Plagues occurred one after another in the late Ming Dynasty. Many people knew what the so-called Pimple Plague was. It was a terrible plague that was prevalent in many places in the Ming Dynasty.

In the thirteenth year of Chongzhen's reign, Shunde Prefecture, Hejian Prefecture and Daming Prefecture all had this kind of epidemic, and it was a severe infectious disease. The plague was contagious and nine out of ten people died.

In the fourteenth year of Chongzhen's reign, the epidemic developed further and became prevalent in Daming Prefecture. Fifty-six out of ten people died, and the death rate was very high. People died in the morning and in the evening, and within one night, the people fled in panic, leaving the city empty.

Since July last year, this disease has spread everywhere with Li Zicheng's army, and it is called "Pimple Disease". People at the time recorded: "In the summer and autumn of the epidemic, people will have a fat bulge and die immediately, which is called Pimple Disease."

, everyone suffers from this disease from 14 to 15, and in the spring there are people who vomit blood, or several people in the family die at the same time."

After hearing about the situation of pimple disease, Zhu Cixiang thought for a long time, and suddenly an idea flashed and he exclaimed: "Plague!"

This "pimple" should be the name for the swollen lymph nodes in patients with bubonic plague. A "small scrofula" will suddenly appear between the limbs of the patient's body, followed by "not eating, dizziness and fever", and vomiting "such as

Watermelon waste” stuff.

As long as one person is infected, the whole family will be infected, and in some cases, the whole family will die, regardless of high or low, old or young.

The most terrifying thing about the plague is that death occurs in an instant, with no time for diagnosis and treatment!

The discolored AIDS, SARS, and Wuhan pneumonia coronaviruses discussed in later generations all belong to Category B, while the plague in the late Ming Dynasty belongs to Category A acute infectious diseases, with almost no incubation period, and a very high fatality rate. Death occurs immediately upon exposure to the disease.

The earthquake easily killed tens of thousands of people.

Zhu Cixiang knew that in history, plague was rampant in the late Ming Dynasty, and the more serious ones were in the eighth year of Wanli, the fourteenth year of Wanli, and the last few years of the Ming Dynasty. It caused ten houses and nine empty houses, which was so miserable that even the nine gates of the capital were "ten thousand coffins".

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"Records of Chongzhen" records: "There was a great epidemic in the capital, and tens of thousands of people died every day."

Although there is a lack of accurate statistical data, historical records show that the great plague at that time was extremely serious, and the mortality rate in Beijing was about 40%, or even more!

It has reached the point where the death bed is in ruins, nine out of ten rooms are empty, and even all the households are gone, with no one to take care of the body.

Knowing that it was plague, Zhu Cixiang didn't dare to move forward. He hurriedly took the masks and other items prepared by the accompanying imperial physician and left the military camp.

Returning to the Forbidden City of Zhongdu, Zhu Cixiang immediately summoned all the generals in Fengyang City to discuss matters and initiate an emergency plan.

Zhu Cixiang first asked about the situation of the frontline soldiers. Are there many people suffering from high fever and vomiting? Yang Yufan did not dare to hide it and answered one by one.

Fortunately, the medical soldiers in the Anwu Army realized that the plague was extremely contagious, and had already quarantined soldiers who were infected with the plague.

This measure to prevent plague was a common method used in ancient Chinese marches, and it has proven to be very effective. Otherwise, as long as one person in an army is infected with plague, the entire army will be automatically wiped out.

Zhu Cixiang immediately ordered a comprehensive screening of the Anwu Army on the front line and forced isolation of soldiers infected with the plague.

He was still worried, so he transferred 5,000 troops from the Tianxiong Army as anti-epidemic troops and sent them to the front line to prevent the epidemic. Anyone who dared to disobey the arrangements and disobey orders would be killed without mercy!

All "Huangming Times" branches in Fengyang Prefecture devoted all their efforts to printing and publicizing the prevention of plague. They also published "On Plague" written by Wu Youke.

