How did the plague ravage northeast China in the late Qing Dynasty?

(⊙ _ ⊙) Every day, a global human geography WeChat official account: Earth Knowledge BureauNo. 1249-Northeast Plague in the Late Qing Dynasty Author: Li Tuanchang Cartography: Sun Lu/Proofreading: Cat Stu/Editor: Yakult Plague has appeared again. Although this disease has not been found in modern society for many years, there are still expressions of plague in film and television works and literary works from time to time. The ubiquitous corpses and invalid medical stones often make the viewer shudder. In fact, the pathological features of plague need not be said. The word "plague" alone is enough to make people feel afraid of it. For westerners, this historical memory is profound enough (the picture comes from the Black Death-the first season) ▼ On the eve of the Revolution of 1911, an unprecedented plague broke out in the northeast of China, causing huge casualties. Fortunately, under the control of modern medical and epidemic prevention measures, the plague was finally put out in time. The Great Plague in Northeast China in the Late Qing Dynasty (Figure? Thomas H. Hahn Docu-Images)▼ In the gap between China and Japan, Japan's self-help movement deserves our special attention. Pure epidemic plague originated in Russia is a severe infectious disease caused by Yersinia pestis, and it is one of the plagues that seriously threaten human life. Because its harmfulness is far from comparable to other infectious diseases and general diseases, once infected, the mortality rate is extremely high, so plague is also listed as "the first infectious disease in international quarantine". The fluorescent labeled Yersinia pestis is magnified 200 times (picture from Wikipedia @ Larry Stauffer)▼ Plague has something to do with "rats". The host of plague pathogen is the rodent Marmota of Squirrel Family, on which fleas parasitize. The groundhog is a scientific name, which may be a little strange to everyone, but the common name groundhog is definitely unknown. It should be noted that the animals commonly called groundhogs are not just groundhogs. Just look cute and cute, but don't want to touch each other (picture from: Wikipedia@Marumari)▼ Plague among rodents has always been popular with fleas as the medium. Once the marmot is infected with Yersinia pestis, the bacteria will multiply rapidly in the blood, and various complications will occur after several hours to more than ten hours, until it dies, almost on the spot. Therefore, experienced hunters will stay away from woodchucks with unknown causes of death, and even other woodchucks are afraid to touch their companions in the forest. A large number of Yersinia pestis in the foregut of flea carrier is also the pathogen of plague (picture from: Wikipedia@NIAID, NIH )▼ Orion who has been dealing with animals all the year round knows that this disease can also be transmitted to people and will occur within three days. If not treated in time, you will die in a few days. And highly contagious, not only through direct contact between people, but also through the use of equipment to spread germs to others. A child infected with Yersinia pestis after being bitten by a flea (photo from: Wikipedia@Jack Poland)▼ At the end of the Qing Dynasty, a large-scale epidemic pneumonic plague disaster broke out on the eastern border of China and Russia. And its outbreak is related to people's ignorance of the causes of sudden death of woodchucks. In fact, before this, there were more or less local epidemics of plague in the border areas of Qing and Russia. However, because the northeast is vast and sparsely populated, hunters are familiar with the epidemic, and few of them spread widely. The Far East is a distant and cold place for Russia and Shanhaiguan. Even if Russians try to increase the population, there are still few Russians in the built cities. In the Qing Dynasty, Northeast China was regarded as a forbidden area for a long time, and there were few * * before the immigration was opened. But by the end of 19, a large number of foreigners gathered in the Siberian grassland and Mongolian grassland to make a living. The new jobs of these migrant workers are mainly miners, loggers and fur hunters. While promoting the prosperity of the eastern border areas between China and Russia at the end of the Qing Dynasty, they also expanded the scale of the concentrated population, and at the same time killed animals by hook or by crook, which eventually led to great disaster. Fur resources are an important driving force for Russians to expand into Siberia. Like many western countries, what Russia can export most is fur (picture from * * @ kuerschner) ▼ Everything starts from Uriah, a border town in Siberia, Russia. It is located in today's Russian Outer Baikal Territory, a small station in the eastern section of the Trans-Siberian Railway in the early 20th century, next to the post-Baikal station. Opposite the post-Baikalsk, there are merchants in Manchuria who exchange needed goods, and microbes also hitchhike. There is a China contractor named Zhang Wanshou, who is used to being called Zhang to run a shed for workers in China. 