane
ter, and developing into csrbuncles. Thi
process is attended with more or less fever
which subsidies gradually as the eschar j
detached. Often consequent upon the car
buDcles the buboes form in the grolns o.
ermpIts, occasionally go away without sup
puratioD, though generally after formir
pus-sometimes healthy, sometimes thil
and sanious- Buboes are generally attended
with higher fever and greater depression o
vital force, severe headache, great restless
ness and vertigo. at the commencement O
malignant epioem.cs, patients have die
within "a hours, but generally it continue
from one to two weeks: the average dura
ton is six to eight days. and when con
valescence takes place, 1t is apt to he slo'
and tedious. When the disease is virulen
the majority of persons attacked by it d.
within week
THE FIRST APPEARANCE OF THE PLAGUE.
As here described, in the latter times III
plague first appeared during the fourteent
century, when it actually desolated tn
world. One of tine names ii then bore wa
the black death, from tine black spots demo-
ing putrid decomposition which, at one c
its stages marked the sufferer. The account
then furnished are incomplete and ipexaci
as they necessarily would be at such an epoc
of standardization; but they are sufficien
to show a state of horrors and agony hard t
arceed The cnTrrza and svmnfoms of tn