Чума
Part I
ThePrefectgotannoyedandsaidthatinanyeventthatwasnotasensibleapproach.
"Theimportantthing,"Castelsaid,"isnotwhethertheapproachissensible,butwhetheritgetsusthinking."
AsRieuxhadsaidnothing,theyaskedhisopinion.
"It’saninfection,similartotyphoid,butwithswellingofthelymphnodesandvomiting.Ilancedsomeofthebubos.InthatwayIwasabletohaveananalysismadeinwhichthelaboratorythinksitcandetecttheplaguebacillus.However,tobeprecise,wemustsaythatcertainspecificmodificationsofthemicrobedonotcoincidewiththeclassicdescriptionofplague."
Richardemphasizedthatthismeanttheyshouldnotrushtojudgementandthattheywouldatleasthavetowaitforthestatisticalresultoftheseriesofanalyses,whichhadbegunafewdaysearlier.
"Whenamicrobe",Rieuxsaid,afterabriefsilence,"iscapableofincreasingthesizeofthespleenfourtimesinthreedays,andofmakingthemesentericgangliathesizeofanorangeandtheconsistencyofporridge,thatispreciselywhenweshouldrushtodosomething.Thesourcesofinfectionaremultiplying.Atthisrate,ifthediseaseisnothalted,itcouldkillhalfthetownwithinthenexttwomonths.Thereforeitdoesn’tmatterwhetheryoucallitplagueorgrowingpains.Allthatmattersisthatyoustopitkillinghalfthetown.
