The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1908-05-12
COFER'S PLAN
FOR CLEAN
CITY

Or, Cofcr. president OF the Board or
Health. who works on the principle
that prevention Is better than suppress
sion, has planned a campaign against
/ Chinstown and win make systematic
! eic&n-up OF that part OF the city. II
may os that In. under and around the
tenewents renovation is needed. and
! on the other hand II may not. but IL
| is going to set Il at any rate. The
work win be systematically done block
I by block. and after the cleaning up Is
/ accomplished the necessary steps win
/ be taken TO see that Il Is kept clean.
+ The Board OF Health has = means 81
bringing the negligent TO time and tie
purpose is 70 use this means without
the least hesitation.
In this work she Board OF Health tn
spectors are to work In connection with
the men of the county garbage de-
p9rtyent. the germ-seekers 10 lug the
scourings TO she outside Of the blocks
and the garhage-hustlers to cart II
away for the burning.
This agreement was arrived at last
week. when Supervisor Dwight Of the
eoad and garbage departments chair
manship and Road Supervisor johnson
forega;hered with DIR. Cofer ard Sani-
tary Inspector venhuizen and planned
the campaign against dirt. II took the
two branches OF the public service
about a minute and half to come
to an agreement. both the county rep
resentatives stating that the facilities
Of the county were at the disposal OF
the Territorial authorities at any time
for such a purpose.
II is the intention OF the Board OF
Health president to keep the town in
such a condition that there can be no.
excuse for any epidemic and in san
itary condition that viii prevent as
far rs is possible even the breaking
out of any sporadic cases Of bubonic.
The town and port have been clear OF
disease for months and the intention
is 10 keep ii so.
Along with thee campaign against
dirt will be continued the steady war
against rats. the absolute necessity OF
exterminating these carriers OF the
disease having been demonstrated 50
clearly by DR.. Currie. in his Red
Cross lecture last week. Plague. As
pointed out by DIR. Currie. has COM
mon method Of transmission by innoc-
ulation by the flea OF the rat
These rats" SAYS the doctor. ''in-
habit the skin OF the three common
rats known respectively as the Chinese
rat Improperly called Norway raO-
the black rat, and the long-tailed or
tree rat. which are so rare on the
mainland OF America but very common
here, and the common mouse.
,T rhae. mi ra1-
eeptible to plague; in fact, plague may
be regarded as essentially disease OF
rats as much so as fowl cholera is OF
poultry or hog cholera is OF swine.
Unfortunately. plague differs from
these latter in being able to success
fully invade mans tissues. while we
possess a natural immunity to fowl and
hog cholera.
That rat flea under ordinary cir
cumstances does not leave the body of
its natural host, but after a rat has
died they can no longer obtain their
food, which is fluid blood, therefore
they hop of the rats body and go 10
seek another host If a rat is first
met with they attack it: if man is met
with they sample his blood. but in this
case probably do not remain long upon
him, preferring the rat. Often. how
ever. their short sojourn on mans skin
suffices to infect him with plague
The details OF how this infection
takes place is as follows: The flea
fills himself with the blood Of his host:
if that host has plague baciIli in its
blood at the time. the flea naturally
ingests them as well. Leaving this
host for another. it bites the second
one. and as it does so often soils the
skin with its excretions which are now
full of plague bacillf- The host.
whether man or another rat. scratches,
and in doing this uncOnsciOusly rubs
INTO the hair follicles a number Of
plague bacilh- II the first rat that
lied of plague had no heas. there IS
little probability that the disease would
spread to a second victim. and plague
would long since have become extinct.
Z indeed it would have ever existed
Unfortunately, many rats do have
ieas upon their bodies. 1t is this COM
Iination OF circumstances that makes
the rat such a factor in the disease
I is very susceptible TO plague, and
4 is usually infested; man also is very
susceptible to plague. but. in compar-
son, is rarely hea-infested, hence sel-
lom is the disease transmitted from
man to man. Cats and dogs are also
iea-infested. but neither is susceptible
TO plague. or. at least. to a very slilht
extent. hence play no role in its
spread.
THE disease is due to a low form Of
vegetable life and Is oftenest carried
from rat TO rat or from rat to man By
means OF the flea. While we know its
cause. and by this knowledge can
diagnose it with certainty. yet this
knowledge has not furnished US with
a good method Of defense. nor cura-
tive agent. Our only way Of prevent
Ing its spread is by the destruction Of
the rat"