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Manchurian plague of 1910


stereologist

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The Manchurian plague of 1910 was deadly. It had a CFR estimated to be 99% or greater. if you became ill you probably died.

In this event we see the introduction of many modern ideas including an international effort to stop the epidemic. Doctors from Russia, Japan, and France were there as well as other countries.

One of the doctors was a young man from China named Wu Lien-teh. He is credited with some of the important changes in dealing with a disease such as this 1910 epidemic. He and others determined that this was a respiratory disease being spread between people by an airborne infectious agent. Wu pushed for quarantines and PPE. He was trained in the West and had seen surgical masks. He pushed for people to wear surgical masks to prevent the disease. His idea was not accepted at first. But a French doctor refused to wear a mask and soon died of the plague. Quickly people started using masks.

In fact, Wu's simple would become a standard despite lots of other designs being offered. His mask had a layer of cotton between two layers of gauze. Ties were used to secure the mask. The simplicity of the mask made it disposable.

Another similarity between the 1910  plague in Machuria is that modern transportation spread the disease quickly. The rail lines in manchuria moved the disease quickly from city to city along the rail lines.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchurian_plague

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wu_Lien-teh

Some of these ideas would be carried forward to handle the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-1919. Included in the ideas of slowing and preventing the spread of the disease was the use of masks and quarantining.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/03/americas/flu-america-1918-masks-intl-hnk/index.html

Each subsequent epidemic has followed and enhanced the methods that began in Machuria 1910 promoted by Dr Wu Lien-teh.

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Dr Wu, British Malayan... 

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Wu Lien-teh (Chinese: 伍連德; 10 March 1879 – 21 January 1960), also known as Goh Lean Tuck and Ng Leen Tuck in Minnan and Cantonese transliteration respectively, was a Malaysian physician renowned for his work in public health and particularly, the Manchurian plague of 1910–11.

~

Born in Penang / Palau Pinang, now Malaysian, since independence from British rule. 

~

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Apparently, there were a lot of designs for masks back ten and even possibly some mask design contests.

https://nextshark.com/n95-wu-lien-teh-malaysian-doctor/

In the link we can see Wu's design. It cost 2 1/2 cents to make.

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Wu successfully contained the plague in 1911, and again, in 1921 after its recurrence.

 

Even today there are big efforts to improve the masks.

https://www.core77.com/posts/100999/Next-Gen-Face-Mask-Design-Competition-Offers-1-Milllion-Prize

 

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The Manchurian plague of 1910 marked a point in time in which the methods used in hospitals and other medical settings were extended to the general public.

There is a famous photo of a baseball game in the 1918-1919 pandemic showing people all wearing face masks.

https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/january-26-1919-flu-mask-baseball-game

This was a one time event. It was believed to  be an advertisement for taking precautions during the pandemic.

But other actions would take place as the pandemic struck the US.

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Unfortunately, the flu pandemic that began in the spring of 1918 returned with a vengeance in the fall. The flu’s second wave devastated Southern California before the two baseball teams could return to the field for their next game. On October 11 the City of Los Angeles declared a public-health emergency, taking quick and decisive action to close down schools, theaters, and public gatherings of any kind.4 When the Great War finally ended in November, massive celebrations were held all across the country and the flu reached its peak. But over the following weeks, the infection rate began to subside, and Los Angeles lifted its ban on public gatherings in early December.

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On January 18 the City of Pasadena issued a strict order requiring that flu masks be worn at all times in public; even dogs were not exempt. Fifty people were arrested and fined for not wearing masks on the first business day after the ordinance took effect.10 Not everyone was happy about the new law, but city officials were serious about enforcing it.

The notion of lockdowns and mask mandates are not new and in fact go back over a century.

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Lessons learned the hard way now paying the price of unlearnt... 

~

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Although the use of face masks by the public that started with the Manchurian plague started in what is present day China, it was Mao's orders that people wear face masks that has made it seem normal for the Chinese population to wear masks. People own face masks that are part of their home first aid kits. The government mandates in China over time have made what we outside of China think of as a cultural part of China.

The resistance of people to face masks is a political statement. It goes against the evidence. It goes against common sense. And the VD that is thrown around about masks reveals itself by direct mention of politics and finances.

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