The Savannah morning news., 1903-02-07
WAR on RATS IN MANILA.
How The Spread of Plague Vas
Checked There.
From the Baltimore Sun.


from the Baltimore sun
Washington, Jan. S.-3lthough there
is little apprehension that the bubonfe
,,l,.~,,o nth ,.;-.- g.. ,f...5o, nm
az
Slieau 70 tAis country Ihe war Ne
partment has been supplied with de-
tailed information bv the Board Of
Health. of e4.,,i1o .,s ., +b, most affec-
tive ,1eane-9f aI..,lii,..tfT,e, the MIA ,f,e
,,.t5cL ,-iIi - - -, IN, ~ a.,
a,,7erge,,,,-.
Tho first c.,e. Of ,,lac,1,a was dfscov-
I cred in NT,riI, no, 3c 800 and from
that date-I1ntiI Nf.,rcb fqa3 yyben the
/ dise.,se 80 fir-,iI,, sfsv,,,,ed ont there
/ had bean -4[ So in The Pbilinpine
/ civ Destruction Of rats in the CITY
was early decided 1Inon nv the health
! ofJici,Is il, ,,ia,- If tba assocfafion he
tween Tho pla.gua ana the rodents
From SenteInber. 1901 until the disap-
! pearance of the plague an active war
was waged against rats "A BODY of Fill
iriDoe i-,o,,n as tho "rat-ratcbers,
/ corps - beina ORGANIZED for the 8 pl1r-.
nose nv direction Of The CHIEF health
I inspector. Armed with trans and
bait the crons divided into squads of
two was distributed thro,1ebout the
sanitary districts of Manila each
SQUAD haipa in command of a cbief \
fee of : cents Mexican was pafd for
each rat Sent ia the government lab-
oratory by persons not in the regular
rat-catchers' corps. As a result of
this warefare 10000 rats we're caught
alive and several hundred thousand
DESTROYED nv nelson
Rules we're made TO govern the rat
catchers and infractions were followed
by dishonorable dismissal from the
corps Each member of the corns was
required to wear a uniform. consisting
of a blouse. trousers and can of ma
terial selected by the Commissioner Of
Public Health. and a brass shield over
his left breast bearing the insignia of
the corps and the number of the
wearer. This uniform had to be worn
whenever the catchers were on duty
though they were permitted to appear
in citizens clothing at other times.
Members of the corps were required
to report daily at 10 "A. m. at the office
of the chief sanitary inspector of each
district to receive instructions and
submit reports. Each squad was pro
vded with two galvanized-iron buck
cts with covers. one for carrying the
disinfecting solution and the other for
receiving the dead rats. one hundred
ratbane tins and receptacles for carry
ing the same completed the kit of each
SQUAD The ratbane used was pre-
pared fresh every dav at the munich
nal laboratory where the dead rodents
we're taken for examination and Gre
nation.
The catchers went on duty at Sp. m
daily and covered the entire CITY dis
trimming the ratbane. Beginning not
later than 5.2O tho next morning tho
bare was removed nv the morning re-
lief. In making their rounds the corps
collected an the dead rats ON the
the solution furnished after which
they were tagged and turned over to
the laboratory for final disposition
In distributing the ratbane which
was of course deadly poison the
members of the corps were charged to
warn the inmates of the houses visit
ofI Of the da,<gel, involvad advisina-
then, 10 kaan domestic nets and cbiI-,
drn,, guarded durine the nrascrihad
hours for batting rats
OF the GO 900 rats sent TO the laboratory
40 6e6 wore examined ,nicrosconicaIlv
for bncilH ana ~ these only 90 wore
found to he infected with plapue In
February Of Last vear the n1mhar IF
trans aeereeated a. 37q N addition
t6 baitfng rats in trans With bacon
fish cheese meat scrans or boiIed rice
the corns caught a great number Inv
nand The Tot-catcbars would rim
tbeir arms INTO tho holes rat r,ne ana
sewers and ratrb the rodents afte,.
thew had been driven ont from under
Inc sbacks mar vara heino removed
Snver5I If tho catcba,s v.eTe sayereI,
bittep Nv tba moro viporo,s rodents
tbouph none Of the iniu,ias rasnitod
fatally tbird method emnIo1,ed lyas
nets nlacad ol,.,, holes md eay,e,s into
which he rats had been driven Nv
hot water s,arhoIin' solution ana f,r,es
of suInbnr Ap1nng no noisor,s ,lsad
Viii, snccaes ,,,.,.a rt,.a,,,,od ,t hose
rathane. - ,,oixt,,re 1f orourd aIass
ao,,r cornn,aaI and e,-r,,n ,.i+b ~
cent Of str,,cbni,,a' oro',,'d r,Ii+,, ~
con ~. hoiiad 10 ,s,itt en- ,,a,.oa,'t
If arsanioi,s "a IVA ae,,,oi p,,arts nf
four and nlaste,e of naris ,,,i+I q 6ist,