The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-07-12
WAR ON RATS.
The Nations Will Exterminate Them as
Well as Mosquitoes,

rat because of his supposed relation to
the spread of the bubonic plague, SINH
lar to that which has been opened To-
cally upon the mosquito because of his
relation to malaria. The kerosene oil
remedy for mosquitoes, brought out
by DIR. Howard in his now celebrated
pamphlet, has worked so we'll that it
is being quite generally adopted. Whole
communities on Long Island have
banded tosetherl to drive out the pest.
The mayor of Winchester, Va, has
made this the reform feature of his
administration, while the Marine hos
pital service has issued ordersd irecting
the employment of radical measures
against the mosquito, at all of it's sta
tions. Thus one after another of the
government bureaus have taken the
matter up, till it looks as if by con-
certed action something might be done
to relieve civilization of the mosquito.
In like manner it looks as if the
world might wage war against the rat.
Japan has already proposed an inter
national congress for the consideration
of this question. Particularly is the
determination desirable in the sea-
port cities, where not only does the rat
do the ordinary damage to food sup
plies but he is besides great means of
carrying infection such as that of the
bubonic plague. Scientific men here
know of no good service which the rat
performs in the economy of nature and
they think his determination or as
near that as can be produced, would
be highly desirable. While this coun-
try has not yet officially received the
japanese proposal several rather effec-
tive remedies for fighting rats are
known to exist.
There is a virus which produces a
contagious disease among rats which
does not affect other animals or human
beings.
Sulphur fumigation is also a very
effective remedy. Wherever vessels
have been treated with this in cases OF
yellow fever and other epidemics, il
has been common for the officers tc
sweep up bucketsful of dead rats. Oul
quarantine regulations. which recon-
mend the measure against the rat, I'm.
der the efficient management of the
marine hospital service, require that
the rats thus killed shall not be han.
died, but direct that instead they be
raked and shoveled up, and that the
workmen shall wear gloves. The re,
mains are then to be burned.
1t has been discovered that wherever
there is bubonic plague, and the
subject is not becoming one of burn,
mig interest here, the rats seem tc
suffer from it severely. In fact, the
plague is oftentimes first detected by
the presence of dead rats, and occa,
sions have been known where the
plague existed among the rats, as
shown by psychological tests sometime
before it affected human beings.
According to bulletins on the I'm.
| perial health Office of Germany the
plague recently broke out in Bassora
in Turkey, where three persons, taker
sick with suspicious symptoms, were
promptly isolated. In the house Of
the first two victims dead rats were
then discovered. An assistant surgeon
of our marine hospital service at Hong
Kong, where there were 1873 cases Of
plague with III deaths from it il
the week before he wrote, reported
that the disease was contracted from
vermin, preying upon the dead rats
found about the premises.
| The surgeon of the marine hospita
service at Yokohama writes under the
date of April "a:
The destruction of rats is going OF
in all the larger cities of the empire
In OSAKA the local sanitary association
has supplemented the efforts of the
government, which pays 215 cents fol
each rat destroyed, by issuing to those
receiving this reward lottery ticket
which will perhaps entitle the holder
to prize. The result of these meas
ures was marked; it is reported thai
since April list 90 600 rats, have beer
killed in this city alone. In Toxic
the authorities are issuing 80 900 OF
improved rat traps.
The United States consul at Bristol
England, as long ago as Jan. 81, relat
F., ed that in pursuance to the established
practices, ships arriving from suspect
ed ports, the Rembrandt from Smyrna,
had been compelled to tie up six feet
from the quay side, her gangways
| were raised at night and Waterman
observed the discharge of cargo on be-
half of the sanitary authorities of the
port. On Jan %, this Waterman dis
covered several dead rats in the hold
and in their bodies the plague germ
was found. Thereupon an order was
issued declaring that the ship was in
| fected with plague. Similarly, the
rules of our marine hospital service,
wherever supsicion of plague exists,
specify that ships be not allowed to
come up against the dock or near
enough so that the rats can come
ashore. Then all the cargo has to be
brought on by lighters and series OF
sulphur fumigation adopted at various
stages of the unloading. In fact the
public health reports of the United