THE BUBONIC PLAGUE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11263, 5 January 1900, Page 5

THE BUBONIC PLAGUE.

ACTION BY NEW ZEALAND. By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright. Melbourne, January 4. In consequence of the plague in Noumea, the Government have proclaimed the Polynesia, Madagascar, and the Seychelles group infectcd, and have asked the Indian Government to supply plague vaccine. Sydney, January 4. The Premier has received a report from the British Consul at Noumea, stating that between Christmas Day and January 2, 14 cases of plague occurred, there being 10 deaths. A small supply of the prophylactic reached Sydney last night. The Noumea authorities have asked for a portion of it, and the Government is considering the matter. [by telegraph.—press association*.] Wellington, Thursday. New Caledonia and India have been proclaimed infected places, and the health officers throughout the colony have been warned to take precautions in the event of vessels arriving from ports at those places. The health authorities here received no advice of a Nineveh passenger being transferred to the Moana. As their term of quarantine must almost have expired, and the passenger was not a patient, tHy consider that if the action was correctly cabled, it is not irregular. SYDNEY'S DEFENCELESS POSITION. Proposed importation op PREVENTIVES. ELEVEN ARRIVALS FROM NOUMEA "AT LARGE."

At a meeting of the Central Board of Health (says the Sydney Morning Herald of Decembei 28), Dr. Ashburton Thompson reported what measures had been taken as precautions against the bubonic plague being imported from New Caledonia. The Board discussed the situation, and concluded thatall had been done which was necessary so far as isolation and disinfection are concerned. A kanaka woman and her child, who were passengers by the Pacifique from Noumea, have been sent on board that vessel in quarantine. One other of the Pacifique's passengers, a man, has been identified. He is ashore in Sydney, and complies with advice given to him by Dr. Thompson, who has him under daily supervision. This leaves five adults and one child, passengers by the Pacifique, still untraced, who are mingling freely with the population. To these have to be added five passengers by the steamer Maroc, which reached here from Noumea last Thursday, making a total of 10 adults and one child at large, who are liable to infect people through not being required to exercise any precautions. One of the Maroc's passengers went with her to Newcastle, but got away from the ship there, and returned to Sydney by train before the vessel was ordered into quarantine. During August, at the recommendation of Dr. Thompson, tho Government cabled for a litre and a-half of a prophylactic preventive of the bubonic plague, which has to be applied by inoculation. This material is prepared by Professoi Haffkine, C.1.E., of Bombay, at his " Plague Research Laboratory." Its value has been so great in preventing (lie spread of bubonic plague in India, that very large quantities are now being supplied for inoculation purposes to tho British Government, and to all parts of tho world. The stuff ordered for New South Wales has not yet come to hand, although it is expected by every mail. Sydney is therefore quite at the mercy of circumstances; that is, dependent on effective precautions being taken by quarantine and otherwise to save it 'n m the plague. Dr. fhompson says the amount ordered from Bombay would be sufficient to provide the community with immune nurses at quarantine if it arrived soon enough »o allow them to be inoculated, and recover from that process before patients bad to be treated. On the other hand, should opportunity not be afforded to allow nurses to be made immune, the doctor says his staff must break down if an outbreak occurs, because nurses and attendants would eithei be frightened of risking infection by dealing with the sick, or else they would accept the risk and soon becomo infected themselves. This statement of affairs shows how perilously New South Wales is situated in reference to the plague in New Caledonia. Dr. Thompson has laid the serious aspect of the matter before the Premier, adding that a very large quantity of prophylactic would be required to cope with a bubonic plague epidemic, of considerable proportions, the Premier has resolved to send to Professor Haffkine for a supplementary supply, but it is extremely doubtful whether it will be obtainable to the full extent of the order, or whether it can be delivered with reasonable promptitude. The laboratory at Bombay is known to be overtaxed, and oTders placed months ago cannot be fulfilled. That is, no doubt, the reason why the quantity sent for in August has not yet arrived.

