STUDIES ON PNEUMONIC PLAGUE AND PLAGUE 

 IMMUNIZATION. 



I. INTRODUCTION. THE EXPEDITION TO MANCHURIA AND 



THE CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH THE WORK WAS 



PERFORMED THERE. 



By Richard P. Strong. 

 {From the Biological Laboratory, Bureau of Science, Manila, P. I.) 



During the winter of 1910 to 1911, Manchuria was ravaged 

 by an epidemic of pneumonic plague which in modern times 

 knows no parallel. Upon the receipt of cable advices from the 

 War Department, Washington, and the American National Red 

 Cross Society, sufficient laboratory apparatus for emergency 

 work in plague was hastily packed and Doctor Teague and the 

 writer proceeded with this equipment by the quickest possible 

 transportation to Mukden, Manchuria, arriving in this city on 

 March first. ^ Here our services were at once placed at the dis- 

 posal of the representatives of the Chinese Government. 



The story of the Manchurian epidemic of pneumonic plague 

 has been told at some length in the Report of the International 

 Plague Conference, recently published in Manila under the super- 

 vision of the writer. In the present report it is merely the 

 intention to recount our more important personal experiences 

 and studies regarding pneumonic plague, either carried out by 

 us in Manchuria or in this laboratory by ourselves or other 

 members of the staff of the laboratory since our return. The 

 epidemic had reached its height at Mukden a few days before 

 our arrival there, and our investigations were immediately com- 

 menced at the plague hospital where we found about 50 cases 

 of this disease on the occasion of our first visit. As is frequently 



' The expenses of this expedition to China, where Doctor Teaprue and 

 the writer acted as representatives of the American National Red Cross 

 Society and as American representatives to the International Plague 

 Conference, were larg:ely paid for by the American National Red Cross 

 Society and by the Chinese Government. 



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