Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-02-29

has passed without the temperance of
the plague in Europe Alter travelling
| as far west as tho Canary ISLANDS ana as
far north as Scandinavia, ana reaching
It's climax In the fourteenth century, the
pestilence gradually Withdrew to the
East. It first reached the new world In
1879. carried by rats IN ship. which
sailed from Oporto. Portugal. to Santos
Brazil. In the same year, for me first
time, 1t arrived in japan from China.
1t has been celebrated in famous works
! by Boccaccio. Defoe, Manzoni and the
venerable Bede.
The strongest campaign ever waged
against the disease was the measures
taken in China by the Japanese govern
ment. with its experts trained in the
United States and Europe. The plague
mad Travelled 1000 miles, leaving tens Of
| thousands Of victims in It's train. had
! established centers at lIarbin, the Rus
sian metropolis in Manchura. and at
| Changshun. where the Southern Man
| churia railway terminates; had infected
Mukden the seat OF the vice-royalty OF
| Manchuria and was threatening Pekin.
/
on itself the duty which China, sunk in
| superstition, was Sinking.
Tho sum of 100000 was appropriated,
| and Japans foremost psychologists
were dispatched to tho front Leading
them was Dr. S. Kitasato. the famous
discoverer of the plague germ. Isolation
hospitals. adequate for accommodating
! loo patients, were established
The rkisha traffic was abolished in the
railway zone When a Chinese passenger
! in train on the Antung-Mukden line
was found to have a suspicious illness
the South Manchuria railway was forced
to burn the whole train, and all the
! passengers We're Quarantined. The medi-
cal authorities did not hesitate to burn
any house. whether owned by Japanese
! or Chinese. when an infected person wa
! found in II. For n time the railroad sus-
| pended the transportation of Chinese. 1r
| tho leased territory the administration
ordered n general disinfection Of Chinese
residences prohibited the employment OF
| chinese as water carriers, removed the
Chinese restaurants from the japanese
quarters and suspended the Chinese hos.
telries and places OF amusement
EFFECTIVE TREATMENT.
In the meantime the japanese physi
clans employed most freely the pest anti.
toxin made at the Toxic institute fol-
the study OF infectious diseases FOUNDED
! by DIR. Kitasato. Tis was In two forms
a serum for treating patients actually
| infected with the plague, and a vaccine
used to prevent infection. Thanks to tho
vigorous methods employed the plague
was eradicated from the Port Arthur dis
trict, very few japanese succumbed. ant
the Chinese mortality was greatly re
duced.
| The japanese example finally stirred th'
Chinese government to action, and al
International plague conference was call
ed to Mukden. under the auspices of thu
Prince Regent himself. IF 10 years ago,
said the Shanghai National Review. 'any
body had ventured to predict that an In
ternational plague conference would with
in r. score Of years meet on Chinese soil
| called together at the invitation of tn
Chinese government, of that govern
ment's own free will, for the benefit no
only Of China. but of the world at large
he would have been laughed to scorn
Wind and water' have had the
| day In China: they are being succeeded
| by the day OF fresh air ard free access
soap and serum. vaccine and ventilation
athletics and antiseptics.
San Francisco cored VIGOROUSLY will
the bubonic pestilence by means of al
extraordinary crusade of determination
against rats. BY replacing wooden floor.
with concrete. by raising frame houses
on stills. by building great concrete dock:
at n cost of many millions OF dollars.
ratless city was achieved
| In San Francisco and india the plague
| originated among rats. In Russia. ac
cordng TO Professor Metchnikoff tn.
pestience began among a race of small
animals called spermophiles. which re
| sernble the ground squirrel and which are
hunted by the Pirghiz tribes for theil
pelts. In China the plague Is believed t.
have been spread by the marmot, roden
| cred. could be colored black and palmet
Off on tho unsophisticated as sable.
A SOURCE OF INFECTION
| More than 1000 coolies, experienced
were sent out to hunt marmots, amons
which an spizootic OF plague was raging
| The coolies skinned the animals they
| found dead as well as those they trap.
ped. and. when they returned to the
| cities, brought the plague with them.
How are the disease germs communi-
| Gated from the rat. the marmot and the
spernophile to man? In the pulmonary
form, man breathes into his lungs the
germs thrown OFF by the respiration OF
tho animals. In the septicaemic phase
An tr,n :,
through abrasions of tho skin. In bu-
bonio plague. the agent IL tiny hea,
called Pulex Cheopis. The flea attaches
itself to the body of a rat, and. II tho
animal be infected. baclli are taken into
tho Insects stomach. where they live for
days If the rat dies. the flea deserts its
carcass as 1t becomes cold and seeks an
other warm booded animal az IT'S habi-
tat II there be no other rat at hand
the hea will leap upon Il human body,
It's bite admits the poisonous germs into
the system, and an attack OF the plague,
which may he fatal in "a hours, ensues.
The final campaign OF science will
| beard the monster In Its dens and de-
stroy Its Businesses Rats must be wiped
| from the face OF the earth. Only then
will the plague, the very name OF which
has for b centuries terrified Europe. be-
come az comfortable as smallpox has
been made by modern hygiene.
|
| Articles Of association have been filed
by the Marble Machinery company OF
Dorset. with a capital stock OF 5000. Pa
pers have also been filed by the Clarendon
Power Reservoir company to acquire
lands and build dams, with capital stock