The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-02-05

8
tion, sanitary measures which have
proved so effective in typnus-a much
more communicable disease than
plague-it would have died out long
ago. .
mere Is certainly some way, other
tnan man TO man infection, by which
plague epldemics are kept going. In
my opinion that way is the rat. This
animal is not included in and is not
affected by ordinary disinfection oper-
atl0ns, it cannot be isolated or segre-
gated like the human being: il runs
about from house TO house unrestrain-
ed, injecting the disease. II is COM
pletely Indifferent to orders in council,
to sanitary authorities, to acts of Par
lament, and even to men in uniform.
We know all this, but is the knowledge
acted on in that energetic and efficient
manner which a lively belief would
imply and ensure? Certainly not. At
tention in plague epidemics is princi-
pally directed against man to man in
fectfon, hardly at all against the most
important rat to rat and rat to man
infection.
/ believe were' rats eXterminated in
any places 'plagne could not become
established in that place. We know
what the pole-axe. policy has done to
protect the herds of this country from
certain epizootics of highly infectious
nature. The same policy would doubt
less be as effective against plague,
could it be carried out We cannot,
as Impractical measure of course, pole
axe human beings in anticipation of
plague, but We can kiiltthe rat -
1t seems reasonable in the light of
the facts mentioned to ask why is this
not regularly. and Systematically and
efficiently done in every town and viii
! lage threatened with plague If you
diminish by little only the chances
of survival. of a parasite, you will pos.
sibly, very probably, extinguish il. al
together. No matter how potent and
indestructible they may be when once
| established in the human body, be-
fore effecting- an entrance parasites are
feeble and helpless and little matter
| turns the scale againststhem; diminish
their chances of survival or propaga-
| ton by this little, and you may stop
| their epidemic diffusion. Therefore,
as the rat supplies the best and most
probably the initial opportunity for
j bacillus pestis, removal of this oppor-
1 tunity would most likely arrest the
Threatened epidemic diffusion of plague
Were | asked how would protect a
State from plague, 7 would certainly
answer, Exterminate the rats as
first and most important Ineasaire; bat,
lin making this recommendation,
would stipulate that the measure be
taken in anticipation of the advent of
disease. not when the disease had al
iready shown its presence and the rats
are dying by thousands. 1t is too late
then; the mischief has been done.
AN epidemic in full swing is hard
to stop. l do not know that London
may not be again smitten with the
plague. Some relying on the proved
efficiency OF our measures for the pre-
vention of cholera and on our elabor-
late sanitation, believe that there is no
danger. But l would point out that
cholera is not on all fours with plague,
and that what applies to the former
does not necessarily apply to the lat
: ter. There is this important difference
between the two, specially important
!; from sanitary point of view; cholera
} Is water-borne disease, plague is a
rat-borne disease. We have taken pre-
cautions that our water supply may not
[ be infected with the cholera vibrio;
have we taken similar precautions that
our rat supply does not become infect
, ed with bacillus pestis? Suppose that
.. a single rat infected with plague should
; iescape into the sewers of London from
one of the many ships constantly ar
: irving from plague ports. What would
: be the consequence? The rat would
. Idle. Ten chances to one its body, teem-.
r ing with plague bacilli, would be quick
I | ly eaten, as is the habit of rats, by
!, other rats, or the f1eas infesting It
d would transfer themselves to these
v other rats and with them plague ba-
: cilli. These, in turn, would become
: infected with plague The fat would
t then be in the fire, and we would have
s before very long, an underground cpl
n demic Of plague in London. Who can
= lsay that the disease would remain un-
q iderground?
"At the present juncture. were l the
responsible sanitary head of any town
\ in Europe, in anticipation of a posi-.
g bility, compared to which in horror
= and in destructiveness a general Eu
e Fopean war would be trifie, would
o do my utmost to have every rat and
n if possible, every mouse in my distric
a promptly exterminated. This done,
n would contemplate the approach o
l. plague with equanimity. It seems Il
d me that the present measures of plague
y prevention are like boiling the win
h dow against thief whilst the from
'e door is left wide open; moreover. the!
e are exceedingly expensive, exceedingl!
is irksome, exceedingly unpopular ant
'e exceedingly inefficient. Compared t.
J. the least Of them the destruction o
% rats would be cheap measure. In tb'
y carrying Of it out no one except tn
~ rat-catcher need be seriously put about
= Efficiently carried out, it would Ger
a tainly enormously diminish the risl
=, of an introduced plague becoming
- pestilence.
or If ever sanitary measure was in
n dicated by common sense, it is the de
so struction of rats in anticipation o
as threatened plague. It requires consid
IL cradle courage to speak Of so insignifi
e. cant a creature as rat in connection