Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1897-01-29
THE SPIRIT OF THE PRESS.
THE BuBoNlo PLAGUE.

ton of the city has been reduced by 1t
fully One-half. Fully 100000 people
are said to have fled from the town.
The Bombay bubonic plague is iden
teal with the terrible "black death"
of Europe. The first extensive out
break of the disease on. record took
place in the sixth century, when the
entire Roman empire was devastated.
This epidemic is supposed to have
started from lower Egypt. Afterwards,
from time to time, there were other
epidemics in Europe, eliminating in the
"black death of the fourteenth century.
This most fearful pestience desolated
the old world from China to Ireland.
1t seems to have originated in the former
country, and it is said to have been
preceded, If not, as was believed. in
some measure, caused by great convul-
sions of nature-earthquakes, droughts,
floods and famines; while its westward
course was accompanied by dense fogs.
There had been visitation of the ordi.
nary plague in 1912, but it was six
years later that the wholly unparal-
elled scourge overwhelmed Europe.
In 1345 and 1916 fully 100000 peo-
pie persisted in China, while 24,00O, 900
more died elsewhere in the East. The
plague reached Italy and France by
way of the northern coast of the Black
sea and Constantinople, and then swept
through Germany and England. The
first English victims succumbed in
Dorsetshre in August, 1913. The next
winter it reached London. In that city
100000 people died, and in Norwich
there were 10000 deaths. 1t is believed,
in fact, that from one third to one half
of the population of England persisted,
or something like 100000 people.
Subsequently Ire land and Scotland were
severely visited. On the continent the
mortality ran up into the millions. In
short, between 1913 and 1850 the "black
death is believed to have destroyed a
quarter of the population of Europe the
total mortality being fully 25,OO0,OOO.
The fear of the people loosened all the
natural bonds of society, led to extrava.
gances of religious fanaticism, and
caused the most reckless debauchery
In England, owing to the death of la
bt rers, the conditions of industrial life
were permanently changed. Farms on
lease largely took the place of great es.
tates managed by bailiffs. Law after
law was passed to prevent the inevitable
rise in wages and the resulting discon.
tent finally eliminated in Wat Tyler's
rebellion. In Germany perverted Chris.
tian zeal led to the massacre at Mayence
of $4,000 Jews.
The plague continued to ravage the
north and west of Europe until the
seventeenth century. In London il
1925 fully $4,000 people died of it. II
the same city in 1865 the great plague
carried of oyer $1,000, or about one.
fifth of the population. In lola an
epidemic spread from Russia and Hun.
gary as far west as Sweden, Denmark
Prussia and Bavaria, causing considera,
BILE loss of life. In l72O-22 a pestilence
introduced from Syria, destroyed al.
most one-half of the population of Mar.
settles, France. During all this time
the most constant seats of the plague
appeared to be the countries bordering
the eastern Mediterranean, but in time
it disappeared from all of these. The
last cases known occurred in Egypt in
1911. Since then it has occurred sew
eral times in Arabia, Persia and Mes.
opotamia. 1t was epidemic In south
east Russia in lS7S-79. a few years
ago Hong Kong, China, had severe
visitation, which was the latest in the
Orient until the present outbreak in
Bombay.
The bubonic plague is a very malignant
kind of contagious fever. 1t doubtless
is started by microbes from a peculiarly
laden atmosphere. That in Bombay
began after heavy rains followed by an
intensely hot spell. The disease, how.
ever, is greatly assisted by dirt and bad
or insufficient food. This is proved by
the fact that among clean and well-fed
people the mortality is light. The gen.
eral symptoms resemble those of other
severe tevers-shivering rise of temper
allure, aching In the head, back and
limbs, nausea, etc. Great weakness
follows, leading to coma or delirlum
At an early stage sub-cutaneous hemor.
rhages cause dark spots to appear on the
skin, hence the ancient name of "blacB
DEATH Bleeding may also take place
from the various mucous membranes
During the great European plague
bleeding at the lungs was characters.
tic symptom of its most vlrulent form
but this has been rare in recent epidem
les. About the second or third day the
most distinctive features of the disease
are developed, and these give IL the