In the tenth year of Chongzhen's reign, the environmental sanitation department established by Fengyang Mansion immediately went into operation. It carried out a comprehensive cleaning of Fengyang Mansion, eliminated rats on a large scale, and burned and buried them.

Fengyang Mansion was Zhu Cixi's earliest base, and it was very good in terms of construction and organizational strength. Now that the Crown Prince has visited Fengyang in person and personally issued the notice, the people who have gradually improved their lives have responded positively.

For a time, all the streets and alleys of Fengyang Prefecture were in action. Soldiers and civilians wearing masks were cleaning up garbage and spreading lime along the streets.

At the end of February, provinces in the south of the Yangtze River began to report that plague patients had appeared in the area. Zhu Cixiang hurriedly returned to Nanjing to take charge of the overall situation.

On the way, he ordered people to rush eight hundred miles to summon the governors from various places, and Wu Youke and other famous doctors came to Beijing to discuss various epidemic prevention matters.

As soon as he returned to Nanjing, Zhu Cihong held a court meeting, established the Ministry of Environmental Sanitation in court, and appointed Wu Youke as minister, in charge of epidemic prevention.

At the court meeting, after everyone discussed it, Zhu Cixiang issued a series of decrees:

1. Establish isolation areas to control the spread of the plague.

Zhu Cixi ordered the blockade of the Yangtze River, prohibiting people from the north from going south. At the same time, all prefectures and counties close to the Yangtze River were sealed off, and roads were closed, and all pass crossings were defended by the army.

Several provinces in the south of the Yangtze River under the rule of Zhu Cixiang have already restored and strengthened the Lijia system. Under layers of surveillance, sick people can be easily discovered, and then forced to isolate them.

The Ming Dynasty was not as good as later generations. The population flow was limited and the plague did not spread widely in one place. The plague was transmitted from the north. As long as the execution was effective and protection was in place, several provinces in the south of the Yangtze River should not become the hardest hit areas.

However, in several northern provinces, the Lijia system has long since collapsed, and most of them are governed by gentry autonomy. It is too easy to conceal this, which gives Zhu Cixiang a headache.

Second, eradicate rats comprehensively, strengthen sanitation management in various places, and do not leave garbage carelessly. Anyone who discards ashes in the road will be fined or beaten with a cane. Those who are disheveled and have an unclean face will also be punished!

3. Disinfection treatment to prevent the spread of the plague. Use vinegar or lime for treatment in various places. Anyone who enters the city must have their carriages and horse gear smoked by fire to disinfect and prevent the epidemic.

Fourth, actively diagnose and treat patients using herbal medicine, acupuncture and other methods.

According to Wu Youke's research, the general incubation period of plague is about two to eight days, with a sudden onset, obvious chills, fever, and other symptoms of toxemia. As long as appropriate measures are taken, the epidemic can be effectively controlled.

But if it is septicemic plague, the incubation period is shorter, and the disease may usually occur in a few hours!

With a series of operations, epidemic prevention and control work went smoothly.

However, the epidemic is still fierce and far more severe than imagined. In January, the number of deaths reported from various places was shocking.

Anqing Prefecture and Luzhou Prefecture, which are close to the Yangtze River, were successively attacked by the plague. The death toll in Luzhou Prefecture was as high as more than 300 people every day. The people were destitute and the bustling streets were like a silent night, with no one walking around.

Not only in South Zhili, but also in Zhejiang, Shandong, and North Zhili, there are particularly many infected people, and they may spread the infection through closed doors, and the spread is very rapid!

Judging from Jin Yiwei's unannounced investigation and feedback from the local government, the main reason for the spread of the epidemic is the difficulty of isolation.

It's easy to control in the military, but in ordinary life, isolation is very difficult!

Even the illiterate people still pay attention to filial piety and courtesy. If an elder in the family is sick, the younger generation will naturally stay in front of the bed morning and night, take care of them every day, and serve them with soups and medicines. In an era without medical surgeries and N95 masks, this way

It must have been infected.

Similarly, when the younger generation is sick, their parents and elders are always with them and do not dare to leave for even a moment.
Chapter completed!