19 10 One day in September, seven people in the shed suddenly fell ill and died. The cause of death was unknown, which caused quite a panic in the local area. Later investigation pointed out that these people may have had direct or indirect contact with marmots and foreign hunters infected with plague and became the first batch of infected people who died in large numbers. The Russian authorities who got the news responded quickly, came to burn Zhang's work shed, isolated all the workers, and burned their clothes and all their supplies as disinfection. As for the living, the Russian authorities also gave some compensation, but asked them to leave the country as soon as possible so as not to pollute the local health environment in Russia. Russians who react quickly are always concerned about the handling of the situation, for fear of affecting themselves (Figure? Thomas H. Hahn Docu-Images)▼ After receiving compensation, two of these expelled Chinese workers took the train along the southern line of the Siberian Railway, entered Daqing in Manzhouli, and lived in Zhangmupu, Erdao Street, China Railway Department. However, just over a month later, the two China workers fell ill and died in Zhangmupu. Subsequently, the passengers in this hotel also died of illness. The plague in northeast China began. The railway line sweeps across the northeast, and human beings have no natural immunity to plague. Regardless of race, age and gender, the probability of being infected with plague is equal. However, due to different living and sanitary conditions, the epidemic situation will be different. The first group of people is obviously the lower working people represented by hunters, coolies and laborers. The crowded living environment and poor sanitary conditions provide a hotbed for the spread of germs. There are also medical and health resources, but it is still difficult to prevent the spread of plague compared with the constantly flowing population and excessive space area (Figure? Thomas H. Hahn Docu-Images)▼ Subsequently, the epidemic of the middle class, represented by productive farmers, businessmen, soldiers and doctors, began to appear one after another. They are people who live with workers, or people who fight the epidemic in the front line, but the disease will not be merciful because of their wealth. Only then can everyone be equal. Only when you are alive can your status be divided into high and low. In the face of the plague, it doesn't matter whether you put your body below or above (picture? Thomas H. Hahn Docu-Images)▼ But there are always people who are more equal. For example, Russians living in the northeast at that time were prevented from entering the country at the beginning of the epidemic because of good community hygiene, and some disinfection measures were taken. The proportion of plague victims is obviously lower than that of China people. Our own precautions are in place (picture? Thomas H. Hahn Docu-Images)▼ In the Chinese circle, pneumonic plague broke out in Manzhouli in June, 5438+00, and immediately spread from the eastern Daqing Railway (Middle East Railway) to Harbin, Qiqihar (Bukui), Changchun and Fengtian (Shenyang), and then continued to spread to the surrounding hinterland by the railway. At this time in Northeast China, the "Three Generals" had just completed the reform of the provincial system. In addition to several big cities in the three northeastern provinces, other prefectures and counties have also been affected, from urban development to rural areas, and finally entered the customs. Along the northeast railway system, the plague on this vast land in the northeast feels promising. In the late period of modern northeast development, during the influx of a large number of people, medical service facilities did not follow up in time, and the sanitary conditions were relatively poor. After the outbreak, doctors only treated it according to the method of plague in traditional Chinese medicine, but failed to isolate it, resulting in large-scale cross-infection, and even many medical workers were not spared. Medical workers are in the front line of fighting the epidemic, not to mention the protective clothing that 100 years ago began to use (Figure? Thomas H. Hahn Docu-Images)▼ Some inherent concepts at that time also hindered epidemic prevention. For example, people in China are used to the traditional burial, but the rotting corpses will only further worsen the sanitary conditions, and cremation of the deceased should be the most effective means of disease control. Although some western doctors put forward this initiative, the cremation initiative could not be rolled out at the beginning because of the strong cultural conservatism. I'm dying and still trapped in a conservative culture. Yersinia pestis can survive on corpses and spread more easily when thrown into the wild (photo? Thomas H. Hahn Docu-Images)▼ With the persistence of infection, some disease control experts finally proposed that railway passenger transport should be cut off and the epidemic areas should be eliminated point by point. However, at this time, the Middle East Railway (Dong Qing Railway) north of Changchun is actually controlled by Russia, and the Russian authorities do not want to sacrifice short-term economic interests because of the China epidemic and let railway passenger transport drift. On the contrary, the Japanese, who are full of confidence in operating the Northeast, have strictly controlled the passenger transport of Nanman Railway south of Changchun, objectively preventing germs from entering Liaoning (Fengtian) and Shanhaiguan on a large scale. Railway Chinese workers centralized isolation camp (Figure? Thomas H. Hahn Docu-Images)▼ Japanese help themselves in China and Japan. Although they pay lip service to each other, they are legally in the northeast, but they are completely unqualified to speak. Qing * * * lacked the ability to control the Northeast