Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1894-06-07
the PLAGUE IN CHINA.

that In China a terrible plague whlch
s,ems akin 10 the Black Death has
made iu appearance aud Ia creating
frlghuul havoc The details at hnna
are very meAger, but ore sufficient TO
chow that an alarming situation pre-
walls, The disease fint broke out In
Canton, and at It, appearance was
characterized NJ a strange and remark
ably fatal malAdy. At first II was not
recognised M being similar TO tho
plague which i've centuries ego dew
astated the eastern hemisphere, but II
spread 90 rapidly and increased In
mallgnAncy until there was no doubt
In the minds u the Chinese officials
that the Black Death was again In the
country. Although information regard'
ing the symptoms and course Of the
terrible malady IL far from perfect, yet
from available data physicians have
concluded that the similarity Of the
effects Of the present visitation and
that OF former times Is % marked ~ 10
Justify the claim that both are identical
IN character.
The symptoms Of the disease ~
now described are NJ follows: A sud-
den attack Of fever, headache, Thirst
and slupor. In from twelve 10 twenty
four hours a glandular swelling oc-
ours In the neck, afmpit or groin, hard
and Acutely tender. Coma supeTyenes,
and ,I.atk n,,ufa la fnffv.atghl houra
from the onset, or sooner. Cases
which linger for six days are regarded
hopeful for recovery, although re.
lApses are liable 10 occur. In a few
casts vomiting OF blood Il noted; In
others blaok spots on the body, but no
characteristic eruption. These spot
are indicative Of the last stages. II
seems allied to the "bubonic plague"
which visited China Ia 1852, but has
more features In common with the
Black Death than has that disease. IL
claims as Victims at least two gu, Of
three persons attacked.
There had been some hope that II
would be kept out OF Hongkong By
quarantine arrangements, but the dis.
patches bring disappointing news on
this point, ~ the work Of death IL
rapidly going on there. The people
had propltlated their doitles In vain,
and the street paTades, the exploding
Of trecraokers, burning Of sandAlwood
loss-alicks, etc, being Intellectual In
checking the pesIllonoe, have bul
added TO the excitement OF tho popu.
lace. Up TO the present exact figures oil
the mortality oocasionod are not OBJ
tainable, but In the city Of Canton
alone there were several thousand
deaths before the disease had been
communicated to other towns.
There may be- no probability Of tho
disease spreading 10 Europe on this
occasion, but II l. interesting at least
to note the similarity OF many OF tho
conditions which oxisl today with
those Of the last great historic vista
ton. Ga the former occasion "a,
disease began Ia Chila. For some
years previous to Ia commencement,
from 1888 lSis, that county suffered
from dtouths, iamines, floods, fires
storms, earthquakes which swallowed
mountains, aud swAFms Of innumor.
able loousis. Those who have sough
to explain the origin aud remarkAbl,
spread Of tue disease present the tne5rl
that this great teiurisn activity, au
cUmpanied by the decomposition u
vast organic masses RHi many bodies
OF men and bruIcs, produced a chang,
In the atmosphere unfayOrabio 10 lie
Il IL said the impure air was actually
Visible, appearing like fOg ia the
heavens as It approached with NJ
burden Of death rnis latter was
feature Of the more advanced condition
OF the plague, aud was not noted Ia IL
early history.
While the atmospheric poison III
much TO spread tue disease, It Is rea
sonably certain that the chief cause ,
IA extension was Infection anu conln
gion. From China 10 made H. way /
The west, reaching the Black Sea an
CousAntlnople. From thore, by con
tagion, It reached tho senports
Italy, and from these To the yariou
countries Of Europe. The history an
lines Of Ito advance are such that thor
isno question but that rigid rules ,
quarantine might have excluded
from many places.
The mortality from this Visitation
estimated to have been IN CHINA 10
100000 people, aud In the rest OF Ill
East nearly 2A,OOO,OOO. In Europe u
sHsotness OF details was obtainabl
London alone lost over 100000 soul
ni'een other European oiiies give ,