The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-12-27
OTHER PEOPLES NOTIONS
.The Rubonlc plague Scare.

TO the Editor Of The Journal:
THE Existence of Plague in san fran
cisco Of National Concern" The Disease
Is Spreading" "To Suppress the Plague;
the State Board of Health Asks for a
Conference; California Is Negligent"
Under such headlines as the above, artl-
cles are appearing in our newspapers all
over the country. II There Is evidently
concerted effort by interested persons TO
revive the bubonic plague scare OF April
and May, 1900. The direct field OF opera
ton, however, has been transferred from
San Francisco to Brunswick, Maine, and
from Maine to New Haven. Conn, where
at a convention of American health Off
GERS, Professor Robinson of Bowdoin COL
lege presented to the conference
voluminous array of figures to show that
while the authorities Of San Francisco
were denying the existence of bubonic
plague, new cases were developing. This
New Haven conference resolved that it
views with adherence the irretrieyable
disgrace of the present state board OF
health Of California and pronounces the
plague scare in California a matter CT
grave national concern" 1t has taken
a month for the matter to reach st. Paul,
where it landed a few weeks ago in the
office, of the secretary of state board of
health and received publicity in the head
lines above quoted in h e J urn a
of Oct. 80 and Nov. 81. s..-.-. e.
1t, may seem strange that the plague
scare should be widely dissemina ted
and so diligently spread everywhere.
There is one particular reason, namely,
self-interest It is an attempt to regain
a ruined reputation by showing present
epidemic OF; plague in San Francisco. Il
this can be. done certain persons would
be vindicated and avenged on those who
have accomplished their downfall The
San Francisco. Bulletin Of Nov. %, 1900,
charges the marine hospital service Of
being at the bottom of all the trouble
that has been stirred up over the alleged
existence of the dread disease. A case
Of disease had been treated in turn for
years by two noted Chinatown specialists.
The patient died and one of the special
lists, DR.. G. L.. Fitch reported it to DR..
Montgomery. A clinical history Of the
case was made and commented on in the
Occidental Medical Times Of July, 1900
DR.. Orphules of Cooper Medical College,
DR.. Ryf Kogle (expert), DR.. Kellogg of the
board of health, bacteriologfst, and Dr..
Kinyoun Of the United States quarantine
office at San Francisco. DR.. Kellogg re-
ported in the medical journal that ION
consultation with DR.. Kinyoun arrange
ments were made by which animals could
be kept in his laboratory after they had
been inoculated. On the evening Of
March 7, with the assistance of DR.. Kin
young and Walker, " inoculated two
guinea pigs, a white rat and a monkey
with an emulsion made from the granular
tissues. The guinea pigs and rat died on
. the fourth day the monkey succumbing
as martyr to science on the fourteenth
day.
Shortly after Mayor Phelan of San
Francisco telegraphed to, the boards of
health of the principal cities that the ex-
perts were mistaken; that although the
monkey presented the most beautiful and
typical LESSONS of bubonic plague the
Chinaman really died of syphilis. Incredi-
BILE as it may seem, those eminent experts
did, not discover for a long time that their
conclusions We're absolutely unreliable
because Of undue haste in reading the
signs; in other words, the cultures should
have been made first, requiring about two
weeks for proper development, and the rat
and pigs and monkey served with this
culture instead Of an emulsion Of diseased
Chinaman direct. Had g. scientific test
been made in q scientific way Kinyoun's
monkey would have been alive to-day
So the ball was set rolling and is rolling
yet and nothing can stop it unless, it BIZ
such reports as that of DR.. GIennon, tn:
accredited representative of the United
states government at San Francisco, wht
Is preparing a report, according to tn,
Associated Press dispatch of Dec 12. tt
Surgeon General Wyr1an of the marin,
hospital service, to the effect that Their.
| has never been bubonic plague in Califor
mia: DR.. Clemens report will go furthe
and declare positively that after a thor
ough and extensive Investigation the bac
cillus supposed to be Of the plague is tina
Of chicken cholera, a comparatively harm
| less disease. r:
The Minnesota board of health has jus
sent a, letter to Surgeon General Wyma,
of the United States marine hospital ser
| vice, calling upon him to help save tn
country! Our state board read what Gen
| eral Wyman said. to delegation of citizen
of San Francisco, March 10. 1901, "a
these conferences it, was ELECTED that n,
single case of disease had ever been foun,
| in. California OF the bubo- pneumonia type
and that Of all the cases examined. non,
| being of white people. all were of a non
| contagious character" Those of us VIII,
are familiar with the affairs in Chinatow,
| have known this all along, but it was yer,
| refreshing to have the word come from
such a. high authority.
George A. Gable, M. D.