The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-08-18
DOCTOR TALKS
INTERESTINGLY
OF THE PLAGUE
EX-AcTING ASSISTANT SURGEON
UNITED STATES MARINE HOS
PITAL SERVICE TELLS SOME
THING OF HISTORY OF BU-
BoNlC PLAGUE,

DR.. e. w. Smith, recently returned
to this country from Porto Rico,
where he was a medical missionary,
and who was formerly acting assistant
surgeon Of the United States Marine
Hospital Service, who has had a con-
siderable amount of experience with
bubonic plague, having made a close
study of the dreaded disease, yester-
day gave a representative of The
Journal a very interesting interview
on this subject, which is OF so much
general interest in this country at
present.
In this interview DR.. Smith imparts
lot Of interesting and valuable in
formation concerning this disease,
parts Of the country.
Speaking Of the bubonfc plague, or
black death, DR.. Smith said:
I'VE can trace the bubonic plague
back to the third century. At that
time great epidemic spread over the
Roman Empire and destroyed, In many
portions of the country, nearly so per
cent of the people.
In the fourteenth century the whole
of Europe was stricken. In 1865 there
destroying more than 10000 persons.
In 1894 a severe epidemic prevailed
in Canton and Hong Kong, to which
cities 1t had been imported from
northern India.
In 1895 the plague invaded Bombay,
India, in which. country about 10000
people die annually.
In the fall of 1899 two CAGES were
brought to New York harbor and on
March 8, 1900, it appeared in the Chi
nese quarters of San Francisco and 81
cases were officially reported between
that date and Feb. 10, 1901.
During the epidemic in Hong Kong
in 1894, the bacillus causing the dis
ease was discovered simultaneously by
Kitasato and Yersin. The bacilH are
found in large numbers in the serocor-
pulent fluid from the recent buboes,
which characterize this disease, and in
the Emphatic glands, more rarely in
the internal organs, except in pneu-
monto cases, when the lungs and
sputum contain immense numbers.
They are found in the blood, in acute
hemorrhag1c cases, and shortly be-
fore death. In the malignant cases
they are also found in the feces of men
and animals.
''The disease begins after an incuba-
ton period of a few days to a wook,
with extreme prostration. This is fol-
lowed by fever, which soon assumes q
typhoid type. Hemorrhage into the
skin and mucous mebranes are COM
mon. The Emphatic glands enlarge
and on the second or third day, sup
purating buboes appear in the groin,
neck or armpits, which usually rup-
ture and discharge. The temperature
drops with the appearance of the bu-
boes and there is profuse sweating.
There are different types Of bubonic
plague, based on the particular sys-
tenn Of the body, principally invaved.
(a) Bubonic (glandular); (b) Sep
ticennia (circulatory); and (c) Pneu-
monte type.
THE bubonic type is readily dag
nosed, but the other types are recog-
nized with some difficulty. To differ
entiate between primary plague pneu-
monia and ordinary lobar or broncho-
pneumonia Is puzzling. A certain
diagnosis rests upon bacteriologic evil
dence alone. Precautions to be taken
relate to the abandoning of all unsani-
| tary habits. determination. of all rats
and personal cleanliness.
THE plague bacilli will live outside
OF the body. In cultures, protected
from the air and light. they live from
nine to IL months. In sputum from
! pneumonia cases the baciIli live ten
| days. Upon sugar and food they may
1--we six to fifteen days.
| AT present the plague has invaded
Porto Rico and Cuba and we are using
every precaution to keep it out of our
/ hpTYoa -