Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-09-22
PLAGUE AND PEsTsLENCE.
Prof. Proctor on Yellow Fever and
Greas Plaques Of History.

OF PEsrILENcEs IN ATHENS AND IN rHR ROMA
ENPrKR-THE rERRrDLR JorroN PLAGUE 90 wv
IDLY DESCRIBED BIT DE FOE
fTne article that follows, written for TIE EVEN
ne STAR by the late Prot Richard A. Proctor, is
believed TO be the last literary work by Prof. Proc
Asae r sne OF me snO)ec
fact that the author himself Tell a victim TO the
yellow fever soon after penning the words here
printed:
Yellow fever though not in reality more de-
structive disease, even in the places where 1t is
| apt 20 prevail, than some others which are more
familiar, is more suggestive OF the idea OF pest-
| lence than any existent disease and more strlk-
ingly recalls when It appears In Iully developed
| form, as ten years ago in New Orleans and Men,
pnis the horrors Of the ancient plaguea There is
something In the nsidious nature OF its approach,
its fell action In The worst cases and the despair
| which seizes even from the beginning the larger
number Of It's Victims, which reminds US OF what
we have read respecting the plaques OF Athens, Of
| Florence OF London in the days OF old. am told
| by those who witnessed the flight from Jackson
willie, Fla, short time since, when first the ap-
pearance OF yellow fever In that town had been
| announced, that the behavior OF many or the
refugees Indicated absolutely panic terror, though
| as II turned out, not one among the whole num-
Der had been infected by the disc Ise that the
risk individually run by that panic-strcken crowd
while In the town from which they were flying
l. may be interesting to recall few OF the fea-
lures OF the great plaques and pestilences OF his
tory-I Tor no other reason for this, that men may
KIND during this century have been by COMPARE
son.
THE PLAGUE OF ATHENS.
The account given by Thucydides of the plague
| OF Athens, twenty-three centuries ago suggests
scene OF fearful horror. The origin OF the plague
Is noteworthy in the light OF modern theories and
discoveries respecting disease germs. The Spar
sans, having overcome the Athenians In the neld
ravageo Attica While nearly all It's inhabitants
were closely smut up within the walls OF Ath u.s.
whether the germs OF the disease had already been
conveyed TO Athens. or whether spreading In the
air they found in the overcrowded, sorrow stricken
city favorable field for their development can
not oe learned. 1t was said that the plague had
| us orixin IN ETHIOPIA. the region now including
AoySSlnla, Nubia and the SOuian and id Travelled
Thence 0y Egypt and Asia Minor To Athens. But
us rapid development In Athens would certainly
s seem 10 suggest that this plague (and probably
therefore others) depended on Surrounding condi-
lions for It's development.
This pestilental lever began with heats in the
and throat became bloody and the breath relid.
SneeZlng and heavy coughing, hiccOughs and
spa spa marked the progress OF The disease Colc
req, ulcers fol med here and there, and although
the internal fever was intense the skin was cold.
dered sleep impossible The fate OF the patient
was Usually decided by or before the seventh day,
attn generally closing hissufferings between the
seventh Ind the ninth day. Few survived, and for
large proportion OF those who dlo life was worse
IMAM death, since either they were wholly crippled
or the disease left them with MUD impaired and
memory gone. No remed, was found Tor the dis
ease and the helpesSnesS OF the pny scianS caused
ueSpondency among those VINO were attacked
Otherwise 1t would probably have been. But most
OF those attacked were left INTENDED for IL was
found That Few among the attendants on the sick
escaped, so that only those OF DraveSt anu most
generous minds dared the risk or nursing even
thooe dearest 70 them. 1t was imposs bic, crowded
as the beleagu ered city was to Keep TIE healthy
Mn kpd q md
each OF the public fountains to allay their raging
Thirst Inc temples were filled with corpses, FOR
aSimpoSSiDle TO get the dead conveyed 10 suit
AC.e places or interment.
sHALLowNEss OF PAGAN FAITH.
