New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-09-18
D,rs IN PLAGUE CITIES.
,rNCES IN BOMBAY AND OTHER
erR1cKEN PLACES IN INDIA.

Fro" -. rats do not burrow and live under
Domestic MAKE their domiciles in drains or sew
gTi shch inSE fS thew live in houses and
As ihei,n their young in the ieast disturbed and
most naoS hen the entire freedom Of the house.
ton gnsnr,bav should always be nlled with rats IL
expaheeS very large grain trade. and that this
centre iS stored mostly on the ,groun1, noors or
houses =" If bombay are not only numerous, but
go10 Scattered all over the cry; ne Iarge go
bowhs. r"nstv i'm Mandvie. to be near the docks
ere "rurerous smaller GodoWns axe scattered
about j" me grain IN al these sodowns, arge
Tow .man Is stored In tiers on the ground moor OF
ana snSclrns IN piles tiers o. tens ana TWEEN
NE s with or without planks. beams or Other
nea s Gunnace beneath. the arransemtnl en-
o osns as domices for their tribe TheTe they
ged and live and thrive Their they nreyd anu Ie@I
alike from n%,, The grain godowns Of BON
men been forever increasing and the rats have
,sas!,sased with the number of the gOdowhs. ne
Sodowns 81 should be menuoned' nav DrCh jas
y The rats and is not easy TO conceive any more
. .T man OF successful rat-breeding than that
s snIH dealers nai rs Of Bombay.
RESULTS OF HINDOO HABITS.
4, the time Of the first visitation OF. plague in
p6,nbay in August September, 1856. the city
nus nTs. Of rats seeing that every ingenuity which
.sa human mind might devise for the most com,
nd breeding
Zen in actual operation IN Bombay for haIf a
pe sm To mis- complete system Of rat-breedns
Hindoos generally Keep neither cats Hoi u"sS !"
~ houses ana mat the destruction or rats Il re-
gafdeu Az sir This regularity OF the masses Of
,bs neoplo gives tho finishing touch 10 the apparent
srs,erv Of rat-hrcedine and rat preservation There
Is no mystery IN the matter at al. me laC,s con.
ner,ed with rat-breeding and rat preservation are
p,,mus" I'm rats n in nothing else. and in those
fary DAYS of the plague numerous houses III me
Mandvie district exhibited every nori.,n6 ia, : 7
number Of dead rats thrown out OF Ihe rooms ~ M
srono me etarcaSes Of houses. awaiting removal py
The scaveug,rs OF all that the crows had NOT pre-
u9lSz t1' becinning OF the plague until now dead
.o,s have been found In houses and ~ Inc sF'els
as regular antecedontS Of plague among 'ht Pc
p1,ered ers- and III que cases such close second
es 10 give rise 90 the popular belief inAt tt PIG. :
nv The very numerous dissectons and observations
Which have been made by co,npetent OBS ,t !.
The great rat mortality was caused ny -piasu' anu
nv nothing else. The diseased rats II was salu IN
themselves and great was ne SUSCEPTIBILITY OF
the rat 10 plague that nearly me Wlo'e III IL ".
shed in each o. our Epidemic visauors Inc hrst
Iotch died Of with the Arst epidemic, but the city
was such a good breeding ground Iot rats va, ~
second visitation In The second epldem!c. as IN
the first dead rats showed the dlre''on ana 80. ~
Waning So certain was This warning that the be.
lief IS strongly and generally entertalneo th1 u,
rats alone Calcutta experience Is cIoseE iollowi
ire the experience Of bombay dead rats first ana
human plague Immediately afterward Oiher faG-
torS may b. instrumental IN fostering ana spread
ing plague Infection. II there are any such factors
thew require investigation. for. up TO the present
little or nothing Is known about them
DIFFERENTIATION PROPOSALS.
III, be resolved 10 destroy the rats At once. the
ouesiioD arises What the hest and most sue
cessful means u making this riddance? The irey
use Of poison has rs dangers. and the Munlcpal
Coromssioner does not approve % this mode OF eX.
tinction What remains then. but TO ofeI sufhc' nj
rewards 10 ingenious and willing persons 70 carry
on, the measure without using poison? Oolector.
NAV rise up 70 point Out that the Tiddance cannon
he permanent and that among the pupHc WI ne
fourd many defenders a1d prescrvers OF rats. Bui
these directors can all be net and answered In due
Commenting or this letter the editor says; III Is
interesting 10 note. with reference 20 our CORE
sDonlerts closing suggestion that thc o1eI OF
reVa~d fc- dead rats the one renedlai m'asGi
adopted BY the Chinese officials during the terrlbl.
outbreak O. plague IN CantOn in 1894 The reward
Was paid al the city gates and the rats were buried
outside the walls over twenty thousand dead rae
were brought 10 one gate alone within little NOR
than a month after the epidemic broke out. Inc re
ward paid was ten cash per head. Ten cash may DC
taken. roughly. to be the equivalent OF nan al