The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-07-10
THE PLAGUE.
IN ORIENT.
Japan's Measures
To Suppress
Scourge
A CRUSADE ON
THE ARMY OF RATS
What Precautions Are Being Taken
in Characterized Observa.
tons on the Plague.

bonlc plague IN Japan and China ap-
pear IL recent Iss4eS 81 The Hongkong
Daily Press.
Recent copies Of the Kobe neESpa pers
have brought intelligence Of the energetic
way In which the japanese authorities
there ara taking precautions against the.
possible introduction OF plague into the
Town The serious outbreaks IN this Col
CRY and in Formosa are said 10 have
alarmed the japanese, and they have de-
cided that they cannot TOO SOON be on
their guard As dead rats infected with
plague have already, II would seem, been
found il Tokyo, the KOBE authorities are
showing wisdom IN losing No time IL is
instructive 70 note how Kobe has been
acting with { view 10 keeping away the
disease. ana 70 compare It's methods with
those Of H0ngk0ug- As the local Chroai-
Gle remarks. n v5ew Of the difficulties
found in e1r5rEyatIng the disease in
Hongkong- Bombay. Cape Town, and in
other places where II has found q hold.
the success OF the japanese in stamping
it out II Osaka. Kobe and WaEayama, 50
that the country Is now quite free, Is
thing Of which they may wen be proud
We do not overlook the difference o. con-
ditions III KOBE and Hongkong. nor do we
forget the fact that plague ncw appears
EDLZTL1E mere We LnI1hr AD@EFST Ali1l
a consideration Of the way IN whit 3
practical people Is fighting against ter
rible threat Is not Improbable.
In the first place, the crusade against
rats is being prosecuted with all possible
vigor. The japanese pIague-experts are
firmly convinced in the large share Of
guilt borne by rats in the dissemination
OF the disease and indeed a universal
crusade against these yermin has b.eu
advocated by some Of them The reward
offered fer every rat live or dead, has
been increased b. the Kobe authorities
from Two 70 i've sen since the 9ta OF
last month. and all rats alike are exam
ined Tor plague germs instead of only
the dead ones as before Seven 10 eight
hundred daily was the average number
OF rats being brought in Al the end OF
May but no pest bacillus had been dis
covered I'D 10 that date From all trace
of the disease. indeed, Kobe has this
year been entirely free. and the Precau-
tons taken by the authorities appear 50
complete that it Is very reasonably hop
Cd locally that plague viii not show it
self, OF that 4 al isolated case should
occur il VIII be at once discovered and
Infection prevented. No less than twenty
eight doctors are engaged by the Kobe
authorities The houses Of the poorer
and cIeansed under police superinteud-
ence, and large numbers Of persons, some
IS so N an, had by the end of May been
fnoculated with anti-plague serum The
latter proceeding the Chronicle design
ates as "a method OF precaution which.
as even the doctors do not seem TO be-
Heve that it gives immunity for longer
than A year. appears somewhat super
fuous until the disease actually displays
itself" 1t is nevertheless sign of the
whole-hearted way IN which the japanese
are taking up the question o. plague
prevention.
Now our sanitary authorities have been
carrying on a vigorous crusade against
rats from an early date last year. and in
this particular it cannot be urged that
they have been reniss- But Of course
the difficulties OF coping with these yer
min here are greater by far than in jap
an, in fact probably greater than in any
port OF the East. owing 10 the bulk OF
our shipping Moreover, the plague had
got a firm hold on the place before a con-
tinuous warfare against them was begun
Whatever their actual connection with
plague, there Is no doubt that Hongkong
Iabors under especial disadva ntages as
far as infection by rats is concerned. and
we do not desire 10 uliniTnise the diff
culties Of our sanitary conditions a s our
drainage system IS certainly one which
fosters the harboring Of yerTuin. Taking
the second point, however, that of the
medical staff engaged on the spot. it need
not be said TO those who have read re-
cent articles in these columns and in
those OF our contemporaries that Hong
kong is shamefuIiy undermanned med
icaIy, and that az far as can be seen no
special efforts are being hade to meet
the emergency. Then as to medical in
spect5on and cleansing Of the poorer-class
/ dwellings, this il Hongkong has been
put of until the plague was On US in full
/ violence. For reasons apparently sentI-
mental we RETAINED from cleansing our
villages during the season when plague
/ practically was non-existent a recon-
mendation OF the Sanitary Board on the
point was rejected by the Legislative
| Council, and II was decided that the VII
/ lagos should remain dirty-with what re-
suit we now know Even if we grant the
| contention of the Chinese members of the
| Council that it IS a hardship on the vii
/ layers to make them keep their houses in
| a decent condition, it is an absurd par
I simony on the part of the Government to
/ hesitate about the cost of linewashing
| their dwellings for them Much more
money is being spent now, even on these
very measures alone. to make up for this
I
| long ago Great Britain was generally al
| lowed the position Of the most sanitary
nation in the world. A few mora Colo
| MES like Hongkong would destroy this
| reputation for ever. It is plain that such
sanitary authorities as we are favored
with have lot to learn from our neigh
! bors in the Far East; but we see little
| indication Of their beginning 10 learn
| the lesson
| SUGGESTED PLAGUE MEASURES
| After the reception gwen at the SAM
tary Board meeting on the sth May to II.
E. the Governors suggestion that plague
patients at Yaumau should be allowed 70
be treated in their own homes under GER
tain conditions, IL was hardly to ne ex-
pected that the same Board would well
| come the proposal OF Mr.. E. Osborne
| that persons suffering from plague Cor
under observatory be allowed to remain
in their own homes, provided all other
persons occupying the same floor are re-