The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-06-29
THE BLACK DEATH.
II Begins by Killing Rats and Ends
ny Staying Man.

New York Sun.
Our Canton correspondent gave de-
scripton last Sunday of the frigntful raw
ages of the plague in Canton, Hong Kong
and other Chinese cities within the past
two or three months. The symptoms Of the
disease as II appears there are fever. head
ache, glandular Swellings in the neck arm
pits and groins, nosebleed and neTnori'naStc
spots upon the skin. Death takes place in
SO TO 90 per cent. of the cases. and usually
within fOrty-eight hours. This is the clas-
steal description, In fact, OF the plague. or
IL is vaTiously known. the black death.
the great death. the bubo plague: We
commented upon its appearance In the au-
tumn of 1892 in Turkestan. where 1900 peo-
pie died or the disease In a small town in
six days. 1t Is the most frightful of all
contagious diseases, yet one with which
modern civilization is totally unfamil-
lar. The pathologists and bacterioosists
have not studied II. because ii has been ap-
its appearance in any region where a e1-
entific student has been enabled TO
study II; Consequently we know
ner of propagation. We do know that it
has paid awful visits TO European countries
at intervals during two thousand years. II
was the plague of the time of Trajan. In
the fourteenth century 1t ravaged the whole
of Europe and Asia, SO that twenty-five
million people persisted on the former, and
thirty-six million on the latter continent.
pies in 1866, 100000 people succumbed to the
malady. Those who have read "A Journal
or the Plague year, Dy Danlel DefOe, Will
remember the horrors of that London Wis
itation in 1865 as depicted by his inimitable
pen; for however much we may doubt the
authors actual presence in London at the
time. his striking descriptions are based
on facts. Sixty-nine thousand persons were
carried off by the scourge in that city with
in few months. Defoe speaks thus Of
the symptoms of the plague: Some were
Immediately overwhelmed with il, and il
came to violent fevers, vomitings unsuffer-
able headaches, pains in the back and so
Others with swellingS and tumors In the
neck or groin armpits, which. till they
could be broken. put them into insufferable
agonies and torment"
The black death visited Toulon in 1721
destroying one-third of the population. Its
last appearance in Europe was in 1904
nan mur a and s Ramstia Earopsan Phys-
it in Egypt from 1888 to 1916. but that was
before the science of bacteriology was
dreamed of. Since then 1t has occasionally
phrates in 1se7-1s73. in Bagdad in 1876, On
the Tigrs In 1877 and in some parts of
MesoDotamia in 1884. There was a mild
visitation on the banks of the volga in
1878, and several European governments
sent medical commissions there to inyest-
gate it, but 1t had disappeared before they
arrived. We have already referred TO its
prevalence in one or two villages in
Turkestan in 1892.
all epidemic diseases among human beings,
but domestic and wild animals perish like
wise from its attacks.
We might possibly remain tranquil dur
ing its prevalence in its favorite haunts in
western Asia, which are not closely united
with us by the bonds OF commerce and
travel, but we believe there is occasion for
serious consideration OF the scourge now
that il has begun to ravage As;atic ports
with which We have frequent communica-
ton. A disease so awful in it's Character
and manifestation, so terrible in its prog
ress. and one for which we are 50 utterly
unprepared. knowing. as we do. nothing
NJ M 4.f inf
OF the means for intercepting il. certainly
merits serious consideration from our gov
eminent and from our health officers. es-
pecially those stationed at ports OF entry
for vessels from Asiatic ports.