BUBONIC plague the dreaded
"black death" of the Orient will
never get a foothold In the Unit
ed States, or In any other civilized coun
try where modern methods of sanita
tion prevail. This Is the assertion of
Surgeon General Wyman of the United
States army and It Is Indorsed by medi
cal experts generally. So far as known
only tvo cases of genuine bubonic
plague have been found In the United
States. These were brought Into New
York last fall on a steamer from San
tos, Brazil, where the disease Is now
epidemic. There was considerable
alarm when the fact of the presence
of the plague was known, but this
quickly passed off when It became evi
dent that the quarantine regulations In
this country are such that It Is almost
Impossible for a disease of this nature
to spread. Since then vessels have been
continually arriving from Santos, but
no new cases of the pin true have riov!
oped. "So far as the United States Is con
cerned," says Surgeon General Wyman,
"there Is absolutely no danger of a bu
bonic plague Invasion. The plague Is
essentially a dirt disease; It cannot
thrive where the people are cleanly,
and well-nourished; or where modern
methods of sanitation prevail. It la
found In Its worst stages in lands like
India and China, whore the natives are
dirty In their personal habits; where
the very soil is saturated with tilth;
where there Is an utter lack of anything
like sanitation even of the crudest klud,
and where the people's bodies, weaken
ed and emaciated by lack of proper
food, luvlte disease."
Most Deadly of Diseases.
Under the conditions obtaining In the
Orient, the bubonic plague Is the most
virulent and deadly of diseases. The
symptoms manifest themselves In from
twelve hours to twelve days after the
system absorbs the disease; the usual
period being about four days. At first
the patient complains of high fever, a
swelling of the glands of the thigh and
groin, and sometimes of the neck, and
Jinally becomes delirious. The crisis Is
reached In from two to eight days, gen
erally In forty-eight hours. If life can
be prolonged for live or six days the
chances of successful treatment are
greatly Increased. As a rule, however,
little can be done to save the natives
of the countries where the plague Is epi
demic. A few of the well-nourished
ones escape; of the rest death claims
nn average of from 50 to 100 per cent,
of the total number of cases. This fear
ful mortality Is best shown In the fol
lowing figures, furnished by Dr. Wy
inan: Bombay, cases 21iO.!H)7, deaths
1(14,083; Hong-Kong, cases 1,000, deaths
1,541; Formosa, cases 2,408, deaths
1,80(1. Strangely enough this death
rate varies greatly according to nation
alities. From statistics obtained during
the prevalence of the plague In Hong
Kong the following otllclal showing Is
made, the percentage being based on
the total number of cases reported:
Chinese, SKI deaths out of every 100 por
tions attacked with the disease; Fast
I nutans, ,77 out of every 100; Japanese,
tfO; Eurnslans, 100; Europeans. IS. This
email relative percentage of mortality
among Europeans Is attributed to bet
ter blood and stamina, aud to the suc
cess of treatment In the early stages
of the disease, the Intelligence of the
European leading him to call In a physi
cian at the first sign of trouble, while
the Ignorance and prejudice of the Ori
entals prompt them to conceal them
selves and reject medical aid.
An Interesting suggestion as to the
cause for the great prevalence and mor
tality of the plague in India aud China
is ottered by Dr. Charles W. Dabney,
Jr., who attributes It to the fact that
the people, when fed at all, live almost
entirely upon rice and other grains
which contain, very little protein, meat
or tlsh being rare articles of diet, while
wheat, oats, Indian coin and rye, all
of which are richer lu protein than rice,
are unknown, lu other words, the
I
I
rusua
The Plague in History.
The plague prevailed In Athens In
4H2-429 It. C. anil reappeared eight
een months after It was thought to
have been stamped out.
Id the third rentury B. C. pestilences
swept away countless numbers iu
Egypt
LIvy records a great plngue that de
stroyed millions In various parts of
Africa lu the third century It. C.
In 642 A. D. the plague spread over
Egypt and reached Constantinople,
where 10,001) died In a day. In the
snme century It ravaged Italy and
Northern Africa.
In the seventh century the plague In
vaded Knglund and claimed scores
of victims.
In 1270 It appeared In Cairo and Con
stantinople, spread, and became epi
demic. In the fourteenth century the pesti
lence came from Arabia and swept
Egypt, Armenia, Asia Minor, North-
eru Africa and nearly all Europe.
