Grey River Argus and Blackball News PUBLISHED DAILY SATURDAY, APRIL 8th, 1911.

Grey River Argus, 8 April 1911, Page 4

Grey River Argus and Blackball News PUBLISHED DAILY SATURDAY, APRIL Bth, 1911.

Our telegrams yesterday reported a fatal case of pneumonic plague at Auckland. This cannot fail to be noted as a rather grave incident to Auckland in the [first place, and perhaps to a less extent to the whole, dominion; tout it does, not follow that there is any real cause Jor alarm. Plague cases have been reported from •Auckland before this, as has also happened in 'Australia. It is probable thai such and similar oases will occur in Uhe future \fvoiu linw to time, just as all countries may expect that are brought into . contact. . with i lie afflictions of the Kast thro- • ugh commerce. • The casn u\ferred to was that of a nurse who ha<.l attended upon a plague patient, the nurse dying. si>on after her . patient, ' though she was isolated as soon as she was diagnosed to be affected with pinyue. While tiicre are variou I th(?oiiw.v ; in( j considerable ■ doubt aa to how plague is disseminated, thei'o. is no room far doubt that personal con tact is the most dangerous, certain and deadly. A strong impression has prevailed for some time, both over seas and in thu Old World, that rut* are Vho great distributors of plaguo gorms ; but those who study the question are beginning to question the correctness of the theory. It has not yet liven made clear that .the rat flea lives m the habitations of man. or that the whereabouts of man's flea , ,would 'be found to be congenial to the flea of the rodents. (Neither has the collection of facts regarding the disease b^en sufficient to prove that it is pandemic, peculiar to man every where. Plague is never heard of amongst roving tribes who are .constantly shifting their camp to look" for fresh pasturage or fresher and more fruitful hunting grounds. The American Indian does not know of plagues nor the (Australian Black, nor the restless tribes of the central plains of Asia, neither of whom remains long enough at one spot to contaminate the soil. It is easy enough to understand why the mysterious East should (be generally regarded as the origin of plague. There ' are so" many hives of humanity in India and China in the low lying, ■miasmatic lands" in .the stagnant valleys of those countries, tha/t with their primitive and insanitary village system it "as not very remarkable that soil which has been the abode of human beings for ages should become thoroughly stooped with the germs of diseases of'various kinds, and be liable to break . out at any "time when favourable • conditions arise. One of the mysteries of plague, like other diseases to which human 'beings are liable, is how it runs its course, or why It should stop at all before all the people are killed off. ( It is equally puzzling- why rats, which seem so susceptible to plague infection — they are certainly more in the way of i infection than m}an or any other animal, that comes within his social economy—is not exterminated during plague visitations. A great many outbreaks of plague have occurred in various parts of Europe in the course- of modem history- It is not quite ■■certain, either, that ■ the.-disease has been alway^ ' traceable ; to the lEast. It is a little inscrutable 'how the disease should suddenly < stop after carrying 1 away thousands. In most cases, in those early days, the hygienic conditions, of the affected localities had not materially changed for the better .' before the plague stopped of itself. The ravages rf those plague epidemics are in some respects . not unlike a bush fire. Though at first total destruction is threatened, the fire runs its course, leaving large areas and patches of forest and verdure undamaged by some unaccountable freak of nature. A similar capriciousness marks the destruction that arises from the various zymotic disease. They develop and go on their deadly way, and are arrested in some mysterious fashion, though ithere may be every reason for believincr that the fermenting germs of the disease still exist. Worth noting, too, m connection with the outbreak' of plague in Manchuria

is that its most deadly work was put in during, the coldest of the months of winter. A very similar phenomenon occurred at Montreal, Canada, where a disease of a choleraic nature carried off a great many persons during the coldest months of winter. Yet severe . cold ought :o prevent the fermentation of poisonous germs or bacteria of any kind Ordinarily we should as soon expect to see "Yellow Jack" in the midst of a Canadian or 'Manchurian winter as cholera or plague. , But there mc the facts that ißussi a developed cholera in winter and Manchuria was afflicted simultaneously^ with plague. While we may not hope to be always successful in warding off all the afflictions by disease .that the human race is liable to, there is every reason to believe that the fell plague can never take hold of any com,mtiti- ! ity that looks after its sanitary ie- ! qui laments in a proper and effective ; manner. The invincible antagonist of plague and all diseases of (I at class is cleanliness ,pure water lo drink.' and thoroughly .good &ani(,iry avmng-ements. The Russo-Japaifese I War demonstrated the value o* hygienic precautions in the most '■•mirk .able- way.. While the Russian tr my lost many thousands by disease, the Japanese did not lose onehalf per cent from those diseases incidental to a soldier's life. ll is therefore pretty safe to say that while the various, ports in Australasia may expect plague cases from 'time 'to time, there is no more cause for public alarm than if it were sickness or any .'o'.ht»r kind. Banish dirt and disease will usually go elsewhere.