BUBONIC PLAGUE.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 86, 12 April 1911, Page 4

BUBONIC PLAGUE.

TO THE EDITOB. Sir, — In iho year 1664 a bale of goods ■\\ as opened up at a hcuho in St. Gilt S London. Shoitly afterwards ioui' persons who had handled the goods died. This v, cv the commencement of tho Gtvul PLiguo in London. A Frenchman who< Incl near tho infected home, and had piobably conu in con^cl mth those per:>ous stricken, moicd into another part of tho city, whero ha died from plague^ thus forming another distributing contio ior the disaasa. From this the Fprsad was rapid, and the giuesorcio details of tho terrible acorn go which decimated Lond&n in (ho bixlecnth century are matters of history. To corns a littlu 'Aiii.rov medern ti'ncb, v. o havo iced of outbreaks of plague, with all its attendant horrors, m China, Indin, and Africa, and to-day wo pick up our paper and iind this tenor on our own threshold .Happily, in New Zealand, with its beautiful bracing oiiinaie, its bmt-ii native population, and healthy European population, and iis indofatigabio Healtn Department, there is little feat of a serious outbreak taking place, but ihe pliguo having gained a tcothold 1 in ihis country, nothing should bo lei's undone to ljivvcui. tho &pread ot and to suinip chu difeaso out. We h:i\o ships (•teaming into our ports ficm all parts of the Viorld, and vhdt took pli»co in London in IGM may take place in Wellington to-moriow. Had tho authorities in London, in iho iixtetuth century, been in pc:^ess.ion of the hygienic knov ledge the medical faculty uijojs to-day, tLey would hr.iO promptly isoiai.ed all persons coming in contact with pkigue-infcetcd per- j t,o"s and places, and by a liberal use oi dib'nfccti'iits succeeded in stamping it on!. It n well known to-day that the common 1-a.E is n very octi\e medium in the spread of plague and other infectious •libcasoß. The destruction of this, insidious rodent is the modern plague-fighters' first lino of t'.Uack. Immediately prior to all out-biiv-ks of plague, oboctvont medical men 'mAO uou'.d an oxee'-=ivo mortality amongst vvzs. In \. archou'c^, v. luirvco, tirbloj, and tumbledown dwelling; — congernal places for tho 2at vo foi-ygo ami b'»t»i in — Ihcir dead bodies ya-e found ijmg about, and on e-i.innniit'on .'ho..' epotly tho s:>mo symytcin-' c-s a, huma 1 victim, whether ia tho nulmouarj or bubonic at: go. Rdts v.hen'Euiionug" iroj-i poison or oJ'cr forms oC dkei'sc mvaiiobh tea': iho slicker cf their nest, but when Ljtiiieiing iron pLiguo they ir :•].■(» ior tho open air. Pe.-sou 1 ; seeing djfi'l" rrt; lying about should be very cai-oful hou- ihoy hindlo tliei.", and if tho do;x.l r:ns iTd plentiful {hey should notify the Health iKparlment. Them, is probably moro danger of infection from t'm eoui-co Uian any other. Tho iat is a nomad, very lutlo causing him to migrate Thus a few rats dying from plague in an in-fect-jd area will causo a general exodus of plrgue-stiicken rats to other parts of the «ity, spreading diseaso i's they go. Ships coming from otlior counrries may be ifie me an 8 of intioc'ucing plague- through tho rnt, and we notice rh^t whilo precautionary measures aio taken in Iho way of raoial disco to prevent thu izx, from doing j Blondin (as it were) along the hawser Torn ship' to whaif, there is absolutely t'othing to prevent him disembarking- in a more dignified^lll armor pel medium of tho iabon or second-class gangway. This could easily bo accomplished by having a piece of small mesh '-niio netting

stretched acrosi tho gangway during tho ni^ht. While thero is no cause for alarm tit iho small ouibicak in Auckland, there is coi't?inly every reason why stuet preoviiiioaary measures should be ta':cn to proient rhis disease getting n finr; foothold in out 1 fair Dominion.— l I'm, etc., KEEK. Wellington, 7th April, 1911.