The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-03-23
Government Represses An.
cient Prejudice Against
Foreign Medical Men
MORTALITY RATE
is HELD IN CHECK
Quarantines Enforced to Prevent Pest
from Reaching Large Cities-Moun-
tain Passes Adequately Guarded by
Military or Police.

PEKING, Feb, Is, correspondence
Whatever criticisms may have been
properly or otherwise directed against
the Chinese government for its appar-
ent inactivity when plague appeared on
the Monaghan border are by no means
justified now, for the authorities con
ccrned are doing their utmost to STAMP
out the pest. Local prejudices are be-
ing overcome, unsympathetic officials
are being removed and the services of
foreign doctors are being utilized as far
as possible, with the result that there
Is cooperation on the part of the gov
erning authorities and medical men in
the work of plague prevention.
Admittedly, perfection has not been
reached, but il must be conceded that
the Ministry of the Interior is fully
alive to its responsibilities. and for
eigners are willing to conccde praise TO
the Chinese authorities for having so
promptly set to work to check the
spread of the disease. They could not
have accomplished what they have done
| had IL not been for the assistance OF
foreign medical men and Chinese for
| el9n-tralned doctors, and they have ac-
cepted the offers Of such disinterested
workers and utilized their services to
the full.
Time was when Western medical
skin, if not despised, would have been
rejected. These days have gone, and
/ IA rnn 4g.F,, 4 ~.
brought to her by the missionaries and
other doctors from Europe and Amer
lea. Local prejudices against foreign
medical assistance still survive. but
that IS only to be expected in coun-
try where the masses have been al
lowed to cling to time worn beliefs and
practices
Unenhghtened natives have not been
the only opponents of Western medical
practice, Highly placed officials have
often INSTRUCTED the doctors who came
, TO deal with the diseases to which q
y particular loedlitt' was Subject. and il
the early stages of the present out
; break civil and military officials die
not assist the foreign doctors whC
risked their lives in order to combat
: the scourge which was visiting tn,
borderland Of Mongolia and Shansi.
: These Misunderstanding have beer
removed, and under the tactfuI guid
ancc Of General Chang. president o
the plague prevention commission, co
! operation has been secured whicl
: augurs well for the early suppression
of the plague.
Attention may be invited to a tele
gram addressed to the Taoyin of Pao
tingfu by the Neiwupu. 1t is seldor
that tho authorities indulge in sue
straight talk This official is publicl
4 charged with neglect of duty in no
properly carrying ont the preventiv
measures which he was asked to e.
force, and he is ordered to see tina
The offense is not repeated. He is r,
minded Of the 'tnew regulations GOV
erning the punishment of officials i
plague prevention work
The value of this public reproof
that il comes under the notice of oil
ers besides the particular official I
whom it is addressed. Such action il
dicates the earnestness of the Ministr
Of the Interior in the matter of plagu
prevention.
+ The area of the present outbreak
larger than the plague area III Northel
Manchuria some six years ago, but Il
number of deaths is fewer and IL
money expended in prevention is les
rho commission does not expect that Il
fnl amount of the plague loan
81 100000 will be expended, and II
loped that the balance may be ava
able for the expansion of the isolati,
hospital in Picking and the establis
nent of a sanitary bureau and labor
Dry.
The mistake which permitted t
\ ,laguc to travel through the mounta