North Manchurian Plague Prevention Service reports (1918-1922) / edited by Wu Lien Teh.

Date:
1922
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: North Manchurian Plague Prevention Service reports (1918-1922) / edited by Wu Lien Teh. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    cremated in the compound occupied by them. The second group of cases was carefully studied by me on the spot. These began with a Russian woman Tarelkin (died Oct. 22- who was the wife of the Russian signalman on duty at the Hailar Railway bridge. Besides herself and her husband, there were five sons and twenty-one. Chinese soldiers living in the same compound. Of these, her husband, three boys, and three soldiers caught plagrue, all dying except the hus¬ band. The last death occurred on November 25, i.e. 34 days after1 the first infection occurred in the compound. During my investigations, I attempted to secure some rats and fleas from the infected houses, but failed. There was no doubt, however, as seen from, the list of cases, that, they were of a bubonic type, some being treated in Hospital. The only case that, recovered was old Tarelkin, aged 43 years, whose bubo in the left groin w*as opened The following information was supplied me by the soldiers on Nov. 29th. 1920. 21 Chinese soldiers, for duty at the Railway bridge, were living in two big rooms in the Tarelkin compound. They had a mutual kitchen shared by the Tarelkin family, the Russians moving freely among the Chinese. The Russian woman used to make regular visits to Man- chouli (115 miles away), the last one being on August 13. She showed, signs of plague on Oct. 22. and died the next day. Her1 fourth son,, aged 9 years, got sick the same day and died also on Oct. 23. One soldier Chen had fever and rash on body on Oct. 23 and' died two days after. After the woman and her 9 year old son died on Oct. 23., Tarelkin and 4 other' sons removed to the same room occupied by sick Chen and stayed there for 5 days. No further sickness was reported for 24 days between Oct. 25. and Nov. 15. Then two Tarelkin boys, aged 18 years, became sick, were admitted to hospital with fever and buboes, and died—one on 17th,. the other* on 21st. A, soldier Chang (aged 19) became sick on Nov. 17 with bubo in left, axilla, and died on the 19th. He was living with five other soldiers, though he used a separate wooden bed. One of these contacts, Chao, developed plague on 21st. was admitted into hospital on 24th. with b|ubo in left axilla, and died the following day. It was acknowledged by the soldiers that rats were present in.the house, and they were frequently bitten by fleas, but they did not remember seeing- any dead rats lying about. Besides their three dead mates at the Tarelkin compound, there were perhaps fifteen