The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-15
THE PLAGUE IN EUROPE.
Alarm in France--Great Things Expected of
the Pasteur Serum.

the fasteuf serum.
Paris Correspondence OF the Courier des EtatsI mis-
AS is known, the plague has reached Portugal
and it has even surrepttiousy crept into other
portions of Europe on the seacoast, inclosing
so to say, the old continent with threatening
circle The French Government is taking active
measures to protect France from the epidemic
In all the communes on the Atlantic coast from
Brcst to Hendaye special measures have been
taken and the projects ordered to call for in.
creased activity on the part Of the departments
Of hygiene The fishermen are absolutely for
hidden to have any communication. even indirectly
with the coasts Of Portugal and II the north Of
Spain.
At Oporto all the experiments with the Pastcur
serum have been completely successful. and
not one death is reported among the plague strick.
en- treated by this method The entire French
colony Of the town and the personnel Of the con
sulate have been yacCinated by Or Calmcttr.
In the plague hospital of Bonfm the patients
seem to be doing very well
II seems timely Just to recall how science
won its first victory the disease in the East
In 1894 the plague appeared in Hong Kong and
Canton In the latter town in a few months there
were no less than $1,000 victims. A doctor at
the PaSteur Institute obtained a commission and,
accompanied by a japanese colleague who had
studied in Paris, he went into the very plague
centre OF the stricken city. When they returned
liable discovery Of the bacillus of the plague.
They continued their studies, and then one day
Ye1Sin set out for the East Full Of confidence
able to realize his ideas he set out carrying with
him few phials Of the serum. On reaching
AMMAN he went to Nhatrang to found a labora.
tory where the serum was TO be made in great
quantities But the plague did not wait for him;
Before the serum was ready, IT revealed itself
1896. Nothing remained for fersin TO do but 70
wait He was about to leave the place when he
eighty pitfalls OF serum Dr.. Yersin then set out.
hoping 10 life, but his difficulties were only
When he arrived at Hong Kong on June 20
the epidemic was subsiding and the cases that
remained were confined to the natives among
went to Canton expecting to be more fortuna tie.
The Consul g eneral Of France in this town mott:
fed by his colleague in Hong Kong OF the arrival
plain the difficulties that he would encounter.
The hostility OF the canton population to every,
thing European was dangerous, and. as a matter
of fact there were only a few Chinese suffering
from the plague by the time the doctor reached
hospitals and died in their own houses.
Hostility to everything European, including
even the medicine that might save life is not con
IL was necessary to form committees to visit the
houses Of the patients and send them to the hos
pitfalls, where, for religio reasons, they refused
To go willingly One Of the committees on enter
ing a house where there were thirty liindoos.
made them all stand up against 1ls the s walls t"
ton they found that the Hndoos had taken two
dead bodies and held them up against the wall
hoping to make them pass for live men. This oil
colrse did not work
Yersin was almost discouraged. The French
Consul advised him to go " Annoy, where the
plague was raging and where the population was
animated by better sentiments toward strangers
Finally the Consul and the doctor resolved to Ct
that very day to the Catholic mission to get some
statistics In regard To the situation. On arriv
ing at the mission they found Bishop ChauSSt
in state Of excitement in regard to the condition
Of one OF the inmates Of the mission. young
Chinese Is years old, named TiSe. Before IN,
visitors said anything To the Bishop with refer
ence TO their purpose he told them that the young
man had been taken in the morning with violent
pains in the right armpt. that the symptoni'
were becoming worse and that he was afraid II
was the plague ami if So that it would seriously
embarrass the seminary and the orphan ASYLUM
which up to that time had been free from all con
tagion
DIR Yersin explained to him with the conviction
of a man who knows his business the results tha
he had already obtained with the serum. BiShuT
ChauSSn came to the conclusion that tho only
chance of safety was in the serum which the doc
tor propos,d to use II was agreed that the treat
Inent should be concealed from the Chinese in
mates AMI that the details should he kept strictly
secret until the patient should be restored to health
In this way they would avoid the troubles that
might follow a failure. Hersin made three Sepa
rate injections Of the serum. and the next day TIN
symptoms had disappeared Two days after
ward the patient was cured. The doctor applied
the remedy in numerous other cases with abSo
lutte success Now the serum seems to he working
admirably in Portugal