The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-03-24
Eccentricltfes OF the Plague.
From the Pail Mall Gazette.

John Chlnaman, who ought to know
his ground, has a theory that plague comes
out of it--that IL Is a miasm, whereof Il
peases him TO regulate the infectivity up
ward, thus: Rat, pigeon, Pig dog goat,
sheep; COW, buffalo, man, according to the
respective nights above ground Of the
breathing apparatus In each instance. John
Chinaman is fanciful herein, no doubt.
But not wholly So There Is a substratum
of fact to his theory, to which the unearth-
ing of the Kitasato bacillus bears witness
in a way. So soon as you cross the line In
Southern India where the extensive fam
lily of the Murinae ceases, and the bandi-
coot begins, you are where plague Is com
ing there the rats die first. And where
true plague Is coming, there the rats die
first. 50 true Is this, that in the Maudvi
quarter, where plague first broke out
among the population Of Bombay, the rats
had been dying by thousands for a month,
and perhaps for two months. OF a disease
In all essential respects identical with that
which subsequently attacked the human;
whereas, in Calcutta, where merely benig.
nant plague prevailed, never rat was the
worse.
One need not be as ingeniousIy fanciful
as the Celestial TO find In his theory an
explanation OF the plaques preference for
land travel, and OF the deliberate rate at
which 1t elects to advance-the progress,
as II were, of a gangrene slowly spread
ing through the soil. For Instance, when
It last came to London to stay; 1t took
nine months to get from the city. 10 Soho;
and II has taken just a month more to
cover the distance-some thirty miles by
land-between Hong Kong and Macao. In
the latter case N need not have gone by
land. Shorter and easier routes were offer
ed 1t. There was a stream of refugees,
thousands strong. There were steamers
Junks and fishing boats plying TO and fro
all day and every day. Yet the plague
elected to loaf round by a long shore route.
Still. when you have TO do with an Antin.
oman of ets calibre, Il would be scarcely
wise to rely too much on Its presumed an
tipathy TO sea voyages. For whether II
came TO Bombay by sea of not, IL I'M
doubtedly took shipping from Bombay to
Greenwich, and thereby accomplished one
Of the most remarkable journeys 1t has
ever made.
The steamer 1t selected left the Indian
port in the last days Of August-ten or
twelve days. that Is. before the first case
Of the disease is officially reported to have
occurred there. Seventeen days, at least,
must have been spent on the voyage; but
the first case Of plague was not admitted
TO the Greenwich eeamen's hospital till
the beginning OF the third week in Sep
TENDER. The patient who up to that
time had BEEN In perfect health" died
fortt-eight hours after admission. The
second case from the same ship, was re-
ceived at the hospital on the last day of
October He demised no less promptly
Both were plaque cases beyond question
And the authorize1p period OF incubation for
a plague case is not three weeks, nor seven
weeks, but three days 10 nine days. The
explanation Is for Oedipus. But the moral
which l. Davus may venture 10 draw. Is
that the disease which can spring surprises
such as these upon US may have further
surprise for US IN store.