Chapter 8 Chapter 07 Provincial Council

The next day, Rieux made a firm demand, which was considered by all to be untimely, and finally won the provincial government to agree to call a meeting of the health committee. "The people are really worried, but the rumors are exaggerating," Richard said. "The governor said to me: 'You can act quickly if you want, but keep it quiet.' He said he was sure it was a false alarm. " Bernard Rieux took Castel with him to the provincial capital. Castel said to him, "Did you know that there are no serums in the province?" "Yeah, I've already called the store, and the supervisor there is in a hurry. This thing has to be shipped from Paris!"

"I hope it's not too slow." "I have telegraphed," Rieux replied. The governor is very friendly, but easily excitable. He said: "Let's go to the meeting, gentlemen. Shall I briefly introduce the situation?" Richard didn't think it was necessary, the doctors knew the situation well.The question is what corresponding measures should be taken. Old Castel said gruffly: "It's a matter of finding out whether it's the plague or not." Two or three doctors exclaimed.Others seemed to be hesitating.The governor was shocked, and subconsciously turned his head to look at the door, as if to see if the door had blocked this horrific event from spreading into the passage.Richard said that in his opinion, there is no need to panic. What can be confirmed now is only a high fever with complications of swollen inguinal lymph nodes, and any kind of assumption, no matter in science or in life, is false. dangerous.While chewing peacefully on his short yellow mustache, old Castel raised his head, glanced at Rieux with bright eyes, then looked around the others kindly, and told everyone that he understood very well. It was indeed a plague.Still, some ruthless measures would have to be taken if the incident were to be admitted publicly.He knew, too, that this was what held his colleagues back, and so, to reassure them, he was willing to accept that it was not the plague.The governor became agitated, and declared that, in any case, this way of thinking about the matter was inappropriate.

"It's not a question of whether it's the right way to do it, it's that it makes people think," Castel said. Seeing that Rieux was silent, everyone asked for his opinion.He said: "It is a typhoid fever, but accompanied by buboes and vomiting. I have had an incision of the groin mass and sent it to the laboratory for analysis. The laboratory believes that it has found the characteristic stubby plague Bacteria. I would add, however, that certain specific changes of bacteria do not fit the usual description of their form." Richard emphasized that in this case it might be prudent not to draw conclusions immediately, and that a batch of tests had been carried out for a few days, at least until the results came out.

After a moment of silence, Rieux said: "But when a bacterium can quadruple the spleen in three days, enlarge the mesenteric ganglion to the size of an orange, and have a paste-like texture, it is not Allow us to continue to think about it. The source of infection is constantly expanding. If the disease is allowed to spread at this speed without stopping, half of the residents in the city may die in less than two months. Therefore, you may call it the plague, It doesn't matter if you have a growing fever, but what matters is that you try not to let the disease kill half of the city's residents."

It was Richard's opinion that the situation must not be overstated, especially since the contagion of the disease had not yet been proven, since all the relatives of the patient were well. "But there are also deaths among the others," Rieux reminded everyone. "Of course, the contagiousness of the epidemic is never absolute, otherwise there would be an infinite increase in the number of deaths and a sudden and rapid decrease in the population. It's not a matter of taking the situation too seriously, but of the need to take precautions." However, Richard felt that it was necessary to generalize the matter, and he reminded everyone that if the epidemic did not stop its spread, it would be necessary to take the severe precautionary measures prescribed by law to stop it.But to do this, it is necessary to officially recognize that this is a plague, and this is still not absolutely certain, so it needs to be considered.

Rieux insisted: "It is not necessary to consider whether the measures stipulated by the law are severe, but whether they are necessary to save half the population of the city from dying. The rest is an administrative matter, and our system just There must be a governor dedicated to solving such problemsc” "Of course," said the Prefect, "but I need your official confirmation that this is a plague." "Even if we don't know it's plague, it will kill half the population anyway," said Rieux. Richard interrupted excitedly: "The fact is that our colleague believed it to be plague, and his description of the syndrome confirms it."

Rieux replied that he had not described the syndrome, he had only described what he had seen.All he saw was buboes, blotches, a high fever with delirium, and death within forty-eight hours.He asked: "Can Monsieur Richard guarantee that the plague will stop spreading even if drastic precautions are not taken?" Richard hesitated, looked at Rieux and said: "Please tell me honestly what you think, are you sure it's the plague?" "You have asked the wrong question. The question now is not to refine words, but to gain time." "Your opinion," said the governor, "is that, even if it is not the plague, the precautionary measures prescribed for it should be taken."

"If I had to have an opinion, this is my opinion." The doctors deliberated for a while, and finally Richard said: "We have to take responsibility and treat it like the plague." His statement won warm approval from everyone. "That is your opinion, too, my dear colleague?" asked Richard. "It doesn't matter what the words are," said Rieux. "What we are saying is that we should not base our actions on the assumption that half the city will never die, because if we do, half the city will end up dying." I'm afraid it will really be sent away."

Rieux left the meeting in a state of panic.After some time, Rieux came to the suburbs that smelled of frying food and excrement. A dying woman was screaming, her crotch was bloody, and she turned her head to look at him.