St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1882-03-11
HISTORY YOF SNALI-POx.
A Plague That Has Held sway for
Twelve Centuries.
From N. O. Times-Democrat.

OF all the plaques which have arisen from
time to time. or infested cities or countries,
none is more dreaded, none is more
persistent, none is more communica-
Inicable or fatal than was smallpox a century
ago. But whence or how the disease arose it is
not easy to say. Other plaques have vexed the
earth for time, and then passed away, leav-
ing no vestige of their ravages us did the great
plague at Athens during the Peloponneslan
war, the pla@ne in England OF Charles III,
but smallpox. not content with II centuries OF
sway, still holds its own. despite the discoveries
of science. 1t is Hnquestionably trUe7that d.
seases of such contagious nature generally
arise from filthy and il-conditioned people,
confined in marrow quarters. This was the
case with the Athenan plague. aud 1t was
again the case in the Jewish quarters of Euro
pean cities Contagious diseases were com
paratively rare among the Romans ana
Greeks of the illustrious periods. owing to the
free public baths and excellent sanitary and
gymnastic habits of the times.
1t was reserved for the middle or dark ages
to furnish the most dreadful examples OF pest
thence. Smallpox arose III the very darkest
period of medieval times. 1t first invaded
En- gland in the ninth century; 1t was com
mon in Arabia i'll the tenth the CruSadeS car
ried it through all Southern Europe it reached
Norway in the fourteenth century; in l5l7 1t
was carried to st. Domingo by the SnanlardS
along with slavery, the inQuisition, the rack
and a host of other blessings; three years later
it crossed to Mexico and slew three millions
it invaded Iceland i'll 1907, and greenland III
1888. staying fourth of the residents III the
latter country, and despite all that medical
skill has done and is doing to cast It from the
earth, it bids fair to retain its hold. in some
measure, as long as popular ignorance. desti-
tuition. negligence and carelessness continue to
combat the physicians and the dictates OF com
| mon sense.
| Its history is thus unique; other contagious
diseases have proved as fatal under similar clr-
cumstances for limited periods; none have
| continued their blasting work for ten centu
| ries i'll all climates from Mexico to Greenland
| 1t is not unreasonable, therefore, that Its ap-
proach should be hailed with terror as is the ap
proach of almost no other disaase Yellow fe
| yer and Asiatic cholera, even, have caused nc
such potent and widespread destruction Tht
very air it taints carries infection: garments Ill
contact with patients carry their baneful pow
er for years if shut up in tight closets it can %
communicated by mail or by wind, by railroad
by ocean voyage, by manifest means whicl
cannot be guarded against 1t is not only dan dan
gerous but loathsome in its progress; 1t drives
away ones friends, thrusts him into shutter
able tortures, and leave him often a wreck to
| life, with ruined health and dishgured coun
| tenance When to all this is added It's persls
| tent temperance at almost definite periods
| it is not to be wondered at that small POI
scares are SO common.