Nov. 1899.] BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH. 237 



the most rapidly fatal. Death generally occurs within 

 three or four days of the first symptom, often much earlier. 

 If the patient can survive the eighth day, the buboes in 

 the groin and elsewhere either subside of themselves or 

 suppurate, and he often recovers. A patient I saw at 

 Darrayari on the 9 th May was believed by his friends to 

 have recovered, and to be out of danger. Although it was 

 only eight or nine days since he was first attacked, he was 

 able to walk about, and had a fair appetite. 



3. Of all known diseases, without any exception, plague 

 {gola rog) has the shortest period of incubation. 



The period of incubation of cholera is about forty-eight 

 hours ; the period of incubation of yellow fever, about the 

 same ; the period of incubation of smallpox, about twelve 

 days; whereas the period of incubation of plague is certainly 

 less than twenty-four hours, — consequently any person who 

 has no symptom whatever for twenty-four hours after 

 visiting an infected place may consider himself safe. This 

 well-known law of Egyptian plague was well illustrated in 

 the case of a woman who lived in the healthy village of 

 Kheti, in Sili Chandpur. She slept one night in the 

 infected village of Khirsal, in Sili Chandpur, and was 

 attacked with plague next morning while walking home. 

 She managed to reach her home, and the next day, a child 

 living in her house was attacked. Xo other case occurred 

 in any other house in Kheti village. 



4. In Garhwal, as is well known, and as is mentioned 

 by Dr. Eenny, Dr. Pearson, Dr. Francis, and all other 

 observers, the disease is remarkable from the fact that rats 

 and mice often die in the houses in great numbers, some 

 time before any human being is attacked. In some cases 

 serpents are also found dead, and, though very rarely, 

 jackals. Now rats and mice feed upon stored-up grain, 

 like human beings. Serpents feed upon dead or dying 

 rats. Jackals occasionally feed on dead bodies of persons 

 who have died of the plague. The relations of the diseased 

 often flee to the jungles, leaving the dead bodies lying in 

 the village. 



5. As far as is known, plague never occurs in cattle, 

 sheep, or goats which feed on grass, shrubs, or rarely on 

 arrowing corn. 



