THE BUBONIC PLAQUE. 579 



The sanitary condition of these South American cities is far from 

 being the best, and, consequently, there is but little hope that the dis- 

 ease will be eradicated or even held in check. With South America 

 more or less thoroughly infected, it is evident that the United States, as 

 well as Europe, are now threatened from all sides. The gravity of the 

 situation is seen in the fact that already last November two cases of 

 the plague were found in New York harbor aboard a coffee ship from 

 Santos. Several cases have also developed on ships bound from the 

 latter city for Mediterranean ports. 



The United States is threatened not merely from the East Atlantic 

 and South Atlantic, but also from the Pacific. As a matter of fact, the 

 danger to our Pacific ports is greater, owing to the direct communica- 

 tion with the Orient. It has been already indicated that Hong Kong 

 has continued to be infected ever since 1894. On several occasions it 

 disappeared during the winter months, only to reappear in spring. 

 With the more or less constant prevalence of the plague at this great 

 seaport, it necessarily will lead directly or indirectly to a dissemination 

 of the disease along the entire Pacific. Already it has prevailed at 

 Amoy, and has even extended to other Chinese ports as far as Niu- 

 Chwang. For several years it has already persisted on the island of 

 Formosa. Japan was invaded last fall at Kobe and at Osaka, and al- 

 though it disappeared during the winter, yet only a few weeks ago it has 

 reappeared at the latter city. Sidney in Australia, and Noumea in New 

 Caledonia, are also infected at the present time. 



Manila, Honolulu and San Francisco have successively become in- 

 fected. In all these places the disease, with but very few exceptions, 

 has attacked the native or Oriental population. The extinction of the 

 plague in the Hawaiian Islands since the end of March is a splendid 

 demonstration of what energetic, vigorous measures can accomplish. 

 The presence of the plague since March 8 in Chinatown, in San Fran- 

 cisco, is readily recognized as a most serious condition, especially after 

 the courts have granted an injunction restraining the health officers 

 from carrying out the necessary vigorous preventive measures. 



A few words should be given here to the overland dissemination 

 of the disease. Europe is not merely threatened by infected ships 

 which may come from China, India, Eastern Africa or South America. 

 The overland routes from China and India are fully as grave a source of 

 danger. Indeed, as will be presently shown, these are the routes along 

 which the great epidemics of cholera and plague have always traveled 

 in the past. 



One of these great caravan routes leads from Lahore in Punjab 

 through Afghanistan into the Kussian province of Turkestan, where 

 it meets the Trans-Caspian railway. This railway begins at Samar- 

 cand in Turkestan, and passes through Bokhara, Merv, Askabad and 



