The Savannah morning news., 1903-06-22
USE OF GERMS IN WAR.
what Might BE Done by Injecting
the Enemy.
From the New York Tribune.


Suppose that the germs of that
Oriental pestilence, the bubonic plague,
were scattered over Europe malicious
~, what you'd be the effect? That is
the startling query which is presented
to many minds by a rumor which
comes from Turkey. A correspondent
Of the London Daily News which has
a reputation for caution and accuracy,
| telegraphs from Sofia that the revolu-
tionafy leaders have determined upon
desperate expedient. Having obtain
ed a quantity of plague bacilli from
| India, they threaten to infect Con-
stantinople, Saionica, and possibly
Berlin If the powers do not intervene
| in their behalf with the Turkish gov
eminent. The recent dynamite out
RACES at Salonica are an indication of
the recklessness of the leading spirits
of the present rebellion. While there
is no certainty about their purpose. it
is safe to say that they are altogether
capable of executing the threat here
mentioned.
BY nations which have any regard
fof decency step of this kind would
be held Unworthy of a moments con-
sidefation A leading authority on in
ternational law, the late Theodore b,
Wooisey OF Yale, says: The use of
poisoned weapons, the poisoning of
| springs ana the employment OF hired
assassins have long been condemned
as opposed to the idea of war, which
is an open and honorable way of seek
ing redress. Kluber lays it
down that the customs of war not only
| condemn =. a. attempts to spread
| the plague, bit also the use of chain
shot" From these expressions 1t will
be seen that the very agency which the
Bulgarians now talk of using has been
| tried, or at least suggested, before.
Even in this country. during the Civil
War, an attempt to introduce the
germs of yellow fever into Northern
| cities was meditated. II does not APP
| pear that the Confederate government
| sanctioned it, or even knew of it. Pres
| ident Davis was fugitive at the time
| of Lincoln's assassination; but proba =
bly, no one believes to-day that he had
| any sympathy with either of these
| foul methods of fighting. Cruel as war
is, the distinction between legitimate
and illegitimate procedure is recognize
ed by all civilized nations. The revolu-
| tionary leaders in Turkey, having no
more sense Of responsibility to the
world than a maniac or an assassin,
are restrained by no such scruples
The bubonic plague, like the Aslatic
| cholera, has done its worst work in the
Far East China Japan, India and
| Egypt have suffered terribly from II.
| When it made its appearance in Can
I ton in 1894 the mortality was 1870, 900
| In single season. Several times since
| 1923 it has appeared for a short time
| in some place southeast OF the Him
! alayas, the most formidable outbreak
being that in Bombay late in 1895. 1t
Is now rooted at so many points In
| British India that month or two ago
| the number of deaths a week in the
! whole empire was 10000. Within the
| last six years the deaths In India
| from this one cause have been scarce
| ly less than 2,0OOO0O! In the city Of
| Cairo alone there were $4,000 deaths.
and some 100000 in all Egypt in a sin
| gle year. 1885.
Europe has suffered repeatedly from
visitations of this same disease. First
one part and then another would ex-
| perience an epidemic of appalling pro-
| portions There were $4,000 deaths In
Marseilles in 1870, 10000 in Vienna in
| 1879, and $4,000 In Prague in 1881, from
this same cause. London lost SO $50
Of her 100000 inhabitants in 1854 e5, or
one in eight, while the epidemic of
| 1770-'71 In Moscow carried off 25 Der
I
| pie has probably had more frequent
experiences. with the BLACK death" than
any other large city in Europe, being
| one of the chief gateways of commerce
| from the East
Accurate figures are not available Ia
| show how large a percentage Of those
who were attacked died. But within
the last few years in Asia the NOR
tality among the natives has ranged
m rna mt ,Ea..
cent. would be a fair average. Filthy
surroundings and a tropical climate
| promote the spread of this disease, and
those who have been badly nourished
and know nothing of personal hygiene
succumb easily. Hence among the Eu-
ropeans and Americans in a place like
Bombay to-day the mortality is much
lower than among the other residents
The adoption of scientific sanitation
in Western and Northern Europe Is a
great safeguard against further trou-
Bile. A cool climate also dscourages
the rapid spread OF the disease Never
theless, quarantine officers at such
places as London, Hamburg and New
York feel that the utmost vigilance is
necessary when there Is danger from
| this source. They believe IL vastly
| preferable TO prevent the introduction
of germs than 10 try 10 suppress an
outbreak after the disease gets IN.
! There Is less occasion for worry over
| Berlin than Constantlnople, because Il
| Is clean and situated in a high latitude
| As for the Turkish capital, that Ii "a
1 filthy that II would AFFORD an inviting
soil Without any special activity on
! the part Of the reyOlutiOnists the plague
would spread 10 the rest Of European
| Turkey 81 a short time after Il had
become epidemic M cO1sfantinOple
! These provinces have a population ~
| 100000 of more, ana might easily loss
! This would not be the worst N it
I either, n would be practically imI0s
I rihis io confne fhe disease b. Turkey
I Slowly. aDa with diminishing efarf. ~
would undoubtedly nnd be- way aesf.
4 ward and n0fihNnFl oyer ihe Whoit
! continent ~ Europe. Beyond che ari.
tan'a dom.ul0Uf Tie mortality mfEhi