The searchlight. [volume] (Culbertson, Mont.) 1902-current, 1911-04-07

and left. The plague conditions have
become q menace to the world. The
whole Northeastern corner Of the EN-.
pire and Of Manchuria are in the grip
OF fresh outbreak of the black
death and the civilized nations OF the
world are rushing physicians and med.
ical supplies to the east In an effort
to prevent the spread Of the pestilence
to other lands.
Never before In the history OF China
has there come a plague that has
brought such dumb terror to the
hearts Of the people as has this most
recent outbreak. Swift in its fatal
ity, II has swept from village to vii.
lage, up one country road and down
another. until 1t seems that no part
OF China is immune from its ravages.
As the black plague In the middle
ages swept down the valley OF the
Nile. Transforming a garden seat OF
the world into a valley of death; as
later in Spain there were none that
did not mourn; as In England but
half OF all London escaped: so In
some parts of China there is scarcely
family that has not been visited.
The unsanitary condition of the
cities and towns in China where the
dreadful pneumonia plague is raging
is responsible in large measure for
the spread of the disease. The pres
ent pestilence is pneumonia rather
than bubonic. that is. It almost invari-
ably proves fatal. One OF the terrify-
ing things about It is that It spreads
through the air. In the bubonic
plague the microbe is communicated
by bites of fieas from infected rats
In the pulmonary form the patients
themselves transmit the disease by
expectoration or fits of coughing. in
which they scatter germs with which
their lungs are filled. Several doctors
have been infected in this way and
have died.
The Chinese cities offer a fertile
field for the propagation OF the dis
ease. The people are crowded to-
gether like behring's In a barrel and
once the disease has appeared in a
house II Is almost sure to contain.
mate all the inmates and to spread
quickly through the whole city. There
are many Chinese towns where pigs
are the sole scavengers and where
sanitation Is of the most primitive
kind. Contrary. too, to general belief,
which regards worship OF ancestors
as the main religion OF China, there
n 70 Af hA
where the dead are not inferred at all.
The collins containing the dead are
placed on the ground In places spe.
cially reserved for the purpose near
towns and villages and are proved
upon by dogs and wild beasts. Now,
In the plague-infected regions the
dead are being burned. A wagon
driven by a man wearing a muffier
sprayed with iodoform. goes through
the streets and collects the bodies
from the houses. They are then taken
to great pits outside the city or town,
soaked with kerosene and burned
after which a little loose earth Is
thrown upon them.
The Troublesome of the plague H.
China began in Fuchiaten. in Man,
churia. one OF the filthiest towns in
all the east. Little attention was paid
to 1t at FIRST and 1t continued to
spread with great rapidly. The dead
were thrown int the streets. where
they lay exposed. and often. accord.
ing to correspondents. those afflicted
with the pestilence were placed In
the streets to die. Over 5000 persons
have persisted In the Chinese quarter
Of Fuchiaten. II was not until the
black death had spread over a large
section Of Manchuria that the nations
of the world were aroused to the
menace. And now the plague. unless
almost superhuman efforts are put
forth. promises to spread beyond con
troll