New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-05-01
PLAGUE STRUCK ANIMALS.
From The Spectator.


Evidence of the intensity and virulence Of the
plague IN BOMBAY is giyen by the curious accounts
from the pcstilence some weeks ago It was re-
ported that the pigeons were dying OF plague Now
at said for come time to have been plague
stricken and to be dying in thousands in the native
II those who are fighting the plague have time to
attend to anything but the work of saving human
this POINT for there is evidence that when the
plague was at It's very wors; IN tloTence causing
some kind of cumulative energy by which 1t went
on from 10 animals and at last involved the
As it advanced. mt only men but animals fell sick
and shortly eN9red Il theI had 3ncheG nhGS eg
Of plague, after staggering about for short time
Lives Of the Roman Poniffs'' it is stated that in
other places mutitudes Of cats dogs, fowls and
other animals fell victims to the contaSion. There
is little doubt that this concurrence Of human and
nma took in other S9u p Ss th "
Of human life. only allude to "murran among the
mencement Of the Black Death there was in Eng
land" says Hecker, IAN abundance of all the neces-
bd the 81 sole disease was soon accompanied by
fatal murran among the cT lie WandeTng about
not known whether this murrain was due to plague
itself or TO some special animal epidem,ic, but IL
rife. and added enormously TO the loss of life. be
thc cs W." aspng everywbere great att rise in the
price OF food although the harvest had been penti
1t is not known whether the animals Of Florence.
IKE those Of Bombay We're really suffering from rom
their deaths were connected by something more
than coincidence Of time with the plague epidemic.
conditions" that change of atmosphere and tenn
pcraiure which seems to summon pestience full
grown from the very ground in certain part, OF
The East-apparently prepared animal constitu-
tons receive the disease. A month before the
Carl Hagenbeck's animals suffered from choleraic
i bp Boiling the water and notified the authorities
Of what had happened; The curious exactness
Troy mules and dogs were attacked before the
soldiers has often been quoted as internal evidence
very fatal among animals, sometimes attacked
them before 1t was felt by men. as in York,
don. horses, cats. dogs pigeons, parrots and pen
seow fever 81 reached Cadiz and seville dogs took
the disease more freely than other animals but
Sas pGy an Of the e dogs a a6a cats cats
resembled those IN man. The animals were not al.
a day. In 1880 when the cattle, fowls and geese
Of South Russia died OF cholera the appearance Of
Animal epidemics taking place simultaneously
by the impossiblty of separating infected and non
nS herds rh w ' u this Ss s9d
the deadly character of animal epidemics in gen,
constitutions 10 such diseases. Human beings are
usually prepared by oas LYING lying
dark with the floor soaked with dirt, and the
free water left aTays dripping from the tap by
loan and strewed with rushes. which. being CON
stantly put fresh without q removal Of the old,
with FISH bones, broken victuals and other filth"
and imp; egnated with liquid nastiness. But though
chicken cholera and other epdemcs Of poultry are
Of domestic animals. especially cattle and Of
all wild animals such az anteopes and the wild
bovnes. is exceptionally healthy Except In fam,
them succumb to pestilence as they DO. Even when
INTENDED. so that the separation OF infected ami
mails Is impossible. when wild such cattle
deer separate themselves by instinct from the herd
and remain alone. Isolation is voluntary.
What should prove another great factor In pro,
those nervous terroTs which always predispose
human beings TO infection and often cause death
itself by the mere horror OF anticipation Fear
spair drink and delrium and the breakup Of the
normal social order swele, the list of human
deaths In the epdemcs OF the Middle Ages and
every great plague among mankind; 1t Is not so
with animals. Their naturally healthy frames are
afrcctions in the presence OF disease. Though
OF the more intelligent distressed at the deaths
OF their masters they exhibit great Indifference TO
wholesale mortality among their own species Yet
with every chance In their favor. they succumb
The statistics Of tho rnderpest epidemic IN South
general results, so far Matabeleland Is con-
cerned are well known. They indicate tho total
ccrncd OF the domestic cattle OF the country;
With them. over large areas, the anteIopes. ana
other rumlnants have pershed. The reason OF this
great mortality has never been explained though
where cattle or game wild. In obvious 1t is
at the drinking places that all animals. Infected or
may desire 10 wander away I'm solitude. Tha was
proved In part during the cattle plague IN ms
country, whore certain farms In Whicn the hcrd5
were watered from protected wells and never al