The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-02-02
THE BuBoNIc PLAGUE.
1T is the Old Black Death-The Terrible
Disease That is Destroying Thou
rnnh.. L L.. l..

~ 10 we Olu DldCh DSalH-Ine IeTrlDle
Disease That is Destroying Thou
sands of Lives in Asia.
The press of Paris has raised a note
of alarm over the danger to Europe Of
the unchecked spread OF the bubonlc
plague in India and China and is call
ang upon Great Britain to take meas
ares in its possessions to protect Eu-
rope from the spread of the terrible
pest along the lines of trade with the
Orient, NJ Monod, director of public
health in the French department of the
interior, expresses his conviction that
Europe Is in danger of an invasion of
the plague, and that department mas,
as matter of fact, dispatched Or, yer
sin to China to make experiments ON
the disease with serum or the Pas-
teur institute. These experiments nave
proved SO far successful that M. Monod
expresses the hope that, in case OF an
invasion of the black death, European
countries will find themselves armed
With an effective agent to combat 1t.
Readers of the daily telegraph re-
ports are acquainted with the virulence
of the epidemic that is raging in Bonn
bay, where hundreds are dying every
week of bubonc plague. Hong Kong
and other Chinese cities and the island
of Formosa are also plague spots.
Time was when this appalling ailment
was prevalent all over Europe, just as
leprosy, once we'll known in European
countries, has now passed out of all
knowledge of most of the people. 1t
rarely makes its appearance in Europe
in this generation, though Dublin suf-
fered from an outbreak in 1885, and
there was a destructive epidemic in
Russia in 1889 The plague is often
COMPOUNDED with Asiatic cholera,
though enormously. The horrors and
sufferings of the years 1347 to 1850 are
preserved in the minds of the humble
people of Europe by neVer-dying tradi-
tions. This was the period of the so
called great mortality. Modern esti-
mates, making due allowance for all
the exaggeration of popular tradition.
compute that this visitation must have
carried off twenty-five million lives in
Europe, exclusive of Russia. AS for
Asia's teeming millions no computa-
ton has ever been attempted. In this
epidemic the victims were suddenly
seized with violent pain in the chest,
blood was expectorated and the breath
ciffused pestiferous odor. Great boils
or buboes formed in the groin or the
armpits. Black spots of a putrid de-
composition broke out all over the
body, giving it the name of the black
death. Death came in a few hours, or,
at most, three days, and there seemed
absolutely no remedy for those once at
tacked.
The virulence of the contagion was
so great that all things were infected.
Boccaccio relates that he saw two hogs
or the rags of a person who had died
of plague stagger about for time, and
fall down dead, as though they had
taken poison. In England the cattle
fell victims to a murrain and died by
thousands, as did multitudes of other
animals. The ground seemed poisoned,
20 that rats died in their holes.
Throughout Germany, Italy. France
Spain, Norway, Sweden, Poland and
later Russia, the CHASTITY disease spread
death and destruction. Many were
stricken and died as if by lightning. 1t
was believed that even the glance of
the eye could carry contagion. In the
North sea and the Mediterranean yes
sells were often found driving about
and drifting on shore with not a single
man left alive in them.
1t was the belief of the period that
this most destructive of all epidemics
owed its viruence in part to upheavals
of nature within the earth and on the
earth's surface In Asia there had
been drouth and great famines sue
cTFGf6 nv yi0Ipn- ;,f in,
Chinese annals relate that four million
persons persisted in the floods. Noun
tains fell in and great lakes were
formed. In Europe there had been
winter thunder-storms Great floods of
the Rhine and in France had over
flowed the country Springs broke
forth on the submits of mountains and
dry tracts were inexplicably inundated.
AN earthquake overturned the island of
Cyprus and the sea overlooked it, Just
before, the wind had spread so poison
Gus vapor over the island that many
died in dreadful agony. German &C
counts aver that a thick, sinking mist
advanced from the east and spread it
self over Italy. Earthquakes were
more general than ever before and in
thousands of places chasms were
formed from which arose noxious va
pors. Swarms of locusts, such as were
never before known, darkened the air
and then died, spreading foul odors Of
putrefaction. Great and extraordinary
meteors were seen in many places
Followed as these extraordinary con-
vulsions were by the black DEATH it is
not to be wondered at that the super
stition of the time saw in them horrible
portents and warnings, and even nor
NAL thinkers have argued that the nor
NAL composition of things may have
been so disturbed as to conduce to the
plague
The forms and usages of society were
overturned and almost ignored The
rich carried Their treasures to monaster-
les. where the motias shut I! e gates to
keep their gold out-for it brought
death with it. Men destroyed them
selves as if in a frenzy. When the
plague ceased, men thought they were
still wandering among the dead. Many
houses, left without inhabitants, fell
into ruins. In many places plague pa
tients were believed to be buried alive
Funeral services were impracticable
Parents deserted their children and