AT such times OF horror religion, 1t has been
sometimes thought should exercise more potent
sway than usual The reverse, however, has al
ways happened. In countries which we call hea-
IN or pagan because Their religion has been un-
like our own, In countries which, though Chris
I1an, we regard as not or the true faith because
| their view OF Christianity has been unlike ours,
and In countries whose creed mas Oeen that which
we ourselves profess, whenever plague or pesti-
fence has appeared, religion excep. among a very
| few, has Invariably died out. The shaluwness OF
the Ialth which most men have professed with
| their lips has been shown by the utter disregard
which nearly all have shown for its teneJs The
beIlei In hereafter mas been shown TO be but
| mockery with the great majority OF those who had
most confidently expressed their faith in 1t.
Whereas the assurance OF death should produce
In healthy minds the very reverse OF the idea, "Let
US eat and drink, for Tomorrow we die"-wnet her
the tomorrow he nguratlve or LITERAL In times OF
plague and pestleuce, when all men Ieei the proD
able nearness or death, and even where most con-
nIent are reminded Of It's certainly al no ve,y
distant date, the major y invariably turn TO riot
GUS living. They seek 10 NIL what remains to them
OF NE with all the sensual pleasures they can
crowd into II. Thus, In Athens, curing the
time OF horror so graphically described by 1nucy-
diues, riot and deuauchery prevailed increasingly.
Gross dissipation aud tumul,uOus rev0ry went on
IN such sort Lnat but Tor the signs OF death and
disease everywhere prevalent a stranger entering
tue city might have Imagined that IL Was a tiue
OF Wild rejoicing over some great na,iCnal tri-
umph. Men Committed crimes from WIN CHI at
other times tue lear OF the law would have de-
TERED them; Tor the law had no lerrors where
nature Threatened an earlier punishment than
any legal process could inflct As they saw the
good and the Dad, the openly proane and the pro-
Iessedly plous stricken down tmparJlally, Iney
lost AL beiiei In Inc control OF the gods,
lore saw no reason 10 deny themselves wnavever
pleasures Lhey could obtain.
Inucydides says That during the plague, there
died villain The iniLs or the city OF Athens, Then
as now out small city, no lever than ZOO Of
the soldiers, and OF the Otuer Inhabitants a num-
Der 100 great To be reckOned.
HUNDRED MILLION DEAD.
Very striking Is The contrast between the plague
OF Athens, affecting Chiefly single city and last
ing but a short time, and the plague which ex.
tended with varying degrees OF Intensity from
Persia 10 Gaul In tue reign OF Justinian lasting no
less tnan thirty years, and destroying (accoruing
10 an estimate which The historian GIObOn did not
consider ex travaganp no lever than 100000 600
OF human belngs-a number not much less Lnan
tne entlre population VI Great Britain and the
United states.
In This long Lasting and most terrible plague the
features OF Tue disease were quite unlike what had
been noticed during the plague OF Athens ProcO-
Plus STUDIED IL OOLn as historian and pny,lclan.
IN nUst Gases the mind was fist attacked anxious
fears and saddening visions seeming 10 overDOwer
the Reasoning Iacul.ies But usually u mid lever
was the nrsL sign OF misch nothing In It's earl er
progress suggesting any serious danger. Before
long, however, the glands beneath the ears under
the arln-ptts, and In The groin sweed alarIninVIy
especially AZ these swellngs were soon recognized
as signs that the dreaded pa ue lever mad indeed
seized Its victim. The sweilIngs became Iunors
within which u hard dark substance as large as 4
bean was formed. Ii these tumOrs remained hard
and dry, blood poisoning followed, and on or about
the min DAY from the setting in Of disease tue
patient died But II the tumOrs sOrJeneu and SUD-
purated, the venom OF the plague seemed to We dis
charged, AMI The patient Was saved. Sometimes
the lever accompanying the development or these
tumors Drought profound lethargy on the pa
tent, VINO suffered little, begytug only to be leJ
alone tina; he might die unt0rIured by medicine,
surgery, or even nursing. More frequently the
fever brought on raging and derium. In All cases
the bOdleS VI those who died OF the plague we're
covered with black bOilS or carbuncles All hone
was given up when these apr cared. Among those
VINO recovered considerable portion lost SIGHT
and hearing, while others remained ever after-
wards speechleSS.
THE TRUE PLAGUE.
Strictly speaking, the peculiarities above de-
scriDed are TO be regarded characteristic of the
true plague-so that the so-called plague OF
Athens as well as the plague which affiicted the
whole Roman empire In the reign OF Aurelus and