The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1916-08-30
Tragical Experience Of a
Noted Physician.
THE PLAGUE SPREAD BY RATS
Deadly In Most Cases-Every
Case Costs Municipality
At Least $500.
IDENTICAL WITH BLACK DEATH

II is a remarkable fact, confirmed
by many observations, that many
physicians who have devoted consid-
cradle labor to the study of a partic-
ular disease have themselves died of
that disease. One of the most in
teresting examples is that of John
Daniel Major. born August 16, 1884,
in Breslau, a physician and natural
list of no mean ability. Bitten early
by the wanderlust, he studied at
Wittenburg, took courses at many of
the schools in Germany, and finally
went to Italy where he received the
degree of doctor of medicine at Pa
Qua in 1860. Returning to his own
country he resided for a short time
in Silesia, and in 1861 married at
Wittenburg, Margaret Dorothy, a
daughter of the celebrated Sennert.
The following year his young wife
was stricken with plague and died
after an illness of eight days. Dis
tracted by his loss, Major wandered
up and down Europe studying plague
wherever he found it in the hope
that he might discover a cure for
the disease which had bereaved him.
Spain. Germany, France and Russia
were visited by him. He settled in
| 1865 in Kiel, where he was made
professor of botany and the director
of the botanical gardens. He made
frequent voyages, however, always
in quest of the remedy for plague
Finally in 1898 he was called to
Stockholm to treat the queen of
Charles the Eleventh, then i'll with
plague. But before he could rem
der her any service, he contracted
the disease and died on the third of
August.
The beubonic plague of to-day is
identical with the black death of the
Middle Ages. Primarily disease of
rodents caused by short, dumb-bell
/ shaped microscopic vegetable. the
pest bacillus, it occurs in man in
three forms-the pneumonia, which
has a death rate of almost 700 per
cent; the septicaemic, which is
nearly as fatal, and the bubonic, in
which even with the most modern
methods of treatment the mortality
is about 80 per cent. 1t is disease
Of commerce, spreading around the
globe in the body of the ship-borne
rat. 1t is estimated that every case
of human plague costs the munich
pality in which it occurs at least
$500. This does not take into ac-
count the enormous loss due to dis
astrous guarantees and the COM
mercial paralysis which the fear of
the disease so frequently produces.
The disease is now treated by a |
serum discovered through the ge-
MUS of Yersin. This is used in much |
the same way as is diphtheria anti
toxin.
Plague is transferred from the |
sick rodent to the well man
by feas. The sick rat has
enormous numbers of plague bacilli
in its blood. The blood is taken by
the flea which, leaving the sick rat.
seeks refuge and sustenance on the
body of human being to whom it
transfers the infection.
Since plague is disease of ro-
dents and since IL is carried from
sick rodents to well men by rodent
feas, safety from the disease lies in
the exclusion of rodents. not only
exclusion from the habitation of
man but also from the ports and
cities of the world. Those who
dwell in rat-proof surroundings
take no plague. Not only should
man dwell in ratproof surround
free surroundings. The day is past
when the rodent serves a useful pur-
pose as the unpaid city scavenger.
Rats will not come where there is
no food for them. Municipal clean
illness may be regarded as a partial
insurance against plague. The prayer
that no plague come nigh our dwell
ing Is best answered, however. by
Iat-prooiing the habitations of man.
Modern sanitary science has evolved
simple and efficient weapon
against the pestilence which walketh
in darkness and striketh at MONDAY,
and the L. s. Public Health Service
has put this knowledge into pract-
cal operation and thus speedily Grad
lcateed plague wherever II has APP
pearod in the United States.