The Hawaiian gazette., 1900-02-20
Cessation in Kobe and
Osaka.
THE RETURNS FROM INDIA
Piracy in China Ii Hung Chang
Missions in Japan--Emigrants
To Hawaii

The sudden and remarkable cessation
of plague cases, both at Kobe and Osa.
ka. and the apparent success OF the
operations for stamping out the dis.
ease, must be a source of satisfaction
20 every one in this country. 1t would
be a mistake, however, TO congratulate
ourselves that the disease has left us
for good and all, much as we may
hope this will prove the case. II will
have been observed fiat the disease
disappeared concurrently with the
setting in of the recent frost and il
may be that the bacillus is dormant in
very cold weather, as we know from
the experience of India that it is COM
paratively Quiescent in very hot wealth
err. Therefore it is tn be hoped that
the precautions taken, especially with
regard to the cleansing of houses. will
not be suffered to lapse. Latest news
from India shows that the plague is
working terrible havoc in Bombay
New cases reported on the 22d of De
icember. for example, amounted to 6S,
and deaths to 46, while on the same
date in 1898 the new cases were % and
the deaths IL. Concurrently the gen
,eral mortality shows tremendous in
crease, being 237 on the 22d ult., COM
pared with 80 on the same date in the
previous year, suggesting that other
diseases become virulent perhaps from
the same cause that produces an in
crease, in plague returns. A report
has been compiled by Mr.. j. II. Du-
BOulay, LES, on the plague in Bonn
bay, which contains some very inter
,estipg facts relating to the disease. 1t
appears that since plague first became
established in Bombay, there have only
been eight days on which the official
returns showed no attacks or deaths,
and of these seven occurred in the
month of July, 1897, ana one in August
of the same year. That Is to say, at
uthe hottest period there was an incli-
nation for the disease to disappear.
Now, when the weather is compare
lively cool, the disease resumes its
sway, apparently being more virulent
than ever, despite the efforts OF the
Government, aided by large medical
staff. to stamp 1t out. The report con-
fesses that chow the disease spreads
from man to man, why at certain sea-
sons. In spite of all that can be done,
It assumes epidemic proportions, and
why. again, at other seasons, with pre-
cisely the same measures In force, it
relapses into comparative inactivity,
are subjects about which we are little
wiser now than we were at the end of
the first epidemic" 1t is even IAN ex-
perience common to most of those
who have come in contact with plague
that their knowledge seems to contract
as their experience widens." Among
other more general measures in Bonn
bay particular attention has been paid
to the following: ta) incubation is be-
ing encouraged. OBJ Rats are being
destroyed. (c) Arrangements have
been made for the local preparation of
Lustig's serum, (d) The different COM
munities are being moved and assisted
to start health camps and hospitals of
their own. (e) Arrangements have
been made for tile-turning. (D A sys-
tematic survey of houses in the city is
being made with view to their sani-
tary improvement. 1t appears-and
this may be of interest to authorities
In Japan-that the regulations regard
ing the segregation of persons who
have been In contact with plague cases
have been considerably relaxed, and
such persons are allowed to attend to
their ordinary duties on the sole con-
dition of returning to camp in the
evening In order to be kept under OBJ
On the other hand, Lieu
tenant Brackenbury. who is In charge
of the plague operations of MandH
and Calcutta, says that up to the mid
die OF March last those people es-
capped whom the landlords compelled
to live under sanitary conditions, and
only in those houses where every one
was allowed to come and live without
being asked where he came from did
tI,o 1tann oh
they prevented the infection from be-
Ing introduced, or. when it was intro
duced, spreading" But we also learn
The months OF March and April, when
The diseases attacked the houses
(through rats), scarcely any of the
houses built over godowns escaped.
These godowns and the houses over
hem are always infested with rats. 1t
was most remarkable that in Mandyi,
while all the people were coming to
ne with tales of rats dying, and l was
hiding how useless 1t was sending only
PATIENTS out of the house to stop the
Ipread of the disease, in Chnckla /
leard no such stories, and found that
{ / sent the patient to hospital as
had been doing, this measure was
Iuite sufficient to prevent further
asses. There are no godowns under
.eath the houses in Chuckla When {
he disease attacked houses, 1t seemed
o attack all alike-badly ventilated,
ark. overcrowded chawls, in which t
'oor Ghattis live as well as the large,
Try buildings of the richer mer-
hants."
New Form of Plague. s
HONGKONG, Jan. 25.-The Press |
ays: The form the pest has taken in !
apan Is not that which attacks people
through abrasion of the skin, being
hus comparatively slow in It's develop
nent. but that which attacks the
espiratory organs, against which the I
'ersin serum has been without effect, p
hough II may possess preventive n
roperties. The two doctors who sue G
umbed attended patient suffering. 8
nknown to them. from this form Of C