The Popular Science Monthly, October, 1900: Vol. 57, May, 1900 to October, 1900Various
History
The Popular Science Monthly, October, 1900: Vol. 57, May, 1900 to October, 1900
Various
Science -- Periodicals; Technology -- Periodicals
The way in which the disease spread from Yunnan has been quite clearly
established. Along the Tonkin frontier, throughout the provinces of
Quan-si and Yunnan, the Chinese maintain a large number of military
posts. Mule supply-trains for these posts passed from province to
province over the difficult mountain paths. The mule-drivers were
natives of Yunnan. In 1892 the plague existed in Yunnan, and it was in
the summer of 1893 that the disease appeared at Long-Cheou in Quansi
among the Yunnan mule-drivers. These drivers arriving at the post of
Lieng-Cheng, after one of their journeys from Yunnan, repaired to the
city of Long-Cheou, about ten miles distant. During their sojourn in
this city the muleteers developed the first known cases of the plague.
From these men the disease spread throughout the city and to the
neighboring posts and villages.
From Long-Cheou the plague descended the Canton River and reached
Naning-Phu. From thence it followed overland to the seaport Pakhoi,
some hundred and fifty miles distant. A few months later, in February,
1894, it reached Canton, either by descending the river from Naning-Phu
or by boat from Pakhoi. That the plague at Canton, in 1894, had not
lost any of its old-time destructiveness is seen in the fact that it is
estimated to have caused not less than one hundred thousand deaths in
Canton in the short space of two months.
From Canton the plague spread to Hong Kong in April, 1894. It was
during the existence of this epidemic that the first bacteriological
studies of the disease were made and resulted in the discovery of the
plague bacillus. In the fall of 1894, the disease died out in Hong
Kong, but it reappeared in 1895 and 1896. Considering the fact that
Hong Kong is one of the most important maritime centers, it is not
surprising to find that in the spring of 1896 the plague was carried
by shipping to the Island of Formosa. It is quite certain that about
the same time the plague was carried from Hong Kong to Bombay. At all
events, the existence of this disease was recognized in Bombay in
September, 1896, by Doctor Viegas. Previous to this date, the mortality
in Bombay was abnormally high, undoubtedly due to the very unsanitary
condition of the overcrowded city.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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