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17
PLAGUE.
During the year, Plague has been widely prevalent. It has caused large
numbers of deaths in India, and cases have occurred in the Straits Settlements,
Siam, French Indo China, China, Japan, New Caledonia, Hawaiian Islands,
South America—including the Argentine Republic, Brazil, Chili, Peru,
Ecuador, Venezuela, and Island of Trinidad.
A few cases occurred in North America in the State of California, where
ground squirrels were found to be extensively infected with Plague.
Africa.—Egypt was also affected—cases occurring at Alexandria, Port
Said, Damietta and Ismailia, and in some of the internal provinces; also in
German East Africa, Zanzibar, Mauritius, Tunis, and a few cases occurred
in Morocco.
Europe.—Southern Russia, Lisbon, Asia Minor, Persian Gulf, and two
cases occurred in the Port of London, whilst four persons are alleged to
have died from this disease in East Anglia.
The recent occurrence of Plague in human beings in East Anglia, together
with the existence of this disease amougst rats, hares, and other rodent
animals in that locality, has naturally drawn the attention of the public to the
danger arising from this dread disease, which has not been epidemic to this
country since 1679.
In 1900, and two subsequent years, small outbreaks occurred at Glasgow, and
in Liverpool, Cardiff, and Leith during the past 10 years. The widespread
existence of Plague throughout the world during the past year, with regular
and constant communication by vessels from infected ports, naturally has
exposed this country to the risk of the introduction of plague. It has been
definitely proved that this disease particularly affects rodent animals, such as
rats, mice, hares, rabbits, squirrels, &c., and that it is communicated from the
animal to man by means of the fleas, e.g., when an animal dies it becomes
cold, its blood no longer circulates and affords sustenance for the fleas,
consequently the flea leaves its host and attaches itself to another rodent, or
even to man. When a flea requires nourishment it pierces the skin with its
pricker, at the same time injecting an irritating acrid fluid which causes the
well-known irritation associated with the bite of these insects. If the flea had
previously been feeding on the blood of an animal the subject of plague, the
stomach would contain numerous plague bacilli in a living condition, by
a regurgitation of the stomach contents through the mouth the bacilli being
then injected with the saliva or on rhe pricker, or being rubbed into the
wound made by the pricker.