EPIDEMIC DISEASES, SANITARY CONTROL OF. 



291 



on within it. A cordon consists of a body of 

 police, militia, or military, patrolling a certain 

 line, extending, according to the necessities of 

 the case, a sufficient distance to completely in- 

 vest the infected district. A better illustration 

 can not be given of a sanitary cordon than the 

 description of the manner in which it was 

 managed in Russia, and more recently in the 

 United States. The Oriental plague made its 

 appearance in the district above Astrakhan, in 

 Russia, about the middle of November, 1878. 



the owners, shall be reserved for a special com- 

 mission, under the presidency of the Governor 

 of Astrakhan, with the participation of mem- 

 bers of the Cossack administration and of the 

 Ministry of the Finances, the Ministry of the 

 Domains, and the Ministry of the Interior, ac- 

 cording to regulations which shall be prepared 

 on the spot by the aforesaid commission. 



" (c.) This commission shall be charged with 

 the execution of all the measures that may be 

 necessary for the destruction by fire of the 



It prevailed along the river Volga, and upon colony of Wetljankaja, as likewise of all meas- 

 its islands. The center of the malady was in ures necessary to supply the population trans- 

 the village of Wetljankaja, with a population of ferred from that colony with food, undercloth- 



some seventeen hundred inhabitants. The 

 Governor of Astrakhan telegraphed to the 

 Minister of the Interior the report of the medi- 

 cal supervisor of the Cossack forces in the dis- 

 trict of Astrakhan, Dr. Depner. A few cases 

 had appeared in the previous year, but the dis- 

 ease had not become epidemic until, as before 

 stated, November, 1878. From the 27th of 

 November to the 9th of December, out of one 

 hundred sick in Wetljankaja, forty-three died; 

 and in less than a month two hundred and sev- 

 enty-three persons died of the disease. It then 

 spread from Wetljankaja to the surrounding vil- 

 lages, and was declared epidemic. "Dr. Koch 

 and six army-surgeons became victims to the 



ing, and warm garments to provide for the 

 treatment of the sick, etc. 



u 2. That the acting Minister of the Interior 

 may be authorized to extend the measures re- 

 ferred to concerning the colony of Wetljankaja, 

 to other villages, as well as to isolated build- 

 ings everywhere, to such extent as shall be 

 deemed indispensable. 



" 3. That three regiments of Cossacks may 

 be immediately placed at the disposal of the 

 civil administration for the quarantine service. 



" 4. That all outlays necessary for the exe- 

 cution of the measures above referred to, and 

 to meet the expenses of all measures that may 

 be required by the present epidemic, may be 



epidemic, the priest died, the Cossacks who charged to the account of the imperial treas- 

 attended the sick or removed the dead died ; ury." 

 almost all died who in 

 any way came in contact 

 with the sick or dead." 

 Dr. Depner then arrived 

 at the conclusion that the 

 only means for suppress- 

 ing the disease was quar- 

 antining ; and on the llth 

 of December Dr. Depner 

 with Colonel Preibanow 

 instituted measures. He 

 could not prosecute fur- 

 ther observations, how- 

 ever, for he himself fell 

 sick with the plague. 

 These facts being tele- 

 graphed to the Emperor 

 of Russia, the imperial 

 committee of ministers 

 was convened, and the fol- 

 lowing rules were adopt- 

 ed, which received the 

 imperial sanction : 



"1. (a.) The inhabi- 

 tants of the colony of 

 Wetljankaja shall be 

 transferred and distributed 

 as shall seem best after a 

 careful examination of the 

 local requirements, the 

 limit of the quarantine 

 not to be overstepped. 



" (5.) The appraisement of the movable and 

 immovable property destroyed by fire, as like- 

 wise the fixing of the indemnities to be paid to 



MAP OF THE DISTRICT INFECTED BY PLAGUE. 



[The lines a a represent the military cordon drawn around the infected villages; 

 and b b the protective cordon maintained around Zarizin, an important com- 

 mercial point and terminus of the Russian railway system. The village of 

 Wetljankaja was the original and principal center of infection. Bulletin of 

 Public Health.] 



It was the unanimous conclusion that "the 

 plan of burning the colony of Wetljankaja (the 

 center of the infeetion) is proposed after a thor- 



