The sun., 1899-08-17

been no case Of IL since then in the British
| metropolis.
1 Mr.. FREsHFrELD. who has examined the
! parish registers which record the rRvaRes
OF the disease opincs that the so-called
Great Plague OF 1895 was really less for
inidabe pestilence than any one OF the
three preceding epidemics. 1t was the in
creased size II London that made the death
roll larger. Mr.. FREsHFIELDs researches
In the parish records have convinced him
that sanitation and Improvement ip the
dwellings. and, above all, the restriction
against overcrowdhg, were the most effect
i've barriers to the spread Of the pestilence.
II IL an interesting speculation whether, IL
the plague had come again 10 London after
the rebuilding rendered necessary by the
Great Fire, a very marked Improvement In
the death rate from the plague would not
have been seen In those parts OF the city
which had been rebuilt.
No cure for the disease seems 30 have
been discovered IN the hundred years dur
ing which the visitations OF the plague
were frequent. When the pestiience once
took hold Of house. nothing" to use Mr..
FRKsHFIELD's phrase, but Gods mercy
and extraordinary constitutional strength
could save any OF its inhabitants" The
principal methods Of prevention practiced
were the closing and quarantining Of the
houses Of persons infected; the exclusion
from parishes Of dodgers who were not en-
ployed therein, or whose occupations were
not known; the discontinuance Of sermons
In the churches; and q certain amount Of
nlnn natnv ~ hn q &c a,,d Itch -
therein. These measures. It is well known,
were unsuccessful, but the facilities for
cleansing and draining London were, at the
time, grossly inadequate.
Commenting on Mr.. FREsHFIELD's letter,
the London Lancet admits that there is still
q great deal to he known about the plague
before one can prophecy with any conf
dence. The disease having advanced to
Alexandria within weeks journey OF Lon-
don, 1t Is acknowledged to be an arguable
proposition that 1t may not only spread in
Egypt, but extend elsewhere. II Is certain,
however that we know much more about |
the pestilence than was known In the seven |
teenth century. The malady which we term
the plague Is duo to q specific bacillus, the
discovery OF which was made almost stimuli |
taneously .by KfTAsAro and YERsN in
the Hong Kong epidemic Of 1894,
and tho discovery has been since
verified in Bombay by HAFFKINE, HANKIN,
and various officers OF the Anglo
Indian Government, as also by other |
scientific observers sent to India by foreign |
governments. The specific bacillus has, !
the characteristics Of q septicB- |
mic microbe. Is cultivable in suitable media |
and successfully inoculable ON susceptible |
animals. 1t follows that the history Of the |
plague and OF the way In which II comports |
itself is henceforth indissolubly associated |
with the life-history OF its bacillus, which |
shows rapid loss Of vitality in air and sun |
light, but thrives In filthy media. and, |
probably, In the soil. A striking proof that |
the bacillus pestis is the vertable cause OF |
the disease was obi aimed from some late |
In Austria.
There is no doubt that the history OF the |
plague indicates a tendency to recur in |
places where 1t has been once prevalent. |
and to travel by trade routes to these CEN
tres. It does not follow that the disease.
when once introduced, will, necessarily, |
spread. Rast with their known suscepti- !
bility to tho malady, are not likely to be |
shipped from an infected locality as ar |
ticles Of merchandise. and the port sanl-
tary authorities Of highly civilized coun-
tries may be trusted to shut out any YES |
sells coming from plague-infected place.
To sum up the remarks of the Lancet on |
the subject, We may say that the plague |
is specific infectious disease. caused by |
a portable specific micro-organism, but |
whether the cause Of the malady obtains q |
foothold on being introduced, fourishes |
and gives rise to an epidemic, will depend |
upon the presence OF favoring conditions.
A Wholesale evacuation Of infected sites is |
pronounced the best way Of cutting short |
an outbreak; removal to q distance, even a
short distance and life in the open air are,
by far. tho aafest methods that oan be
adopted as preventives Of infection.