Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1920-06-25
FRIDAY. JUNE 25. 1920
BUBONIC PLAGUE

vi tDIItUIIS uiStdScsy 10
less understood by the average per.
son in this country than any Other
Of the diseases which from time tt
time have devastated cities, and ma.
tions and continents. The appear.
ance of the dreaded malady in Pen.
sacola, Florida, and Galveston, Texas
has naturally aroused interest in it.
To the average reader the words
"yellow fever" and "Asiatic Cholera,
or even "typhus fever" are well un-
derstoOd for America has suffered
much from the first two at least,
within the memories of many persons
yet living, but bubonic plague is as
sociated with the far east, with India
and China and they think of it as
some terror of the far away places
Of the earth with which we, of Amer
lea, have nothing to do.
Yet in times past bubonic rlague
under the name of the "Rlack
Death" has ravaged Europe as no
other plague has ever done.
1t receives it's name from the fact
that it attacks the lymphatic glands
in the neck, armpts, groins, ETC., pro-
ducing bubos, and causing the skin
to be mottled with purple spots.
Bubonic plague is generally fatal,
as witness in Vera Cruz during the
present outbreak of the disease there
out Of the first twenty-four cases
reported twenty-threc proved fatal.
Nor does it take long for the disease
to run its course, death often taking
place within few hours after the
appearance of the first symptoms,
although usually death occurs on the
third day. If the patient Is ali>" on
the fifth day recovery usually follows
but there are not many alive at the
end of the fifth day. &.
The ancient plaques of which his
tOrians speak are probably bubonic
plague. and have. in many cases been
positively identified with it.
The first recorded visitation of the
plague to Europe is described by
Thucydidcs as having occurred in A3O
b. {. Joscphus records It's appear
ance in Jerusalem in - A. ID. In 262
A. d., there was an outbreak of it
in Rome during which the death rate
was rs high as 5000 per day.
In 13iT-50 it ravagcd Europe, hay
ing been brought there by returning
Crusaders. 1t is known to the his
torians of that period as the black
death. In 1898 it appeared in Eng
land and there were .iO3 deaths
again in 1903 London had 36.269
deaths and in 1925. $1,000. in 1886
1880 died and in 1865. $4,000 pee.
ishcd.
Other parts of Europe also sur
fercd heavily. It, last appearance in
Europe was in 1859. In 1896 it
broke out in Bombay, India. with ter
rible loss of life.
In 1900 there was an outbreak of
the plague in San Francisco hut it
was confined to the Chinese quarters
with that exception, it has never ap-
peared in the United States in man.
ner to attract any attention until last
week at Pensacola, Florida. having
been brought there from Mexico.
Both in India and in San Franciseo o
the white race was comparatively i'm
mune, not apparently because of any
physical difference. but because of
the more sanitary condition under
which the white race live.
1t is now known that rats carry
the disease and that it is communi-
Gated to man by the bite of flea
which has previously bitten an in
fected rat. 1t is where rats and men
and fleas mingle together that the
plague flourishcs.
AS its method of spreading is
known the health authorities know
how to fight it and there is only a
very remote danger of its ever as
suming any alarming proportions in
this country.
The Dallas News in the course of
an editorial on the subject says:
"lt has been many years, the doc
tors say, since the country has been
quite free of the buhonic plague.
For long time, they declare. there
have been eases Of it continually in
some of the ports. nntab',y San
Francisco. This assurance should
be quieting To the ncrvcI of those
who may have been excited bv the
discovery of Il case " I%o a. Fen
sacOla and Galveston. II must sug-
gest that the ordinary indivi lual'S
fear greatly cXaggeratcs the dan
ger, and the more so since his idea
Of the diseases deadline>s probably
survives from the time when mcdi-
cal science could do little more than
preside over the death of any one
who contracted it. Not only has
a pretty good cure been discovered
but the means of preventing an cpl
demic has also been found"
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And pow fhn s,n l., ,r,;r, l., e.,