St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-12-04
PLAGUE STRICKEN.
The Story of the Sufferings in Ken.
lucky in the Plague Stricken
Districts.

LOUISVILLE, KY, Dec. 3.-The Courier
Journals staff correspondent, investigating
the plague in eastern Kentucky, sends the
following from Mount Pleasant tonight:
The further travel into this plague infested
country the more horrible becomes the stu
alton, and the more wonder that the entire
population, or at least that portion of it who
have been attacked by the prevailing cpl
demic, have not been swept into the world
beyond. | am able to write clearly only
after conversations with men from all parts
of the country, who are here to-day from dis
tances ranging all the way from five to forty
miles to secure supplies and having grind
ing done. The water mills in this county,
as in most of the mountain counties, are
useless because of the scarcity of water,
and the steam mill here is patronized by
families living far and near. From all
sources of information l am able to make
an estimate, which may be relied upon as
being as nearly correct as any that could be
made without personal visit to every house
in the county. There has been in Harlan
county since the latter part of August over
200 deaths. OF these at least one-half have
died from nux or cholera nfantum,
superinduced by the use of impure
water There has been about 200 cases of
sickness known to be 1ux, aud a large
amount OF Illness from other causes espec-
Tally among children, such as whooping
cough, bronchitis, summer complaint, etc,
in many cases complication of these dis
eases. The county has about 5000 inhabi-
tants, and one in every twenty of them, bas-
ing the average on the estimate above given,
has died. The spring and summer uu
to the latter part of August. was
unusually healthy, then sickness began, and
since then ninety per cent. of the deaths
have occurred. 1 met and talked with Dr.
Blair, of this place, this morning. He is of
the opinion that the recent rains and frosts
have had a tendency to abate the epidemic,
the viruleuce Of which he thinks is governed
by the temperature. If the weather becomes
about uniform night and day the disease will
decrease, but cold nights and warm DAYS
are inclined to give it a new impetus.
Ipecac has been until recently
the principal ingredient of prescriptions
given by him, but cholera cure consisting
of two drachms of einchona, two drachms
of nitric acid, two drachms of sweet spirits
OF nitre ana five ounces of epson salts, the
whole diluted with quart of distilled water,
has been used with more success than any
thing yet tried. This is given in doses rang
ing in size from half a wineglass down to
tablespoonful. In some cases quinine and
leptandrin have been prescribed with
varying results. AS to the disease
being contagious find great diversity o.
opinion, but have arrived at the conclusion
that it is so only when the discharge from
the bowels and urinary organs is allowed to
stand and fill the room with its baleful odors,
and when people are careless about cleanli-
ness and ventilation. In this conclusion
every physician with whom 1 have talked
supports me, and it is doubtless correct
have now been at the county
seats of three counties, in which
the infection has a foothold-Knox, Bell and
Harlan-and in these, which are but on the
outskirts of the district in which it has been
the most fatal, / sum up total of over 400
deaths since the latter part of August from
hux alone, and fully the same number from
other ills, mostly resulting from the use Of
impure or mineral poisoned water. If | in
elude the deaths reported to me by Rev.
Mr.. Childers in . Bath, Manifee,
Wolf, ETC., it would no doubt
run the list up to 1000.
In day or two more L will be in Letcher
county and Wise county, Va, and after my
trip through them will no doubt be able
TO pretty closely estimate the number of
victims in the entire territory which the
scourage covers. From reports from Letcher
received here it is evident that the cases Of
sickness have run up into 300 or 400 and the
deaths have been about five out of ten.