APPLETONS' 



POPULAR SCIENCE 



MONTHLY. 



SEPTEMBER, 1899. 



AKE WE IN DANGER FROM THE PLAGUE? 



Bt victor c. vaughan, 



PEOFESSOR OF HYGIENE IN THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN. 



IIST an article on the plague in this journal, in May, 1897, the 

 wi'iter answered this question as follows : " Yes, there is dan- 

 ger; but this, being foreseen, may be easily avoided. Thorough 

 inspection of persons and disinfection of things from infected dis- 

 tricts will keep the disease out of Europe and America. Only by 

 the most gross carelessness could the plague be permitted to enter 

 either of these continents." 



It will be of interest to take up this subject again, and study 

 it in the light of the history of the plague since the article referred 

 to was wrrtten. The plague first appeared in western India, at 

 Bombay, where it still prevails. We are without any exact infor- 

 mation concerning its introduction into that city. Before the out- 

 break of the disease at Bombay the mortality had increased so 

 markedly that it was a subject of discussion for three meetings of 

 the Grant Medical Society. The increase was attributed to the 

 filthy condition of the streets. This society made an investigation 

 of the increased mortality, and presented a report on the same to 

 the municipal authorities. Instead of heeding the warning, the 

 authorities jeered at the society, and refused to allow the report 

 to be read. 



Dr. Viegas appears to have been the first physician to recog- 

 nize the existence of the plague in 'the city. In a paper read be- 

 fore the Grant Medical Society on JSTovember 24, 189 G, he dis- 

 cussed the possible and probable avenues by which the disease had 

 found its way into the town. He stated that sugar and dates had 