Ilecker, the historian, estimates that
It claimed 2r,0u0,0tM victims In Eu
rope during the century.
In 1400, 40.0(10 died from plague In
Western Europe.
Id 1572 pestilence swept nway 50,000
people lu and nenr Lyons, and In
157(1 more than 70.0U0 died In and
around Venice.
In 1040 the plague depopulated Na
ples, claiming 300,000 victims In live
months.
In 1054-55 London suffered ravages
by the pestilence and 100,000 died.
In 1720 one-third of the people of
Marseilles died nnd the following
year 88,000 died In Toulon and tue
whole of I'ruvence.,
In 1743 nearly 50,000 died In Messina.
In 1771 the plague destroyed 50,000
lives in Moscow.
In 1835 Cairo again was visited by
the plague and ouu-tlfth of the peo
ple died.
HOW RUSSIA CURES
Unfortunate coolies suffering from
mercy by the Czar's soldiers.
bodies of these natives lack proper
nourishment.
Methods of Contracting Plnicue.
Medical scientists nave doteim.ned
that bubonic plague may be contracted
In three ways by Inoculation through
an external wound or abrasion, by res
piration (breathing air laden with the
plague germs), and by introduction
Into the stomach of food or water that
has become infected. Contrary to the
PROGRESS OF THE I'LAUUE ACROSS THE PACIFIC.
general belief, the disease is not Infec
tious or contagious lu the ordinary
manner. A person might even sleep lu
a bed occupied by a plague victim, or
wear clothing taken from his body, and
yet escape Infection, provided there
were no wouuds or abraslous ou the
skin lu which the disease germs could
get lodgment. Even the breath of a
patient Is not necessarily poisonous,
the greatest sourco of danger being In
the discharges from the swellings. All
this being granted, the question, will
naturally arise, Why, then, should the
disease rage so among the Orientals?
The assertion that the plague Is not
usually lufectlous or contagious In the
ordinary way applies only to peopte
who are ordinarily cleanly In their hab
its. To those acquainted with the
' Oriental no further explanation is uec-
n m - mw;, , my,
ohutlt iuuiiraix
f
Plague in Last Decade.
1890 and 1801 Sporadic cases In Ton
quin and Hong-Kong.
1892 Carried to Lang-Tchu nnd Yun
Nan. 1893 and 1894-Epldemlc at Tonquln,
Hong-Kong, Canton, Laug-'J'chu
and Yun-Nun.
1895 to 1897 Sporadic cases at Yun
Nan and Lang-Tchu and along the
Manchurlan frontier; also In vari
ous parts of India.
1898 Plague becomes epidemic In
Bombay and Calcutta, and famine
paves the way for Its renewed In
roads along the Mauchurlau fron
tier. June, 1S99 Pestilence sprends rap
Idly In Hong-Kong, Bombay and
Calcutta, and many cases appear at
Uuugoon and Singapore.
July, 1809-Epldemlc at Port Arthur,
Newchwang, Crefoo nnd Tien-Tsln,
and plague spreads to Australia
and Shantung.
August, 1899 Disease appears at To
kin and Knhe In J:i;:ni, and at CUe
ii) u I no, In Corea; also spreads to
Vladlvostock and through Siberia,
and becomes practleallv epidemic lu
Russian Province of Astrakhan.
November, 1800 Plague reaches Ma
nila, and two cases ure brought Into
port at New York.
December, 1899 Appears In Valpara
iso and other Pnclllc South Ameri
can ports, and breaks out In Hon
olulu and Noumed, New Caledonia.
January, 1900 Pestilence appears In
Sydney. New South Wules and
Nagasaki, Japan; also passes Cape
Horn and reaches Uio Janeiro nnd
Santos, Brazil; Kosnrio. Argentine,
and the Island of Cozumul, off the
coast of Yucatan.
February, 1900 Epidemic hrenks out
afresh In Honolulu afier being once
almost stamped out; also spreads to
other Hawaiian Islands.
THE BUBONIC FLAGUE.
the terrible disease are shot down without
essary. Once the plague gets a foot
bold among East Indians or Chinese
coolies it Is almost Impossible to check
it, except with the extermination of
the population affected. Hussia has
ndopted heroic methods In deallug with
the plague in its Chinese colonies. All
those affected are taken out and shot.
