The Hawaiian gazette., 1900-02-13
RATS AND
THE PLAGUE
Anti-Rodent Crusade in
Kobe.
OTHER ORIENTAL MATTERS
Mother OF Mikado IlI--Crown Prince S
Wedding--lnsu bordination--
Gold in Philippines,

KOBE. Jan. 10.-No fresh cases OF
plague have been reported in Kobe
since the 23d ut. and 1t Is now consid-
| cred that the epidemic has been practi-
cally stamped out An incident at the
Minatogawa Elementary School shows
however, that precautions will still
| have to be taken. On the night of the
| 18th inst. a rat, which was apparently
dying, appeared in one of the rooms of
the school, which is situated at Kusu-
noki-cho, 5-chome. The rat was
caught and forwarded to the Plague
| Inspection Office, and upon examina-
ton number of plague bacilli were
found in its blood. 1t has been ar
| ranged to close the school for five days
from yesterday 10Th inst), and to thor
oughly disinfect the premises
Up to the 4th inst. the rats caught in
the city OF Kobe amounted to 1874.
KOBE, Jan. live learn from our
Osaka contemporaries that the widows
| OF the late Drs. Wakabayashi and Ba-
| ba have now both succumbed to plague
Thus in one case the doctor, his wife
! and jinrikishaman whom he en-
ployed, have died of the disease, and
| in the other the widow has quickly
followed her husband.
woman who died a day or two ago
is declared to have been suffering from
plague, bringing the total number of
cases in Osaka to Al, with 3S deaths
ID. Shiroye, the president of the Mo-
| moyama Infectious Diseases Hospital,
recently presented memorial to the
Municipal Council in which he de-
| manded thirteen conditions, otherwise
he would resign. The particulars are
not given in the Osaka journals, but
it appears that out of the thirteen ten
were granted. His demand to have
sole control of the doctors and the
other staff OF the hospital was reject
ed, however, in view of the municipal
regulations, whereupon DR.. Shiroye
sent in his resignation and left the
hospital, his whereabouts being un-
known. 1t is stated that among the
demands adopted are increase OF the
| allowances to doctors and nurses
double salary for doctors and the sal
| aries of nurses increased fivefold also
repairs to the sick wards. DR.. Shi-
| roye's resignation at this critical juno
ture is strongly condemned by his
medical colleagues.
KOBE, Jan. 13.-A dead rat, the
blood OF which was found to contain
plague bacilli, has been discovered In
the cell for accused persons in Kobe
prison. thorough disinfection and
cleansing of the whole prison was car
ried out on the 10th and 18th insta.,
under the superintendent of Inspector
Ando.
No fresh case of plague has been re-
ported at Osaka since the death of the
wife Of coolie at Minatoya on the
Sth inst. The woman's house was
thoroughly disinfected and cleansed by
the Plague Inspection Office and two
dead rats were found in the house, one
Of them containing plague bacilli On
he 1lth inst. two policemen, with a
number of coolies, were employed in
catching rats in the adjoining houses.
KOBE, Jan. 16.-No new case of
plague has been reported in Osaka
since the 18th inst. DR.. Yokote, a.
professor in the College of Medicine In
the Tokyo Imperial University, who
has been ordered to investigate the
causes of the outbreak of plague at
Kobe and Osaka, arrived at Osaka on
The morning of the 18th inst. and i'm
mediately paid n visit to the Osaka
City Office, where he consulted with
the Mayor, the members of the Mu-
nicipal Council DR.. Shiraye, the pres
ldent of the Infectious Diseases Hos
pital, and other officials concerned In
the operations. DR.. Yokote delivered
4 speech to the doctors on the admin
istration of plague lymph to the pa
TENTS now in the Infectious Diseases
Hospital. He is expected at Kobe In
n few days.
In the Nishiku, Osaka. where sever
nj cases OF plague occurred. a rat
hunt was commenced on the list inst, |
forty coolies and ten policemen being
engaged on the work. They have been
visiting each house, taking off the cell
ing and floor boards so as to be able to
discover and kill or drive out all the
rats.
KOBE, Jan, 1S.-We are glad to say
that no new cases of plague have been
reported at Osaka for the last two or
three days. In compliance with an Or
der issued by the Osaka City Govern
ment, Investigations have been made
rs TO the stock of rags in the City prop
err and in the two adjoining rural dis
tricts, and 1t has been found that II
amounts to over 100000 kwamme
tabout 6,25o,oo0 lbs,), valued at some
Y225 900.
In Kyoto, as everywhere else, no
pains are being spared In efforts to
prevent an outbreak of the disease.
The committee appointed to consider
precautionary measures adopted on the
evening of the 18th inst resolutions
that the rubbish in the city should be
collected and destroyed by Are, that the
rubbish from each house should be
quickly removed: that destruction OF
rats should be thoroughly carried out;
that the head of the Sanitary Unions
in the city should visit eacn mouse with
a policeman and emphasize the neces-
sity there was for the destruction OF
rats, and that the directions for pre-
vention OF plague should be printed and
distributed among the inhabitants.
KOBE, Jan. 23.-The plague is now
considered TO have been practically