authoritatively, and there was no modern disease control medical team, which could only be left to Japan and Russia to formulate epidemic prevention measures within their respective spheres of influence. In this special period, more political, economic and military interests can often be hidden under the banner of epidemic prevention, including the gradual loss of Northeast China. If you don't have any preventive measures, you can only watch people around you die one by one (picture? Thomas H. Hahn Docu-Images)▼ For example, the Russian army took action to set up epidemic prevention lines in the new blocks and docks of Harbin, forbidding Russians from entering the concession, forbidding Russian workers from entering the coastal States, forbidding them from taking the trains of the Dong Qing Railway, and sending a large number of troops to the Sino-Russian border. However, China has not listed all Russians as prohibited objects. Isolated high-end tourists from China who take the express train are not included, and no one can spend money. More people can only wait to die? (picture? Thomas H. Hahn Docu-Images)▼ At the same time, Russia also sent personnel to try to participate in the epidemic prevention work of plague. At this time, China pointed out that Fujiadian (Daowai) in Harbin has always been the territory of China and has nothing to do with Russia and the railway line. However, Russia believes that although this area belongs to China, it is adjacent to the concession, and if the Russians are not allowed to participate, it is likely to endanger the concession. Russia's attempt to use the epidemic of pneumonic plague to deepen its political involvement in China was exposed. In view of the fact that China and Russia control the epidemic solely for the benefit of their own nation and home country, it is unrealistic to expect them to fully popularize epidemic prevention measures on Japanese soil, and an all-out war led by the Japanese to completely eradicate the epidemic is imminent. Just then, Lian Dewu, who served as deputy director of Tianjin Army Medical School, came to Harbin to guide the prevention and treatment of pneumonic plague in Northeast China. Mr. Lian Dewu is a pioneer in quarantine and epidemic prevention in China and the first Nobel Prize candidate in China (photo from: Wikipedia @ Richard Arthur Norton) ▼ Lian Dewu came here and formulated a series of epidemic social systems. In addition to promoting the cremation of corpses, he also actively searched for patients, and the measures taken gradually achieved good results. He personally went into battle and searched for patients with an iron fist with the patrolman, striving to minimize the harm of the single-point infection area. The following spring, the ice and snow in Harbin melted, and the bodies of people who died of pneumonic plague were found in the wild one after another, causing serious social panic. However, Dr. Wu's team did not avoid the danger, disposed of the remains according to the prescribed procedures, and at the same time established a new modern hospital to enrich the health cause and avoid the interference of foreigners. If the bodies in various places are not handled in time, it will only aggravate the epidemic (Figure? Thomas H. Hahn Docu-Images)▼ Fengtian, Jilin and Guannei provinces gradually carry out epidemic prevention work according to this basic method, and the Fengtian Epidemic Prevention General Administration established by the governors of the three northeastern provinces is a milestone. Further down, it involves local governments. For example, Fengtian has implemented a series of measures such as epidemic prevention and quarantine (trains and seaports). Although there are some imperfections in the implementation process, it has also started the first step of China's epidemic prevention modernization. Used to commend outstanding contributions in the anti-epidemic work (Xuantong three years: 19 1 1 year) (Figure? Thomas H. Hahn Docu-Images)▼ Under the guidance of these measures, at the end of Qing Dynasty, * * * even took back some quarantine rights from Russia and Japan, which is of great political significance for restoring China's exercise of * * * rights in Northeast China in the future. There is a ray of hope in every dark cloud. An epidemic forced the country to spend limited resources on the modern health system, which promoted the spread of health knowledge among the people and made China's health modernization take a big step forward. Popularizing the necessary epidemic prevention knowledge and treatment methods to the public plays a great role in controlling the epidemic situation and preventing diseases (Photo from: dobrafotografija.blogspot With the continuous efforts of all parties, the first large-scale pneumonic plague disaster in modern China, which originated in the northeast, finally ended several months later. The total number of victims is nearly 60 thousand, but the situation has not further expanded into a national plague. However, the late Qing dynasty, which saved the patient, failed to save himself. Shortly after the northeast defeated the plague, the late Qing Dynasty was reduced to ashes in the raging fire of the Revolution of 1911, and the achievements of future generations were only left to future generations to comment. References:

[1] Cindy Meng.191911the plague disaster in northeast China and Russia [D]. Harbin: Heilongjiang Academy of Social Sciences, 2008. [2] Iijima is involved. Plague and institutionalized health in modern China and Thomas Hahn's literature images