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43
Plague Memorandum.
(1) Administrative Considerations.
Plague having for the space of nearly two centuries receded from
Europe, has in recent years once more trended westward, and has now
again appeared in Great Britain. Sanitary Authorities of England
and Wales will therefore need to he on the alert to detect the presence
of this disease in their districts, with a view to prevent its becoming
epidemic among their populations.
It is to be anticipated, from the behaviour thus far of the recent
western extension of the disease, that Plague will not readily fasten 011
that section of our population which is properly housed, cleanly, and
generally, in a sanitary sense, well-to-do; that rather it will especially
affect, if it obtains foothold in one and another district, insanitary
areas such as are peopled by the poorest class, and where overcrowding
of persons in houses and dirt and squalor of dwellings and
of inhabitants tend to prevail.
In these circumstances the following facts respecting Plague
deserve to be borne in mind:—
(1) Plague has an incubation period of 3 to 5 (in exceptional
cases of perhaps 8 to 10) days.
(2) Plague is wont, especially in its earlier manifestations, to
assume a mild form, or even to present anomalous
symptoms, tending to confound it with other and more
innocent diseases.
(3) Plague in all its forms must needs be regarded as
sonally infective.
(4) Plague affects rats as well as the human subject; it may,
indeed, be found causing mortality among these lower
animals, antecedent to its definite invasion of the
population. There can be no doubt that the rat and
man are, as regards Plague, reciprocally infective