Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1884-09-20
THE BLACK DEATH.
A P,seue that scourgsd the World In the
Fourteenth Century.
Chicago Herald.

past eplueullcs, sOlut vi Wh-Ih, ocPo
ly those of the middle ages, were so vlru-
lent and destructive that anything we
have had or could have in this century |
would be insignificant. The plague, or
black death, as it was commonly called,
of the fourteenth century, was the most
terrible scourge of which any record has
been preserved. To read of 1T row seems
like some horrible dream, or some
monkish vision of the internal world.
1t appals the imagination, and shows
what fearful ravages disease could make
before man had become acquainted with
hygienic laws.
The black death, which was an Eastern
plague, and actually desolated the world,
got it's name from the black spots caused
by decomposition that appeared on the
BODY Of the sufferer. No statistics or
health records were kept in the dark
ages; therapeutics was in its infancy; ig-
norance and indifference universally
prevailed. We have very few data OF
plague; we are unacquainted with its
symptoms, its crisis, or the method of its
infection. They must have varied great
ly at different places. The cases were
more malignant and more widely fatal
in Asia than in Europe, owing to the
worse condition of the people and the
lower forms of civilization.
Everything connected with the pest
was hideous and revolving. These at
tackled by it suffered terribly. They had
burning and unquenchable thirst, rack
ing pains in the head and breast, boils
and swellings all over the body, putrid
Inflammation of the lungs; they were a
mass of corruption and agony; they of
ten begged to be killed to relieve them
of their misery, and when they had suf'
ficent strength, destroyed themselves
The great majority persisted in two OF
three days; medicines were powerless
the appearance of the black spots was
the sign of doom. Nature, cruel as she
, is WAS never more cruel than at thai
frigbtful period.
. While much that has been published
concerning the plague is vague and OBJ
viously fabulous, there is no rationa
> doubt that it had its rise in China durin,
5 the first part of the fourteenth century
t and that it was preceded by swarms o
i locusts, droughts, famines, floods, lorna
does, earthquakes and volcanic eruption
throughout the East, which destroye,
vegetable and animal life far end neal
Il Similar arrangements and CONFUSION
! of neture were common in Europe. A
this upheaval and disorder, with the al
: tendant decomposition cfmatter and an
;, imal substance, is supposed to have caus
u ed some extraordinary atmosphere
+ change hostile to human life, which ac
n ed like poison upon the respiratory OF
yans-always the first to be attacked
Some writer's of the time say that til
steady progress of the epidemic from ca.
y to west could be traced by the vitiate
W air, which Iesembled cloud of haze
ts the cloud of fate, the haze of dealt
lie Scarcity of food and unwholesome Gvln
d predisposed people to the sease, whic
n constantly spread from infection an
(. contagion. 1t made its way from Chin
as along the caravan routes westward. Frol
n the north coast of the Black Sea it wei
e to Constantinople, thence to the Italia
seaports and throughout Europe, occup
ID ing three years in passing, by might
of circle, from Constantinople around
O. Russia.
< The ravages of the plague were frigh
H. fnl beyond conception. Death stake
r. through the world, moving down h
t. victims everywhere. Every form of a
is lmal life was assailed. Thousands
TO corpses were cast into huge pits, dug Fl
I'd the purpose; lakes and rivers were CO
IN secrated, that the dead might be throw
into them, thus avoiding the dread al
danger of infection. Passengers ar
crews were stricken down at sea; ofts
nobody was left alive ON vessels, whic
or loaded with putrefying humanity, we
in borne aimiessly by the infected vino
~ and finally driven to shore, where tn,
- spread the coatagion over the land. II
y. moral effects of the scourge were as b;
ct, as the physical effects. Thousands di,
IN from terror; the ties of humanity al
kindred were broken; husbands desert,
their wives, brothers their sisters, mot
N. ers their children; everybody was absor
ed by a wild desire to save himself at {
,st hazards and at any price; and yet salv
d, ton was in most cases impossible, almC
hopeless. 1t seemed as if the whole IA
". was doomed to destruction; as if Il
III despair had seized and shattered the h
no man heart. ....
Id The gigantic accumulation of horro
X atonce disorganIzed society and diaboli
RI ed humanity. Superstition and ignoran
cd which are twin brothers, were scarce
st less evils than the plague.
ey 1t is hard to estimate the loss of Ii
no from the scourge; but it is computed tn
" 14,OOO, 900 perished in China, and els
.e. where in the East about "a, OOO, 600 MOI
X. Germany lost nearly 100000; Ita
nd half its entire population; London alo
To- an excess of 10000. In Europe full
lie 30,O00,O00 must have died, and in
Yas quarters of the globe not lar from
at 100000 of people-a number that shoe
the senses and well nigh destroys on
faith in nature.
Such conditions or such plague Won
not be possible now. No pestilence C
be very pernicious to-day. In this e
q, of intelligence, reason and science
know how to deal with epidemics, a
ei' have little cause to dread them.
mt When they visit us they are resist
lat with such energy and skill that they 9
M soon overcome and extinguished. 7