Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1903-10-12
THE RURoNIc PLAGUE.

The recent outbreak of this terfj-
BILE scourge Of the human race In the
Philippines les the city Of Manila
calls to mind wildly the frequent In
roads OF this the Oldest Of all the
plaques known to man. The Youths
Companion trace the history Of The
various outbreaks from the fatal epi-
demic chronicled In the Old Testament
and which appears to have been
spread BY infected mice. They were
various re.appearances of the plague
during the middle ages. but after the
great plague Of London In 1865 the
| disease seemed 10 disappear I'M Europe
and vas generally believed to have
died out;b but for centuries It was hold
ing its own In Central Asia to appear
| n 1894 in Hong Kong and In India a
little later where its fearful ravages
excited the horror Of the civilized
world.
Since that time the disease has fire.
quently threatened to invade the cit
les Of Europe and America, but al.
though there have been localized cpl.
denies Of sufficient severity to cause
apprehension, as Oh the west coast Of
Mexico some months ago, the plague
has never really gained a foothold
among civilized peoples.
When the disease was first studied
by modern scientific methods, 1t was
believed that only rats and other 10.
dents shared with man the undesirable
distinction Of a susceptibility %
plague, and II was thought that whole
sale destruction of the rats would put
an end to the disease. Undoubtedly
they are the most commonly infected
OF all animals, and the most likely to
carry the germ from n part q The
world 10 another: but recent isyosti-
cation Iii lIongkong has shown that
chickens, horses. dogs. cats, and near
" all animals living In contact with
man are equally susceptible to the dis
ease.
This fact complexities the problem
Of restricting The spread Of plague on
land: but 1t remains true that rats
are practically the only carriers q
infection on %shipboard.
Plague attacks chiefly the natives in
those cities where 1t prevails. This Is
not due 10 any innate immunity In the
| white races, but rather to the PRO
tective Influences of soap and water.
So long as plague prevails In the
east II will doubtless be brought from
time 10 time TO the seaports of Europe
and America; but d well-fed and fair
IL clean white ponuia on, living under
the sanitary conditions prevalent IL
| North America and northern and
western Europe, would have little 70
fear, ever should II gain q temporary
foothold In the crowded foreign settle
mcnts OF our large cities, as II Is be
lieved 10 have done some time ago In
San Francisco Chinatown.
The latest reports from the infected
district near Manila give eighty VIC
tins out OF 100 persons affected. Sey-
eral cases have also been reported al
Marseilles. II Is believed that the
germs were conveyed in bales Of rags
from Constantinople, The rayages Of
the plague In India have long ceased
TO attract attention but the official
statistics show a frightful mortality
from this cause. The plague appear
cd In Bombay In 1895. The next year
there were TOO deaths from the ma
lady. In 1897, 6 5000; in 1898, It's, 900;
In 1899. 1856. 900: In 1900, $4,000; In
1901, 274.O00. In 1902. 577. 900; and in
the first three months Of 1908. 800. 900,