The sun., 1899-04-16

I fall victim to the fell disease, though nat
| urally took every possible precaution 10 pre-
| vent my carrying the infection to her. Ihere
was no sort OF accommodation for her In the
village. but about mile from the station there
was a small two-roomed bungalow. built for
and used at long Intervals by the officials OF
the Public Works Department letter TO the
| Commissioner OF the district speedily resulted
in-this being placed at our disposal ana 'here
| we took up our abode
II was scarcely palatial residence. bare
| whitewashed walls. cow-uunR hoor' WINDOWS
represented by square holes In the wall. destl-
tute OF glass ana c'oseu with shutters IL
swarmed Win rats ana every aVaiiaDIe noe
| harbored scorpion-wo Killed nine OF tine iat-
| Ter IN one dny Acoup'e OF rough tenk taoles
ana three chairs was the sum total OF the iur-
| nlture IL contained. eut II possessed Two good
| leatnres-a double rool anu a spacious Verah-
ia on all iour slues' 80 that Ut any hour Oh the
oey IL was possible TO nhu u shetered corner
where the suns rays ala not penetrate. me
| railway anthoriues very klhd'y gave my wiie
| season ticRet ior herseii ana Two servants 10
ana from bomhay. ana after she had maze
| rev Journeys 10 that city the bungalow was
speedily transformed ana wore quite pre-
| sentaole appearance
| Inc exact manner IN whch the plague was
| imported INTO BOMBAY mas oech a Su,]ec' OF
| much controversy ana numerous theorles nave
| peen au'ahceu from time 10 ume me ohe
| "hicn mas received the most support Is that IL
was introduced through the medium OF some
stores which were Drought from hong hohR'
| "here tne plague hau peen prevalent anu ae
| posted IN the godowns' warehouses;, at
hahuoi' shippihg quarter Oh bomoay. lhe
| ra's IN 'his olstrict hrst pecame anected oy the
| oisease' ana II was noticed that large num-
| DER OF ueau ones were tound lying ABOUT the
| warehouses; little whlle before human peihHs
| "ere "tackeu. for 'he nrst lew weeks 'he
p'aRue spreau III cohcehtrlc circles throuRnou'
the native quarter. ana the centre OF the IN
!eoteu areas conceded with the situation OF the
! eouo"hs' Inc plague. however. renamed
loca''Zeu in 'hese areas pu' ashort time. ior 'ne
natNes iVlnR there carried the injection In
the'r clothes TO other ami distant parts OF tho
c''y' ana there Iresh ioci Oh the disease ap-
peareu. some remorkaple evidence was re-
ceh'iy 'enueren pciorc me mempers OF the
| iiasue commission NJ Bomony ny the 'om-
missioner OF Io'ice. MT H. II. vincent Z. l. T..
i. was 10 the ehect thal during the months OF
May. June ana July. iSb. n large number OF n
| sect OF ascet'cs 'Salhusl came TO BOMBAY
| from humaoh' IN inc iiiihalayas ana TOOK up
| their aoode IN Manu"i lie stated that while
| they were there the mortality ot that quarter
was extremely hish' anu ne appeared 10 De OF
Ihe OPINION that II was due to the plague
brought thither by these men. This matter is
sun uhder investigation. anu therefore dell
h,Ie opinion is az present imposslole.
no snrenn OF the disease seems TO be attrlo-
u'ahle cheny to the lower animals. principally
rats. lhough mohkeys' cats anu squirrels nave
also oeeh SHOWN 10 convey IL. IL Is also com
mun'cao!o from man 10 man by means ol
clothing: ana habitations in which cases OF
p'aGne nave occurred are sources oil Infection.
the bacillus havlnG been actually demonstrated
| as present IN the moor scrhpings. There are
some obscure ana but little understood factors
which contribute I" or initiate against the
| spread OF the eplcemlc. FOR instance. u Is re-
markaoie 'hat a'thouRh some cases OF true
plague nave occurred In calcutta, city whose
sanitary condition. rs far as the native quar-
Yer Is concerned. Is but niue II at all better
than that OF Bombay the disease has
never maze any great headway there: II
mas peen sporadic rather than epidemic
rms IS rrobably due to some condition
IN the environment OF Calcutta which
Is inimicaI TO the spread OF plague. but
| What that cohuitioh may be Is matter or con-
lecture Again. the Director OF the Geological
survey IN lndla' Mr.. Grcesbach. called atten-
ton to the TACT thatthe largest numberof plague
cases had occurred on the soil covering the
Deccah trap ana crystalline rocks. and only
very small numher on the great aluva belt
stretching from the Indian Ocean to the Bay OF
|
roughly with the distribution OF laterite de-
posts. On the trap and crystalline rocks
loooZo deaths nave been recorded; on the
Indus Ganges alluvium only 1885 deaths.
That tho cause OF the plague Is specific
microbe-the plague bacillus-was clearly
shown during the Hong Kong epidemic Of
1884 by Drs. kitasato and Yersin. and its
presence in the Emphatic glands. or blood
generally. alone affords incontrovertbe proof
OF the nature OF tho disease.
Practically there are two main varieties Of
plague. In the first 1t affects the Emphatic
glands-this Is the 'buoonc VI type The glands
chiefly affected are those OF the groins, arm
pits. face and neck. their relative frequency
being In the order given. Facial bubo is. how
ever. much the most serious. and every cnse Of
this characterthat have seen has proved fatal.
In cases OF bubonic plague the bacill are at
first localized in the affected swollen gland
tho bubo-and II tho resistant power OF the