The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-06-18
1T IS THE BLACK DEATH.
China's Plague Identical With That
Which Devastated London.


Washington. June 15.-The records of
the state department make it evident that
the singular plague now ravaging China
is the black death or plague which de-
vastated London in 1865.
1t had its origin in Yuunan, a Chinese
province where il is epidemic The
Catholic missionaries there hold that it is
a pestilential emanation from the ground
AS it slowly rises all animals are drowned
so to speak, in it's poisonous flood the
smallest creatures first, and man, tallest
of all, last.
Its approach often may be foretold
from the extraordinary movements of
rats, which leave their holes and run
about the floors without trace of their
accustomed timidity, springing contiuu-
ally upward, as if trying to jump out of
something. The rats fall dead, the poul-
try, pigs, goats, ponies and oxen success
sively. a
In man Its approach is indicated by
minute red pnstules, generally in the
arm pits, but occasionally in other CLAN
dular regions. If plenty of pustules APP
pear the case is not considered so desper-
ate as when they are few. The sufferer
is soon seized with extreme weakness,
followed in a few hours by agonizing
painsgin every part Of the body. Delirium
shortly ensues, and in nine cases out of
ten the result is fatal. 1t often happens
that the patient suddenly RECEIVERS to all
appearances and leaves his bed, but in
such cases the termination is always
collapse and death.
AS soon as a case appears the Chinese
desert the afflicted, leaving him in a
room with Jug of water, peering in the
window at intervals and prodding the
victim with a long pole to ascertain if
life is extinct. aIn the country the corpses
are not buried, but laid out to decay in
the sun. poisoning the air for miles
around.
The disease is known in Yangtzu (under
the name bubonis fever, in Laos, Siam,
in Burmah and in Queycho. China, where
1T has prevailed for years. Never before,
however, has it made its way to Canton
and to Hong Kong, whence it may spread
over the earth.
One reason for attributing its origin to
miasmatic influences is that it always ap-
pears upon the planting of rice in May
and June, 1t penetrates by caravans and
travellers to the uplands and becomes
more severe by fall. Sometimes it passes
over certain communities in its line of
progress, only to return later on, or the
next year.
Whenever it appears the people desert
their homes and crops and fee to tents in
the hills. In some provinces the popula-
ZION is decl1nated ana whole families dis
appear.
DR.. J. F. Payne, in the Encyclopedia
Britannica, says that the plague is a
specific febrile disease transmissible from
sick to healthy persons, accompanied by
glaudular swellings and some times car
buncles In the minor form swelings of
glands occur in the .armpits, groin, neck
and other parts, which suppurate. The
severe plague begins with ague the
patient becomes distracted and staggers
about. The temperature rises to 100 and
lO1 degrees. Fahrenheit, glandular
swellinRs, carbuncles aud hemorrhagic
spots appear In all plague epidemics
cases occur in which death sets in within
twentyfour hours. The nature of the
soil has little influence on plague, but a
moderately high temperature is favora-
BILE. The disease is unknown in the
tropics. in northern countries the disease
is generally checked by the cold weather
Bad sanitation Is favorable TO plague.
No special line of treatment has proved
eticacious in checking it, But by hygieuic
measures locality can be made unsuita-
bic for the spread Of plague.
In the middle ages Europe was fire.
quently visited by plague, which was
called the black death. The great plague