"It saves trouble aud other people's
lives," the Russian grimly remarks.
The conditions of environment favor-
c
o c
ffAWAIAN
lug the plague are similar to those that
eucourage typhus fever, namely, dens
ity of population, bad ventilation and
drainage, Impure water, Imperfect
nourishment, and inattention to sani
tary requirements.
It Is said of this disease, as of yel
low fever, that human habitations and
the soil may become so thoroughly In
fected as to establish endemlcity, or
regular recurrence of the disease. The
bacillus will Infect food aud water,
though how long It will retain Its viril
ity lu water Is as yet undetermined.
Heat and moisture, darkness, and the
presence of organic matter, vegetable
or animal, especially If lu a state of de
composition, furnish the Ideal condi
tions for the propagation of the plague
bacilli. Light, dryness and heat are
fatal to the germs. The bacilli are killed
by direct sunlight In three or four
hours, and In a dry room at ordinary
temperature In three or four days. A
temperature of 170 degrees Fahrenheit
kills the germs In five minutes, and so
lutions of corrosive sublimate, sul
phuric acid, or hydrochloric acid have
the. same etlect.
Treatment of Plague Patients.
The consulting committee of public
health of the French Government has
framed the following rules for the
treatment of patients:
A patient stricken with plague should
be Isolated and kept In a state of the
utmost cleanliness, the persons charged
with his care alone to have access to
him. The attendants should observe
the following precautious: To take
neither food nor drink in the sick-room;
never to take food without washing
the bands with soap and a disinfecting
solution; to rinse the mouth from time
to time, aud always before1 eating, with
a disinfecting solution; carpets, cur
tains, rugs aud other furniture to be re
moved from sick-room; cloths, cover
ings and mattresses to be disinfected
by steam or boiling at the conclusion
of the case, or as often as they accumu
late; the floor of the room to be washed
dally with a disinfecting solution.
To a French physician. Dr. Yersen,
belongs the honor of having discovered
a remedy for the plague. Dr. Yersen
was a student of the Fasteur institute
and a believer In the serum treatment.
At Amoy, China, in 1890, he first put
bis theories Into practice by using the
serum from an Immunized horse upon
cases of a severe type. He treated
twenty-three cases In this manner, all
of whom recovered excepting two.
whose cases were desperate from the
outset Since that time the Yersea
method has ben tested until its efficacy
Is now Incontestable. A French com
mission which has been investigating
the plague at Oporto. Portugal, reports
that In cases treated with the serum
the mortality was only 14 per cent.,
while In those not treated It was at
least 70 per cent. In a case in Bom
bay a European family resided, with a
numerous retinue of native servants,
in an Infected portion of the city. The
little daughter of the family was
stricken with the pest In a virulent
form; was treated with the serum, and
made a rapid recovery. As a precau
tionary measure the whole family were
subjected to Inoculation, and the same
measure, of treatment was offered to
the native domestics. Some accepted
and escaped infection, while six who
declined on the ground of religious
scruples were all stricken and five
died. A more crucial test could not have
been devised.
The bubonic plague, Dr. Wyman as
serts. Is the same old plague that for
centuries past has made its appearauce
at Intervals In various countries to
claim Its tribute of thousands upon
thousands of human lives, aud which
has been known In turn as the Levan
tine, Oriental and black plague, and
black death. The mere Index to the lit
erature on the subject a simple enu
meration of titles with authors covers
forty pages In the ludex catalogue of
the lfbrary of the surgeon general'!
office of the United States army.
e a
A
Fighting the plague with fire and
death quick obliteration of human be
ings at the gun muzzle aud the utter
extinction of dead bodies lu the ashes
of funeral pyres Is au excess of horror
In connection with the progress of the
dread black buboulc scourge. The cus,
torn of the disposal of bodies of plague
victims by the Russian army officials
In Manchuria Is Invariably that of In
cineration. Between July 0 and 15 last
over 300 coolies employed on the rail
road work near Newchwang, who be
came Infected by contact with coolie
laborers shipped from Hong Kong, and
who disclosed unmistakable evidences
of hnvlng the plague In its first stages,
were rounded up and shot by the Cos
sack soldiers employed iu gunrding tba
camps. Their bodies were piled on logs.
