The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-03-25

summer. While she was ministering at
| the bedside of one patient, her attendant,
etlo seVoJ Dy notsQils soilS ~
within the next three hours. Dr. Donahue
came to Hing Hua and how the natives
Hing Hua IS a seaport town and the
whole inland country IS devoted to agri-
culture Two crops Of rice, one crop of
wheat and a large variety Of vegetables
sidered well-to-do generally in this prov
ince and the country is usually very
The plague came on US in June and
tasaeq IQE thFee mon NJ Il vas the nrSe
ed SO far north has as the P province of Tub u.
brought it to the city or precipitated it
Hing Hua, has according to native count,
a population of 10000 kitchens.
kitchen, which would make the total pop
ulatlon about $1,000. The word kitchen is
not inapplicable to the Chinese home,
which IS nothing more. One room con-.
stitutes the family residence, and cook
place in it, The plague Is generated, from
what could observe, from decaying veg
citation, which is very dense in China,
and from the filth in which the people
The Chinese recognized the plague as
soon as it made its appearance. although
there being no newspaper, no trains or
no telegraph system to connect this city
with the rest of the empire, the people
did not know that it was raging else
where no more than they ever know
what is going on outside of two days
from them The natives call it the rat
plague' for the reason that for a few
days before it breaks out the rats die by
ming across a ward roll over and die
cats are also affected. but dogs rarely.
There are two forms of the plague, bu-
bonic and hemorrhagic IN the first the
patients neck, arms and legs become very
sensitive and then sore This is accom-
panied by g raging fever, with the pulse
from Jos to 107. In a few hours after the
first symptoms the patient is dead, with
little struggle
differs little from remiftent fever, but the
condition of the eye and tongue at once
becomes frightfully bloodshot. and down
through the center of the tongue there
raw. The pulse runs up to 40 in an hour.
have cured three out of II cases of the
in saving one afflicted with the bubonic
type. From 30 to 50 per cent Of the
From what I have observed. 1t takes
about six weeks until the crisis In the
epidemic IS reached, then 1t RACES for six
I'VE could not find collins enough for
our dead, so mothers and fathers had to
be buried with the children The ma
tiveS show no trace of affection or OF tears
customary wail while the corpse is in
the house. but do not accompany II to the
burial ground. Fqur men carry the olg
cement, on their shoulders, out through
the gates Of the city to the nearby hills
THE natives looked upon the plague as
q visitation from the gods and tried to
appease their anger in every way possible.
One day when it was at its worst a dep
utatfon waited on the gods in the big
temple and told them the city would send
out a procession of los boys under Il to
sing for and praise them, and the
gods in some mysterious way known to
the deputation, showed signs of pleasure
at this, the boys were sent out with BAN
ners and music. The Chinese are. much
fouder of boys than they are of girls, and
they imagine the evil spirits are. too for
they frequently dress up a girl like a boy
to fool them The little fellows went out,
and before they returned to their homes
their ranks were thinned by half. They
dropued in the streets and were picked up
diving aad dead, while their companions
proceeded with the grief god in a chair
of state and music and hrecrackers all
about him.
ssI7ae city guards who were stationed at
the four big iron gates which shut on all
fngress or egress to and from the city
every night at 10 O'Clock. counted the cof-
ms as they passed through daily and the
average humber day was go, or about
], 500 a month
we foreigners heard about its coming to-
ward US. Mr. Brewster, the superintend-
ent Of our mission had the magistrate of
the city issue q. proclamation calling upon
the people to get the city into more
sanitary condition to avert or lessen the