Phe Constant Menace from the Terabagan Once Report Dr. J. W. H. Chun, asting direc-for and chief medical officer of the North Manchurian Plague Preven: tion Service, Harbin, has courteously furnished us witha copy of the 12th annual report of the North Manchurian Plague Prevention Service, which has been submitted to the 'Waichiaopu. 'The report is in vho following terms:—'Su—I have the honour to submit w summary of the 12th annual general report of the North Bfanchurian Plague Prevention Service for the yore ending September, 1024, Tt' may be at once stated that during these past 12 months, the plague situation throughout' the world was serious.
In India, plague was very prevalent, for' between October, 1923, and May, 1924, 238,000 cases were reported, resulting in 180,000 deaths. "The most severely affected istrict was the Madras Presi- ca dency.
In 1923 there was a general increase of plague in the well-known and principal foci throughout the world, in the Kinghiz and Kalmuck regions in Russia, In British India, in the Straits Setilement, in Egypt, Siam, Mesopotamia, Persia, Afri Mudagasoar, and South America. Moreover, there does not seem to be any improvement in the situa tion in 1924, Coming nearer home, Hongkong appeared to be but little affected, while Japan, Foochow, Amoy, A\ tung and Nanking reported some eases.
North Manchurian has been free from plague, though two ca: were reported. from sub-station 83. Dauria in August, 1924, and one case from Haranor village in Sept gabor 1984, both places being in Soviet terrstor; of the Manchu Death of Two Workers fu Chiba, in December 1923, two laboratory. workers of the Veterinary Institute, a Indy doctor and a male assistant, died of pneuimonic plague. 'The lady doctor necidently spilled' an emulsion of plague culture on her apron, became ill five and a half days afterwards and died four days later. The male assistant was infected by her when he went to visit hor, The constant menace of Mat churia by plague is from Tri baikalia, There is an enormous territory involving practically the whole of Central Asia, from the Hingun Mountains in Manchuria to the Ural Provinces in Asiatic Rus-sin where a rodent, the marmot (or tarabagan abounds. This animal yields "good fur, its flesh is eaten and its fat is utilized, so much so that it almost stands for money to the natives and is eagerly hunted. We have proved conclusively Jong and painstaking investigations that the tarabagan harbours the plague bacillus and acts as a reservoir for it, In fact, it is me fected by a chronic form of plague, and this dkronie form may change into an acute one, resulting in an epidemic. of plague among the tarabagans.
Tarabagan Infection a. man were to skin a plague stricken. tarabagan, he may be feoted through wounds on his ands. Our latest research showed that the fleas of the tarabagan can transmit plague from one animal to another and this mode of infection has also to be considered. In whichever way the man is infected, hho suffers from bubonic plague. AS a result, secondary plague pneumonia may set in and he may in~ foot his contuats through the breath by coughing and sneezing. His contacts will now suffer from prim ary plague pneumonia and may spread the disease to others.
This than is the way an epidemic of pneumonic plague starts in this part of the world, and given other favourable conditions suck as overcrowding and rapid transportation, the disease will spread like fire. The plague problem is essentially a tarsbagan problem and it is our Hain wang
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