The Manchurian Plague is a fiasco in the history of public health in China in 1910 to 1911. Also known as the Pneumonic Plague came at a time when the imperial court in Beijing was at its weakest. The Republican Revolution led by Sun Yat-sen had not occurred yet.
With a mortality rate of almost 100%, the outbreak would claim the lives of an estimated 45,000 to 60,000 residents of Harbin and other neighboring communities.
Not only did the outbreak occurred at a crucial moment in Chinese history, it also took place in a geopolitically highly contested areas: Russia, Japan and China all lay claim to controlling this particular region.
Below are rarely-seen photos of that bleak time in China’s history during the Manchurian Plague. These old photographs are glass lantern slides that were taken from the papers of Dr. Richard Pearson Strong, on repository at Harvard University’s Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, and can be accessed by using their Visual Information Access (VIA) Search Engine.
Manchurian plague victims, circa 1910
Doctors’ quarters and dispensary, plague hospital, Peking
Doctors’ quarters, Peking plague hospital
Entrance to plague hospital, Peking
Isolation huts of suspects, Peking
Bringing coffins to cremation grounds, Changchun
Collecting place for coffins outside city gate, Changchun
Encoffining body, Changchun
Hauling coffins to cremation, Changchun
Taotai He superintending the first cremation, Changchun
Bodies and coffins, first ‘clean-up’, Changchun
Coffins, preparatory to stacking for cremation, Changchun
Cremation of 71 bodies, Changchun
First cremation, Changchun. 1400+ bodies. Taotai He and staff
First large cremation, Changchun. Eleven stacks, 1400+ bodies
Plague hospital for women and staff, Changchun
Scattering kerosene on stack of coffins, preparatory to cremation, Changchun
Stacking coffins, Changchun
Stacking coffins, Changchun
Stacks of coffins, showing arrangements of fuel, Changchun
Stacks of unburned coffins and pile of ashes covered with lime, Changchun
Taotai He superintending second cremation, Changchun
Coffins outside ‘old style’ hospital, Changchun
Home for homeless, Changchun
Cartload of bodies on way to cremation grounds, Harbin
Removal of bodies to cremation pit, Harbin
Moving bodies to cremation pit, Harbin
Burial coolies, cremation grounds, Fuchiatien
Cremation pit, Fuchiatien
First large cremation, Fuchiatien. 1400+ bodies burned
Male inmates, home for the homeless, Fuchiatien
Results of first attempt at cremation, Fuchiatien
Staff inspecting crematory, Fuchiatien
Dr. Aspland in Bacteriological Laboratory, Fuchiatin
Dr. Ku and assistant in front of ‘old style’ Chinese plague hospital, Fuchiatien
Dr. P. S. Huang, Director Anti-Plague Bureau, Changchun
Dr. Wu Lien Te, Chinese Director of Anti-Plague Bureau, Fuchiatien
Dr. Young in Vaccine Laboratory, Changchun
Drs. Strong and Teague performing autopsy
Drs. Young and Chai in Vaccine Laboratory, Changchun
Right to left – Taotai Weng, Taotai Huang, Prefect He, Dr. Young
Dr. Aspland receiving reports, Fuchiatien
Dr. Wu receiving reports at Headquarters, Fuchiatien
Chinese staff disinfecting at close of working hours. 1:3000 mercury bichloride
Daily inspection of contacts at quarantine, Fuchiatien
Disinfecting plague infected quarantine car, Fuchiatien
Disinfection room and part of Russian staff, Harbin
Disinfection squad, Changchun (trained by Japanese)
Disinfection squad, Fuchiatien
Disinfection station for officers, Fuchiatien
Examining a suspect
Inspection of contacts, quarantine, Fuchiatien
Inspection squad starting on rounds
Plague case ’rounded up’ on inspection tour, Fuchiatien
Plague suspected discovered on inspection tour
Receiving contacts at quarantine, Fuchiatien
Receiving contacts at quarantine, Fuchiatien
Removal of plague patient from quarantine, Fuchiatien
South Manchurian Railway quarantine sheds
Taking blood smear from ear of suspect, Fuchiatien
Taking temperature, quarantine, Fuchiatien
Transports (left to right) for [already] sick, for suspects, for contacts, for dead
Plague hospital for women, Changchun
Plague hospital, Mukden
Burning material and contents of infected houses
Burning plague infected house, Fuchiatien
Burning the first plague hospital, Fuchiatien
Plague infected house, Japanese Concession, Changchun
H/t: Ralph Repo