New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-10-30
VlENNAS CASES OF PLAGUE.
NO DANGER OF AN EPIDEMIC IN CON
SEQUENCE


MCELLER's-vALUE OF BAcTERIoLoGY
-CULTIvATING BACILLI AND
MAKING SERUM
Something of sensation was produced a few
Gays ago In Vienna by the announcement thai
several persons in that city were suffering from
the bubonic plague and that two of the victims
ndu o'ed In consequence. For those who were
utterly uninitiated in such matters fears Of ar
epidemic were perhaps excusable The deaths
OF thousands Of people in India during the last
TWO years and in China only five six years
ago, from this cause. and the fact that cen
tuileS ago even Europe was devastated to an
appalling degree by the same maiady, Justify a
httie mornentary alarm in the Austrian capital
But to those who most familiar both with
the general methods Of bacteriologists and the
bacillus OF this particular disease any popular
anxiety on this point seems foolish Experts
agrco IN saying that Vienna is in no danger
whatever.
DR.. Alvah II. Doty. Health Officer for the Port
OF New-York. who has investigated all naladies
likely to be imported into this country by ship
ping. expressed himself frankly in regard TO the
tragic deaths Of Herr Barsch and DR. Mueller
last week DR. Doty. it may be remarked. has
himself made cultures Of the plague bacillus.
and has manufactured curative serum from the
microbes. after the method If Yersin and other
hacteriologists. And he has written I'D the
natural history Of the bacillus in an exhaustive
manner He spoke 70 a Tribune representative
few days ago substantially as follows:
1T has been shown that the bubonic plague is
essentially Il filth disease. and affects regions
where squalor abOunds. it does in the ORIENT
Europeans arr practically immune against it,
Although the origin of the particular outbreak
In DIR. Muel!ers laboratory has not yet been ex-
planned. it seems highly probable that nobody
has been exposed to peril except the doctor. the
assistant who was first attacked and the nurses
who attended him.
"NO one understands the precautions to be
taken in cases Of this kind well as the staff
of the meteorological laboratory where the
trouble arose. and the members thereof may be
trusted to observe these precautions strictly.
The situation is altogether different from that
prevailing in a house in Bombay. where the peo-
pie ale Ignorant deceilful and superstitious.
and therefore conceal the fact Of an outbreak
and resist all attempts to enforce sanitary
measures.
AN UNLIKELY ASSERTION
'"rhc assertion that Herr Barisch. the as
sstant Who was first attacked. went about in
wineshOps and elsewhere for TWO or three days
before he was stricken down. and thus com
muniCated infection to others. does not appear
to me at all likely. If he went about at all he
certainly was not in condition 20 convey the
germs of the disease 20 anybody else 1t must
be remembered that only AZ an advanced stage
Of the case is a bubonic plague victim able TO
communicate The disease. fa!i - see how any
one except Or. Mueller. who 50 beautifully de-
voted himself to Herr Bar.sch. and the nurses
who attended the latter could possibly be ex-
posed These persons have all been carefully
isolated. and ali the animals which had been in
fected in the laboratory have been cremated.
do not see how any germs could reach the out
side public.
"As to the source from which Herr Barisch
was infected we are in the dark. We can only
conjecture as TO the Of his attack. And
on this point it is unsafe 20 venture opinions.
II has happened IN other laboratories once or
twice however that a culture tube would be
accidentally broken while being used. The per
son in whose hands il at the moment would
cut his fingers. and maybe some Of the geiat inc
containing the germs would get into the wound.
You must be careful not to assume that this is
the explanation Of Herr Barisch's attack until
eyid .nce On that point is forthcoming. If. how
ever such was the cause IF his illness. 1t would
have been easy for DR.. Mueller and the nurses
that looked after Herr Barisch to take the dis
ease from the patients breath"
DR. Doty. in closing this conversation. empha-
sized the enormous benefits which the general
npbIic derives from the foundation and conduct
Of meteorological laboratories in various parts
OF the world at the present time. Their re-
"A ffar 81 f.e Of