The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-09-08

Four More Suspected and Un-
der Observation by the
Authorities.
FLEAS TRANSMIT DISEASE
SITUATION NOT CONSIDERED
ALARMING.

san Francisco, Cal, sept. h-One ad-
ditional case of bubonic plague was
charted today by the board of health.
and four more suspected cases have
been isolated and are under observa-
ton. The board has authorized the es-
tablishing of a temporary hospital
camp at Ingleside. Thence the $50 in
mates of the city and county hospital
will be moved and the latter buildings
old frame structures long ago con-
demnedLwill probably be burned.
Drs. McConkey, Harvey, Manning,
Power and President Simon, composing
the board of health. have submitted
their designations to Mayor Taylor and,
it is understood, that their successors
will be appointed next week. Dissen-
sion in the board as to the advisability
of certain measures proposed for the
eradication of the plague, and feeling
on the part of at least one member that
the new mayor should have opportuni-
ty to appoint a board of his own choos-
ing, actuated the designations.
Situation Summarized.
The board at a meeting today at
tended by President Ragensberger of
the state board of health and Colonel
Austin of the marine hospital service
adopted a report of the plague stu
alton prepared by Health Officer Wat
kins. 1t is in part and substance as
follows:
Because alarnist reports which are
unwarranted by the facts regarding
the public health of San Francisco
have appeared in the public prints of
other cities. it is deemed expedient to
give out officially to the Associated
Press the following statement of facts,
which have been from the first visible
on the bulletin board of the central
health office:
First Case May 27.
The first case of bubonic plague
appeared on May q at the United
States marine hospital, in a Finnish
sailor taken from the tug Wizard.
Thereafter no cases appeared~ in the
city until Aug. Il, when two cases were
reported from the North Beach district
Immediately the officials of all hos
pitais' and dispensaries We're warned TO
be on the lookout for similar cases,
with the result that to date eighteen
authentic cases in all have been re-
ported. OF these eighteen cases nine
are still living and in a fair way to
recover.
causes of the so-called bubonic plague.
nor of the means by which it may be
eradicated. Wherever international
commerce exists, and in proportion to
the volume of that commerce, the rat
and the diseases of the rat, one of
which is plague are bound to appear
There are said to be some five varieties
of rat flea, of which two will bite men.
Transnifted nv EIeas
The plague bacillus is transmitted
by the flea of these two varieties to
men. Other modes of infection exist,
but are very much less frequent The
common rat is said TO propagate every
five weeks, and thrives in proportion
as its surroundings are unsanitary.
THE problem which confronts the
health authorities then, is plain and
presents no insurmountable difficulties
All rats caught or found dead are
ticketed and microscopically examined.
When plague infection is found the
place and locality from which the ro-
dent came is at once subjected to san
itary attack. For this purpose the
city has been districted and differed.
Not a Local Affair.
AT the international congress of
physicians at Lisbon, Portugal, in 1906,
it was declared that the safeguarding
of communities against plague should
be an international function. Recog-
MIXING the validity of this opinion. the
mayor of San Francisco requested the
federal government to assume control
of the situation here. This request has
been granted
DR.. Rupert Blue of the marine hos
pital service, an authority on plague
y 4 L
the sanitation of the jamestown expo
sition, will arrive here from Washing
ton next Tuesday or Wednesday and
assume official charge.