Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1900-11-09
rHs susoNlc PLAGUE.
Historical Mortality List Of the Dread
Disease.


Disease.
The following figures convey an
idea of the fearful ravages Of the bu-
bonic plague from the time Of the first
historical record of its existence The
history of bubonc plague dates from
the second and third centuries before
Christ, and two Alexandrlan physl-
clans, Dioscorides and Posidonius,
who were contemporaries of Christ
have left a description of the disease
which leaves no doubt that 1t was the
same as that of modern times. The
plague never died out but 1t was not
until the middle of the fourteenth
century that the horrible epidemic
known as the "black plague" visited
Europe and caused the death of more
than 25,0OO,OO0 people. The disease
was epidemic in London in 134S, 1861,
and 1868. In 1926 two thirds of the
academic population of Oxford died
of it. 1t was again epidemic in London
in 14OO, 14O6, 1923, 1472 and 1889 In
1866 over 10000 persons died of 1t In
Paris. In 1868 1t broke out again in
London, and the mortality was more
than 1000 per week. In 1872 Lyons
lost $4,000 Of its population from the
plague. In 1876 it visited Venice and
carried off 10000 persons. In 1908 the
mortality of another epidemic in Lon
don reached $4,000. In 1908 an epldem-
ic in Egypt is said to have resulted in
the death Of 100000 people. An epi-
denic in London, in 1926. caused
mortality of $4,000, and in 1886, more
than 10000 Londoners were carried
Off In 1856 there was terrific epi-
demie which carried off 100000 In Ma
pies, 10000 in Genoa and $4,000 in
Rome. In 1865 fresh Epidemic in Lon
don resulted in the death of 6S,500
people. This is the first absolutely ac-
curate estimate on record. In 1879 VI
emma lost 10000 by plague and in 1851
Prague lost $1,000. In 1904 Stockholm
had an epidemic, with about 10000
fatal cases. In 1920 an epidemic in
Marseilles carried off from 10000 to
60 900 people. In ITO and 1771 the
plague knIed 100000 people in Moldo-
via, Wallachia, Transylvania, Hun
gary and Poland, and In the same
year one fourth of the population of
Moscow died of plague. Since that
time there have been frequent out
breaks of the disease, and 1t has con-
stantly existed in lower Hindoostan
and about Constantinople, but there
have been no really great epidemics.
Coming to recent times, Bombay suf-
fered an epidemic in 1896. In January
the mortality was nearly 5000, and
in February 4,600 The total mortality
in the Presidency of Bombay has been
164,0S3. In Puma, last August, there
was an average of 160 deaths a day,
in a population of 10000.
1t is a remarkable fact that Euro
peans seem scarcely susceptible to the
disease nowadays, and are able to
withstand its ravages when infected
During the recent outbreak in Hong
kong only IL Europeans were at
tackled, and the mortality in their
cases was but 1872 per cent Among
Japanese 40 cases. the mortality was
60 per cent, among Portuguese resi-
dents Us cases. the mortality was 66
per cent. and among Chinese 2,619
cases) the mortality was 93.4 per cent.
Dr. george NJ. SternDeTB, LII. u, III
an interesting article in the Geograph-
ic Magazine, says:
81 shall have the satisfaction of stat
ing that preventive medicine has made
such progress during the past 80 years
that there is very little danger that
bubonic plague will ever again com
NIT serious ravages in the more en-
liphtened countries of EurOpe or that
it is a serious menace to the lives and
prosperity of citizens of the United
States"