Professor Haffkine has not made any secret of the manner in which the prophylactic may be manufactured. There are no patentrights difficulties to be considered. Hence it is quite open to the heal"h authorities of New .South Wales to engage in its production. Fourteen months ago this course was proposed to be adopted, but a great outcry was at once raised against giving the bubonic plague bacillus a home in anv part of Australia. Attention was given by the Reid Government to these objections, and the idea was abandoned. It is rather difficult to understand why no alternative course, which would have met requirements, was not adopted in a matter of such importance, because it would not have been hard to find some island on which the prophylactic could have been produced without any risk worth considering. Dr. Thompson says whilst he and his staff, ho believes, are quite competent to make the Haffkine prophylactic if supplied with some of the material as a basis, ho does not think they could make it by extracting virus from a patient suffering from bubonic plague. Probably the whole matter will bo reconsidered by the Government, in view of the peril now threatening from New Caledonia, In the meanwhile, it is questionable whether Sydney will be much safer if the bacillus is allowed to be imported from time to time, and kept in stock for inoculation on emergency—as will be the case when tho orders now transmitted to Bombay are executed—than -t would be if Dr. Thompson were allowed to cultivate the germs locally as originally intended. There would, in the latter event, be no risk, anyhow, of discovering, when an outbreak of plague occurs, that- the stores of prophylactic have been overheld and arc non-effective.

The Premier of New South Wales has advised tho Governments of the other Australian colonies and New Zealand of tho text of the telegram received from Noumea, Mr. Lyne also had an interview with Dr. Ashburton Thompson, and requested that the Board of Health should superintend all the operations necessary for safeguarding Sydney from the plague. Whilst the Premier docs not wish in any way to cause a panic, lie points out that it is advisable that the authorities should take all the measures possible to guard against the introduction of the disease. Even should the plague break out here he does not, to our improved sanitary conditions, think it likely that it would cause gravo havoc such as ithad done in India and other parts of the world. All that can be done, however, will bo done, and prompt action will be taken the moment necessity arises.

It may be stated that recommendations of a conference which met in Venice in 1896 have been adopted by the Powers in reference to the action to be taken as to quarantining for the bubonic plague. In requiring isolation for 12 days the New South Wales Health Department is exceeding the agreement by requiring two days' lonpei retirement. Disinfection is applied to linen clothing and bedding. Fresh water md bilge brought bv vessels iron! infected ports have to be discharged.

Amidst all the scare which periodically takes place through reported outbreaks of I tho bubonic plague, it seems to be overlooked that but few people know what this sickness really is. Precautions may well be taken, because it is said to be the most destructive of all epidemics. Rarely l<s< than 60, sometimes 90, per cent, of tlmse afftcfci d die. Speaking generally, it is a dirt disease, cultivated through living in insanitary surroundings under conditions of poverty and filth. The symptoms resemble those of severe fevers—shivering, high temperature, j

aching of bead, back, and limbs, and sickness, succeeded by great weakness and delirium. Death sometimes occurs before any characteristic symptoms are evolved, but, as a rule, the preliminary manifestations described are followed by black patches on tie skin, caused by subcutaneous hemorrhages. Bleeding takes place from the mucous membranes, and between the second ani third day buboes, or glanduhr swellings, appear on the neck, armpits, or groins, which break in due course, and suppurate fov ft long time. Good nursing, good nourishment., free stimulation, and early opening of the buboes are helpful. As a preventive Yersin's inoculation with prepared serum proved useful in the great Bombay epidemic of 1896-98. The buoonic plague is a highly infectious disease. The infection may b* conveyed by clothes, bedding, and direct contact with tEe sick. The bubonic plague is generally understood to be "a modification of the dreadful epidemic known as the Black Death, which swept all through Asia and Europe, from China to Ireland, in the fourteenth century, and carried off about 30,000,000 people. Black Death, which was particularly characterised by gangrenous inflammation of the respiratory organs, violent fixed pains in the chest, vomiting and spitting of blood, and a horribly offensive and pestiferous breath, did not disappear altogether from Europe until 1841. It existed in some parts of fgypt until 1844. Outbreaks of plagues have since occurred in various parts of Western and Central Asia, Northern Africa, and Eastern Europe, but they have been either the sufficiently terrible bubonic variety, now occurring in New Caledonia, or what is known as Mahamari, another modification of the Black Death. The bubonic plague has nothing in common with either typhus or any pernicious fever, or with relapsing fever. It has a special and unmistakable physiognomy of its own. Sufferers seem to be stupefied, as if intoxicated, and their countenances express apathy, leading one to suppose, were it not for other symptoms, that they were in no danger.