Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-08-14
THE BLACK DEATH IN CHINA.
Fears That It Will Sweep Over Eastern
Asia Before 1t Disappears.

|
BLACK DEATH" that mysterious dis
ease which has been creating such havoc
among the natives at Canton, seems
destined to sweep over eastern Asia
Hong Kong has been attacked by this
insidious and fatal enemy, and already
hundreds have succuInbed to it. The
colony Is almost shut of from communi-
cation, save by telegraph, with other
Asiatic ports, and every effort is being
made to check the spread of the plague
Strict quarantine regulations have been
made, and outgoing steamers on oriental
lines carry neither freight Tor passeu,
gers.
But the germs of the disease seer, to
be III the air, for latest news is that
deaths by the plague have already oc-
CURED in Japan. The natives are panic
stricken.
| The plague made its appearance in
Hong Kong about May 10, when many
dead rats We're found in the streets.
This Is the first sign the disease makes.
| Usually other animals arestricl.en before
human beings are affected. The spread
OF the disease was most rapid. In few
days the victims claimed numbered
nearly so daily. 1t was even more fatal
there than IN Canton, fully 60 per cent
CT those seized dying in about As hours.
| One cause that led to this result was
that there had been no rainfall for n
long period, and all streams and sources
nf drainage We're foul Vigorous steps
We're taken to secure artificial flushing
| OF all drains, and thorough cleansing
OF the entire city was had. but there
was no decrease until about the goth.
when several heavy rain storms oc
Cured.
Health officers made house TO house
canvass OF the district of the city where
the disease seemed to center. and all
sick persons Were removed to the Hyceia,
the hospital ship in the harbor. The
dead were taken in charge by the same
officials and buried at once in q place
especially selected.
When the disease was at its worst.
the deaths in the hospitals numbered
about 80 daily. In some cases whole
families We're eXterminated in a few
days. Europeans seem to be almost
proof against the disease, although in
some cases their surroundings were the
same as those of the Chinese. An excep-
ton to this is the death of several For
tuguese in Hong-Kong.
| The cause of the strange malady is a
mystery, but it Is undoubtedly a filth
disease. A physician who had large cx-
perience with the black plague in PAX
hoi some years ago said in an interview
that 1t was due to foul smells. The
plague symptoms, as described already,
are rs follows: With or without pre-
monitory warning in the shape of chill
there is q sudden fever rising to los de-
grees or over. There is much headache
and cerebral disturbance, accompanied
by stupor. Iii from 2 to "a hours a CLAN
dular swelling occurs in the neck. arm
pit or groin, rapidly enlarging to the
size OF fowls egg. 1t is hard and ex-
ceedingly tender. With or without a
decline Of the fever the patient sinks
deeper into condition of coma and
dies usually at the end of as hours or
sooner. He declared that animals Were
affected first, because the germs were
near the ground
Native reports from Canton say that
the epidemic is somewhat decreasing
there, but many new cases are still re-
ported. 1t is said that fish are also
stricken, and fishermen in some dis
trlcts have been forced to cease opera
tiOnS San Erapc;sco fr,ro,,;olo