The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-02-03
MYSTERY OF THE PLAGuE
Dr Yersin Says 1t Can Be Restrained and He Offers
Remedy.

victim is first attacked with severe
prostration and high temperature
soon develops. Those seriously affected
usually die In rty-eight hours The
mortality among the Chinese in the
infected districts of China. when the
disease ragged there several years ago,
was fr1ghtfully great-about 95 per
cent.
1.-THE disease is highly infectious and
has always occurred in crowded and
unhealthy localities. 1t might, how
ever, be taken to a healthy section of
a city by means of animals that are
capable of transporting it, During
the plague in China it killed many
swine where it had ragged in 1894, large
numbers OF dead cats that had been
stricken by the disease were found.
PrlVat1on of food defective sanitation,
and low resisting power all contrib
Ute to the development of the disease.
1t fas prevailed in Asia for several
hurdred years, and is the old Russian
puponlc pest which broke out In Mar
settles, France, in 1920 Some authori-
ties claim that the Black plague, which
RACED In London in the time Of Daniel
Ipefoe, was none other than the bu-
bcnic plague"
HOW THE BACILII WE'RE. FOITND
At the present moment Prof. H. r.
Wilson, the eminent bacteriologist Of
the Hoagland laboratory, in Brooklyn,
is experimenting with some germs of
tn1s dread disease, which were sent to
MN by Dr. Yersin from the far East.
Or. Yersin's description Of how he
came TO discover the deadly bacillus is
very interesting
The pulp Of the bubos Is in every
case filled with a 'puree' of bacilli,
snort, thick rods, rounded at both ends
Solnetlmes the Dacilli seem to be en-
closed in capsule; they are found also
in great quantities in the bubos and
ganglia of the afflicted Sometimes
they are found in the blood. but in
much smaller quantities, and are onIv
round there in the very gravest and
most fatal cases."
From the bacillus, this microscopic
rod, DR.. Yersin has made cultures
winch he uses in his experiments on
rats, and this first series Of expert
nients mas brought up the following
conclusions
My observations lead me to suppose
that incubation of certain races or va
rletleS, more or less virulent. Of this
specltlc bacillus, would doubtless be
capable of rendering animals immune
from the plague. 1 have already com
menced my experiments ON this line"
The doctor found it impossible to ex-
pertinent with his serum upon the
stricken Chinese, but three seminarians
OF the mission falling ill he cared for
them and saved them. He then went
to Annoy, where he ndrsed tWenty-three
plague stricken men and cured twenty
one Of them. Then the whole world
cried out in admiration of this miracle
ana ciamored for his care, but Yersin
had no more serum.
An extract from a Chinese newspa-.
per, the Hon-Pao, gives the following:
Inc bubon1c plague is devastating
Annoy, and for the last three
or four months the Chinese doc
tors have found themselves I'M
able to stay the, progress of
the epidemic. During the latter part
OF July French doctor arrived in the
city. One Of our editors accompan-
led him On his visits to the hospitals
when he was examining the sick. In
less than three days he had cured
twenty persons, men and women.
But his remedies being exhausted he re-
turned to Hong Kong on the I'd Of
August. All those who had been
benefited by his care begged Of him
10 remain. DIR. Yersin makes his own
remedy. 1t is a liquid called serum"
he makes small punctures in the
nelghborhood of the groin, not touch
Ing that part of the body which is
afflicted with bubos. Those who are
seriously afflicted are generally cured
In two days. Those who have 1t only
slightly are immediately cured by the
use of this wonderful serum"
This discovery is more valuable
from the fact that it has been decided
that the present pestilence in India is
not due alone to starvation, but to the
ravages Of the dread disease, the bu-
bonic plague, which, In the course of
things, may spread to Europe and pos
s1bly to these shores.