The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-11-27


doubt bubonie plague.
The Taylor arrived at the quarantine sta
ton Saturday. Health department inspect
ors who visited the ship were told that
there had been one suspicious death at sea.
and that Captain Waters and the ships
cook, Robert Burns, had developed symp-
toms of the bubonic plague. A report was
made Immediately at quarantine, and steps
were instantly taken to make sure and
complete the isolation of the disease.
In the absence of DR.. Doty, the health
officer, who is now in Europe, his senior
deputy, DR.. E. B. Sanborn, took charge,
consulting with DR.. ]. B. L'Hommedieu.
They learned that the ]. w. Taylor left
Santos, Brazil, on Oct. "a with a full cargo
of coffee, sailing direct for this port. Robt.
Hope, the steward % years old, had been
in hospital in Santos for fortnight un-
dergoing treatment for what was Thought
to be eczema. While not fully recovered
he returned to duty before the ship sailed
and for a week was able to perform the
duties of his office.
After seven days at sea Hope complained
of pains In the head, back and limbs, and
of glandular swellings. He went to bed in
an exhausted condition and the next day
developed high fever and all the accompa-
nying conditions of the plague. AS there
was no medical man aboard Captain Waters
of medicine Hope died Nov. and was
Immediately buried at sea. That same day
Captain Waters and the cook, one of whom
had been with the steward all of the time
after his illness developed were seized with
intense pains in the head. The early symp-
toms of the plague were all noted.
Captain Waters Wife was on the Taylor,
and she Immediately too charge of the
cases, establishing herself as head nurse
Her heroic conduct and fortitude had fa-
voraTble effect on the members of the crew
and averted a possible panic. They went
about their work in the ordinary method
ical manner and brought the ship into port
without loss of time.
Mrs. Waters felt certain that the disease
was the bubonic plague. and for the benefit
of the health authorities kept careful rec
ord of the progress of both cases.
Eight of the ten members of the consult
ing board of Quarantine station, as it is Of
ficially known, met yesterday. Those pres
emit were Drs. Herman Biggs, E. G. jane
way, T. Mitchell Prudden, ]. W. McLane
George W. Peabody, William M. Polk and
John Girdner. The two absentees were Drs
w. H. Draper and r. H. Derby. DIR. John
B. Crosby the health commissioner of the
city, was also present
The members said after the meeting that
the disease was probably bubonic plague
but in any event there was no danger of its
spreading in the city Steam disinfection,
Ii Is said, proves entirely effective in such
cases
DR.. ]. B. L'Hommedieu said of the sdtua-
ton: "This is the first appearance of the
bubonic plague In New York. As a matter
of fact, all that we know of the disease has
been secured from medical literature. 1t
is remarkable, too, that medical text books
paid no attention to the plague previous to
the last five years. The epidemic of 1896 in
Japan gave us about all the knowledge we
have of the disease and It's treatment.
1.-THE bubonic plague in its early symp-
toms closely resembles yellow fever. There
are the same pains in the head, back and
limbs, followed by nausea There are three
types of the plague. Captain Waters and
Burns have the glandular form Another
variety is the plague septicaemia, in which
infection is general. High fever and de-
lirium are early symptoms Often there are
skin eruptions that are most offensive.
Vomiting and catarrhal conditions of the
1ntestines generally presage death. The
third variety known as pneumonia plague,
affects the lungs and is generally fatal in
its results.
enduring. 1t should be on a scale great
enough to preclude the idea that time and
growing magnitude can dwarf it."
Tbe Roman historian Livy referred to an
| epidemic of the "black DEATH that cost
more than 100000 lives in Africa. 1t did
not appear in Europe until the time of JUS
tnian, in the sixth century of the present
era. The Justinan plague spread from
Egypt to Constantinople, where more than
10000 persons died in one day. Italy was
so depopulated as to make it impossible to
recruit the army.
Nearly all Europe was overrun with the
plague in the fourteenth century. In some
localities two-thirds of the entire popula-
lation was destroyed, and 1t is estimated
that Europe lost one-fourth of its inhabit-
ants During three centuries not fewer
than % 100000 persons died in Europe dur
ing the various epidemics.
In 1927, in Dantzig, $4,000 victims were
taken by thesplague and in 1466 10000 died
in Paris. 1866 Naples came near being
wiped out by the "black DEATH" more than
900 dying in five months. Use great
plague of London came in 1864 and 1865, and
fully 25 per cent of the population died.
There were numerous epidemics during the
eighteenth century, but during the last 100
years Europe has not suffered as she did
during the Middle Ages
1t is not certain whether the disease now
at the gateway of New York had its origin
in Bombay India, or from Hong Kong,
China. 1t is practically perennial in the
native quarters of both cities. 1t is the
opinion of the New York health authorities
that rats carried the disease from Bombay
to some Mediterranean port, whence 1t
reached Portugal. From Oporto, Portugal,
the plague was carried to Santos, Brazil,
and has spread from the latter place to sew
eral South American cities, in which, how
ever, 1t has but slight foothold.
The disease was at Alexandria, Egypt,
within the past few months, and but re-
Gently it made its appearance at Trieste,
Austria. All of the important seaports of
Europe and America are guarding against
It, With improved sanitary conditions and
improved means of treating the plague it
has lost much of its terror.