I saturated with petroleum and burned.
WHEN WOMEN VOTED. '
Privilege Extended to Unmarried Owu.
ers of Property.
Kentucky, which In 1845 made voters
of widows and spinsters who were
holders of real estate, only followed
the footsteps of Maryland, which had
done the same thing thirty years be
fore. I have not the authorities at
hand which would enable me to give
exact dates, but about the year 1820
unmarried women who were holders of
real estate to a given amount were en
titled to vote, and did very generally
exercise the right of franchise.
In colonial days the States of the
South generally made the ownership
of property a requisite to the exercise
of the right of franchise, while the
New England colonies generally made
church membership a necessary quali
fication of the voter. Following the
Idea that only property holders should
vote, It was a natural step to conclude
that all property holders should vote.
Maryland, therefore, decided that
where the ownership of property was
vested In a woman who had not a hus
band to represent her she should be a
voter.
I have many times heard my grand
mother tell of voting during the days
of her widowhood and describe the
manner of exercising the franchise in
those days. There was but one voting
place in the county, and all electors
were required to go to the county town
to cast their votes. She lived In the
county of Talbot, and the voting place
for the entire county was Easton, the
couuty seat. There was no casting of
a ballot, nor was the system like the
viva voce vote which prevailed In Ken
tucky until a few years ago. But the
candidates for office sat In the election
room, and each voter was expected to
look them over and Belect one for
whom he or she desired to vote, and
the clerks made a record of the decis
ion. Candidates for State offices were
expected to have representatives In
each county. These were leading peo
ple of the party to which the candidate
belonged, and each one was expected
to be well qualified to discuss the mer
its of the candidate he represented. In
those days the elections lasted four
nays In order to give ample time for
every one to get to the voting place.
Some time late In the '40s the spirit of
progress required a sweeping away of
the barriers which the property quali
fication had set up, aud a constitutional
convention decided In favor of giving
the ballot to every white male voter
who had reached the age of 21 years.
As the right of a woman to vote was
based on the Idea of property qualifica
tion, when that was swept away she
lost the ballot.
I merely recall this fact to show that
Maryland, which was the first colony to
guarantee religious liberty to all her
people, and which took the first steps
toward securing the present Constitu
tion of the United States, was also the
Srst to give the ballot to woman. Bos
ton Transcript.
Substitutes for Perfume.
The various devices adopted to serve
is a substitute for liquid perfume has
never been entirely satisfactory when
it comes to the necessity of Imparting
in enduring scent to a gown. The lit
tle silver hearts, perforated and con
taining the solid pellets of perfume,
were rather ornamental than useful,
?ven when there were no substitutes
for them. They are still In use and
Jropped Into the deepest recesses of the
corsage, exude a falut and not very en
during perfume. Most of the Paris
aressmakers put Into convenient places
In a gown the small bags of sachet
powder of the scent affected by the
wearer. Nearly every woman, who
makes an effort to keep up with these
novelties In daintiness, has her set of
tittle sachet bags to be worn In the
corsage, even if she does not have them
sewed in every dress.
In Command for Once.
A man o'-war was lying off Gibraltar,
and permission was given to the men
to go ashore for the day. The sailors
amused themselves In various ways
among others by riding about on don
keys, and their want of experience In
this line caused much amusement. An
I ifflcer observing one of the men sitting
hack very far on the animal called out:
"I say. Bill, get up more amidships!"
With an Injured air he replied:
"Well. sir. this Is the first craft I
I have ever commanded in my life, and
It 8 bard Indeed if I can't ride on the
juarter deck if I like." Answers.
Soil.
The pilgrim did not conceal the com
passion he felt.
"How," he exclaimed, "do you man
age to wring a living from such a poor
soil?"
"Oh, our soil makes an excellent
sandbag!" protested the dark, sinister
Inhabitant, regarding the other narrow
ly. Detroit Journal.
Vacation Arrangement.
"I can tell a woman's age by know
ing what she takes to the seaside In
her trunk."
"How do you tell?"
"Well, If she's under 30 she takes
more clothes than books: If hIip'o
80 she takes more books than clothes."
Art in Dress.
There is some wonder that a partlcu-
lnrlV eond limml nf rlrari la nnt namo.1
. - c " - o - m . u w uaiuvti
' the "Don't Worry."