64 J. B. CLELAND. 
contracting the disease. His account, however, of two hogs 
‘trifling with their snouts’’ amongst the rags of a poor 
man who had died of the disease, and almost immediately 
dying themselves, cannot be taken as an instance to support 
his statement. 
De Foe’s ‘‘ History of the Plague in London, 1665,’’ is 
doubtless well-known to you all, and is well worthy of peru- 
sal. Hirsch+ gives a full historical summary of the recog- 
nised occurrences of epidemics of plague. 
A SUMMARY OF THE+ OCCURRENCE OF CASES OF PLAGUE IN 
AUSTRALIA. 
In Australia, from 1900 to 1909 inclusive, at least 1214 
indigenous cases of plague occurred, with 470 deaths, a 
mortality of about 39 per cent. There were in addition a 
few extra cases which had been infected on board ship. 
These either developed the disease at sea or, if after arrival 
at an Australian port, under circumstances showing that 
the infection had not been contracted ashore in Australia. 
A few deaths, probably not more than a dozen altogether, 
occurred amongst these exotic cases. 
New South Wales.—Between 1900 and 1909 there were 617 
eases and 210 deaths in this State. 
1900.—The first case of plague in New South Wales, and 
also in Australia, occurred in Sydney on January 19th, 
1900. A second case appeared five weeks later, and during 
the first outbreak, between January 19th and August 9th, 
303 cases and 103 deaths were recorded. 
1901-1902.—Single cases of plague occurred on November 
Ath and December 8th, 1901, whilst the main second outbreak 
lasted from January 10th or 11th to June 8th, 1902. There 
were 139 cases, 39 of which were fatal. The last plague rat 
was found on July 14th, 1902. An indigenous fatal case 
1Hirsch, Handk. of Geograph. and Hist. Path., Vol. I, p. 494, 
