The times., 1898-11-06
FEAR vIENNA'S PLAGUE.
Belief That IL VIII Make Its Way
Westward.

Belief That IL VIII Make Its Way
Westward.
The death of an attendant In iabora-
tory in Vienna from the hubonic plague
is more curious as one of the rare in
stances of infection among those con-
cerned in experiments with dangerous
bacilli than alarming as likely to spread
the disease in the Austrian capital. AMI
thence to other parts of Europe. says ths
London correspondent of the New York
Commercial Advertiser. There Is vagu,
guards iR the east. so far as Europeans
control such matters, the plague wal |.
sooner or later. If only spasmcdic lily,
make its way westward. In the spring
the Mohammedan pilgrimages from Asi
and Africa to Mecca were dreaded as
probable source of Infection. and f-w
cases did appear at Tedda. the port OF
the Holy City on the Red Sea Happi y
they brought no serious consequences
and no signs of the plague haze yet been
discovered in Egypt. Turkey. Russia or
Asia Minor. whittier It was likely first u
spread from the Orient. There Is ike
wise vague horror of infection in Eu-
rope. IN spite OF the fact taat clsanl5 :
living Caucasians have generally escIpei
IL In Asia, in part because TO most m II
it seems a mysterious ana nideous as
ease, for which, in some of its 10. ms.
medicine has yet found no remedy.
Epidemics have so often sprung from
comparatively trivial beginnings that the
first kilograms from Vienna as TO the
case made some stir In other cities ;
while in Vienna itself there appears to
have been much excitement. in part TO-
mented by the anti-Semites, ready 10 use
any means to heighten prejudice asains;
the Jews. Subsequent kilograms in the
newspapers here give very full account
of all the circumstances. and agree that
there is no just cause for apprehension
| of the spread of the disease.
For some time past, II appears, the
pathological laboratory attached to tbs
Central Hospital at Vienna has been
| experimenting with the bacilli of the
| plague. Several members of the staff Wis
| tied Bombay (where one OF them made
chemical observations of the disease, d
| rare experience among European physi
cIans), and brought back the usual tubes
of cultures OF the bacilli. Thus provided
three doctors at the laboratory. under IN.
| the effects of the bacilh upon guinea pigs
rabbits and other small animals. Thes,
were the care of Barisch, the attendan
that died of the plague, and he was as
| signed to the work as exceptionally in
| telligent. cautious and heedful OF instruc
| tlons. His only shortcoming was an oc
casional nights dissipation, and as on
or two of these incidents had occurret
shortly before he fell sick, they may ac
! count for some neglect on his part.
| For a year he had fed the animals
| cleaned their cages. washed the floor and
if they succumbed, disposed of their bod
les. So far as the scrutiny went of the
| physicians under whom he worked, IA
miliarity with his task made him in nc
way relax the prescribed precautions
against infection. a fortnight ago. how.
ever they virtually finished their investi
cations and since Barisch was left NOR,
| to himself When he became sick he anI
his household thought the disease infiu
enza; but the doctors quickly recognized
it as the bubouic plague in a very maIig
nant form-it assailed the lungs rathe
than the glands-and in spite of their eff
forts and their experience in India h
soon died.
Needless 10 say, the physicians of tn
hospital have taken every precaution tina
knowledge can suggest and resolution en-
force to check any infection. The doctor,
that attended Barisch have observed ev
cry safeguard for themselves; his bod
was buried wrapped in anti-septic muslil
in hermetically sealed collins; the nurse
that cared for him are as nearly Isolate
as may be and show no more signs o
sickness than nervous apprehension
might cause. The only peril lies in tn
chance communication of the disease Il
I the time hafyyaan he - Do
isch's sickness and the physicians sus
picion OF the plague and the consequen
Isolation OF the patient. Once suspicion
they waited not a momen. 70 take far
reaching measures against the spread o
Infection, and even the subsequent deaf
OF one of the doctors and the sickness O
one more do not prove them Ineffective
In all probability the death of Barisc
VIII prove to be merely one of those az
cidents that have occurred at long intel
walls In laboratories in Vienna and
other cities where the staff has bee
busy with the investigation of infectsou
diseases and their baeilli and that no mr.,
caution can avert. The anti-Semites
Vienna, who are at the beginning of
new agitation. will. however, accept II
such reasonable view None of the thre
physicians that pursued the investieatio
OF the plague happens to be a Jew, bl
one of their colleagues, likewise Gent I
is the president of society directe
against the anti-Semites. Therefore the
loudly charge him with the cultivation ,
bacilli of the plague in his own clinic.
ward and the exposure of its inmates
chance infection. In fact, the bacill
the animals and all the apparatus of II
investigation were kept in rooms to whic
( none but the three physicians concerne
/ and the dead attendant had access. Bl
. there are many Jewish physicians ar
the vague popular notion of a peril in tt
J bringing of infectious bacil.i TO Europea
, laboratories was too opportune weapC
) on such an occasion as the death of Bl
, isch for anti-Semites to neglect