The Washington times., 1901-07-07
A CRUSADE AGAINST RATS.
They Are Held Responsible for the
Spread of the Plague.

Japnn's Proposition for Action Look
ing to the Elimination of the Ro-
acknowledgements of the BubonIc
ScOurge-Quarnntin Precautions.
The mediums through which epidemic
diseases are transferred are coming to
be specifically noted by scientists. Many
have come to the conclusion, more or less
warranted by facts, that the mosquito. or
at least certain varieties of that active
and Industrious member of the insect
world, is responsible for malaria, while
the rat is held by a number of the medical
fraternity TO be one of the chief agents in
the spread of burbonie plague.
The latter is rather alarming conclu-
sion, because a ship from a plague-in-
tested country is likely TO land at any
Of our ports. The crew may be ascer-
tanned to be all sound and healthy. but the
rats? What II they, simply loaded with
plague germs, took 1t into their heads to
set up a permanent residence on our
shores, thus menacing first the lives of the
population of the particular city at which
they make their landing, and then
threaten the whole country?
Recognizing the roles played by the mos
quito and rat in the spread of malaria
and plague. society is commencing to make
war against these creatures, and RENE
dies have already been discovered by the
doctors. The kerosene oil remedy for
mosquitoes, brought out by DR.. L. o.
Howard, has given such good results that
it is now generally adopted. While COM
munities on Long Island, for one place,
have banded together to drive out the
musical insect that sings so loudly and
operates so pertinaciousy on the Jersey
coast.
The Mayor of Winchester. Va, it is
reported, has made this the reform fea-
ture of his administration, while the
Marine Hospital Service not very long
ago issued orders directing the employ
ment of radical measures against the
mosquito at all of its stations. One after
another of the Government bureaus has
taken the matter up SO that formidable
concerted movement, inspired by science
and sanctioned by officialdom, is now
being directed against that diminutive
enemy of humanity-the mosquito.
THE JAPANESE PROPOSITION.
And now comes the rat. Japan has
already proposed an international con-
gress for the consideration Of the question
of the rodent and the mischief that lies
within his power to do OF course, the
advisability of it's determination in sea-
port cities is prominently urged. for here
it is that it gets in its fine work in the
spreading of plague germs in the man
ner already alluded TO. Scientific men
say they know of no good service which
the rat performs in the economy of
nature, and they think its determination
would be in every respect highly desir-
been received by this country officially,
but experts are nevertheless prepared
with plans of determination. For in
stance. there is ascertained to be a virus
producing a contagious disease among
rats which does not affect other animals
or human beings. Sulphur fumigation is
also a simple and effective remedy.
Wherever vessels have been treated with
this latter in yellow fever and other
epidemics, it has been common for the
crews to sweep up numbers of dead rats.
Our quarantine regulations. which recon-
mend this measure, under the manage
ment of the Marine Hospital Service re-
quire that the rats thus killed shall not
be handled, but direct that instead they
be raked and shoveled up, and that the
workmen shall wear gloves. The dead
vermin are then burned.
1t is a curious fact, well established,
that rats are often affected with the
plague some time before the disease
reaches the human inhabitants Of the
places where the rodents exist. In fact
the presence of the plague is often detect
ed in the first instance by finding num-
bers of dead rats. According to bulletins
of the imperial health office of Germany,
the plague recently broke out in Basora,
in Turkey, where three persons found
sick with suspicious symptoms were
promptly isolated. In the houses of the
first two victims dead rats We're discov-
cred. An assistant surgeon of the United
States Marine Hospital Service. stationed
at Hongkong, where there We're 12S cases
of plague. with III deaths resulting. in the
week prior to his writing. reported that
the disease in that locality was contracted
originally from vermin preying upon the
dead rats found about the premises The
surgeon of the Marine Hospital service at
Yokohama, writes under date of April "a:
The destruction of rats is going on in
all the larger cities of the Empire. Osha,
the local sanitary association, has supple
mented the efforts OF the Government
which pays ~ cents for each rat de-
stroyed, by issuing to those receiving this
reward a lottery ticket which will. per-
haps, entitle the holder to a prize. The
result Of these measures is marked. 1t is
reported that since April 100000 rats
have been killed in this city alone. IN
Tokyo the authorities have issued to the
lower classes nearly 500, 600 of improved
rat traps
The United States Consul at Bristol
England, as long ago as January 81. re-
lated that, in pursuance of the establish
ed practice concerning ships arriving from
suspected ports. the Rembrandt, from
Smyrna, had been compelled to tie UP six
feet from the quay. side, her hawsers
were protected by collars, the gangways
We're raised at night. and a watchman
stationed to observe the discharge of
cargo, on behalf of the sanitary authori-
ties of the port. On January % this
watchman discovered several dead rats
in the hold, and in their bodies was found
the plague germ. An order was there
upon issued to the effect that the ship
was infected with plague. The rules of
the United States Marine Hospital Ser
vice specify that, wherever a suspicion
of plague exists, the ships under such
suspicion shall not be allowed to come
he or