The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-01-31
SERUM FOR
THE PLAGUE
Hafkine's Treatment in
Bombay.
.RAVAGES OF INDIAN PEST
Good Effects OF the incubation
Where it Was Given a
Fair Trial.

Dr. Hoffmann's experiments with
plague serum in this city, which are
now eliminating, give special interest
to thet following report from the
United States Consul at Bombay for
the text OF which the Advertiser is in
debted 20 H. NJ. Whitney:
Bqbonic Plague; HaRNine Serum.
,kThe plague in the Bombay presiden-
Ey continues. II had its inception in
The latter part of the year 1896. and
has spread into every cOllectorate and
district of the presidency, From state
ments showing the mortality from
plague furnished me by the Govern
ment Of India. l find there we're, dur
ing the week ending September 3. 1899.
1890 deaths from plague in the presi-
dency Of Bombay.
Its progress in the southern Mahrat-
"a country during the past year has
been remarkable. 1t has assumed an
epidemic form I'm the city of Poona, a
place OF over 100000 inhabitants,
which. on account OF its supposed sani-
tary coHdition-hish elevation, dry
heat, with a climate from May to No
Samber Ike an English spring morn
ihg-has been made the home for the
Bombay army an d ,ks resiaence OF The
Governor during ths monsoon season.
This city has hal 23,331 cases and
l7,SO9 deaths from plague up to the
present time. The epidemic is just at
present at its hight. and there is great
suffering and distress. During the
week ended September 2, 1899, there
were 1,Os6 deaths from plague. and on
Monday, September 4. 1899, III cases
and 10 deaths were reported in that
city.
Western India being now threatened
with famine on account of the failure
Of the mOnsoons TO produce the usual
amount of rain to nourish the crops
and induce late sowing. II Is feared
that the coming season will witness a
further ravage OF the plague.
The distance may save America: yet
this scourge repeatedly reached Eu-
rope in the early centuries. II is now
raging in the East. and there is rea-
son 10 fear that IL is gathering force.
IL has appeared in Alexandria, Egypt,
and Oporto. Portugal. which is only a
weeks journey from the western world
and the mediaeval plague is quite ca
pable of taking advantage of modern
rapid travelling.
The plague is an acute infective fe-
yer; its primary cause is a living or
ganism, a minute microscopical being
which. having gained entrance to the
body. multiplies with great rapidity.
producing a series OF local disturbances
giving rise TO characteristic symptoms,
and diffusing throughout the body a
subtle poison which is generally the
cause of death.
Our modern physicians are not much
better equipped for the treatment OF
the disease than were their medieval
predecessors. incubation, although
it's results are extremely important
and promising. Is a prophylactic rath-
er than a treatment. a wall against
the enemy rather than a weapon with
which 20 meet Il. There are. OF course,
great advances in the general treat
ment Of the cases, but modern science
has not yet discovered a specific
against plague.
The plague microbes are capable OF
living and multiplying only while they
have access to supplies OF organic
They are able to pass
from body TO body or to re-
main alive and even multiply outside
Of the body. Thus. there are two ways
in which plague may travel; it may
creep from patient to patient In a di-
rect chain, OF IL may use places where
decaying substances are 70 be
found as temporary links in the chain.
An antitoxin, or serum. first pre-
pared by Professor Haffkine as
plague incubation. called Hafkine's
is now being used in
Bombay and western India with re-
markable results.
This prophylactic IS prepared by first
taking the plague bacilli, or the young
germs, from a person affected with the
plague and cultivating them. These
microbes are killed by artificial means
and a high degree Of heat. From these
dead germs and their poisonous excre-
ments is produced a fluid that is be-
lieved to have acquired the power,
when injected into the human sys-
tenn. 10 render the blood immune from