Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1908-07-30
RATS MAY DESTROY
THE HUMAN RACE
30 Says Or. A. Cainette, a Frener
Scientist Man Must Drive
Out or ee Driven.
IS A MIGRATORY RODENT
assertion Made That Single Pai'
VIII Ordinarily Multiply In Two
Years to Fifteen Hundred.

Rats as menace before which hu.
manity may disappear is theme
developed with disquieting precision
by DR.. A. Calmette. French scien.
tist, In La Revue du Mois. of Paris.
Dr.. Calmettte predicts that mankind
will have to engage in general war
fare on rats before many years elapse
If the world is to continue to be habi-
table. He pointed out that different
countries have different breeds of
rats which are no great menace in
themselves. which. in fact, are often
useful. The peril comes from the mi.
gratory rat, otherwise known as the
sewer rat, which has been evolved
by civilization. and which follows the
march of man into every cline. Rats
Of other breeds have been known
ever since man began to keep re-
cords of the things around him. The
Hrst mention of him was made only
In 1920, when he was a native of
Persia and East India. He did not
invade Europe until the eighteenth
:entury.
At that time he was driven out OF
his old haunts by the widespread
famine in those regions and Of which
he was largely the cause. Old
chronicles report that millions of the
vermin crossed the Volga in 1927
They made their appearance in Prus.
sia in $50, and first were seen at Paris
three years later. The newcomers
we're not welcomed. Within a week
sixteen thousand were slain. This
made no apparent difference in the
ranks of the invaders.
Professor Calmette says that the
sewer rat did not appear in America
until 1865, when he was first no.
ticed along the coast and in various
seaports. AS late as 1870 he had
not yet reached the head waters OF
the Missouri. By 1900 he had gone
up to the permanent ice belt.
At present, the scientist con.
tinues, this migratory rodent is de.
stroying in the West Indies. in the
Azores and in the Cape Verde Isl.
ands annually hundreds of thousands
Of dollars worth of coffee, banana.
sugar and orange plantations AS
Of an island in the estuary Of the
River Humber Is cited. This island
was once completely covered with
rich grass. which kept in good cond.
ton all the year round about 1000
head of cattle. The island Is sepa-
rated from the shore by half mile
of water. One day the place was in.
tested by rats that had reached the
island by swimming. That was fif.
teen years ago. To-day there is not
enough verdure on the island to
nourish a rabbit The whole island
has been honeycombed by the ro.
ients, so that it cannot even be re.
claimed by cultivation.
In a number of the Channel Isl.
ends. where nothing grows but few
terms and MOSES, there are also
many thousands of rats. How they
found sufficient food was long mat
ter of curiosity, but one day a scien.
list, bent on Investigating the mat.
ter, dug up one of the numerous rat
holes and discovered. not without
surprise, sixteen large crabs in a
single pocket of the earth. while
there were six in another. The
crabs had not gone there by them
selves, that was evident, for all of
hAr I,,I hnir off
cation showed that the rats were in
the habit of making their grabbing
expeditions at low tide. To immobi.
lize their victims and render them
harmless the rats amputated them
as soon as captured, All the crabs
found were still living and in good
condition. Whether the willy 70.
dents kept their prisoners fed or not
Is unknown.
The sewer rat is perfectly at home
In sea water. and. according to DR.
Calmette. is always on the outlook
for an attractive ship in which to
take passage for some foreign port
He will wait patiently until nightfall
and then swim out to some yacht
which has pleased his fancy and
crawl aboard by way Of the anchor
chain He is extremely prudent and
is not easily caught. The amount
of damage these rats do annually in
the cargoes of seagoing ships, in
docks and warehouses would count
up easily into the tens of millions.
They have even been known to at
tack children and old people. 1t is
reported that few years ago these
hardy quadrupeds organized regu-
lar expedition against the Pitie Hos
pital. They were only banished
after the nurses and physicians in
charge had used hundreds of pounds
of sulphur and disinfectant.
Everybody Is familiar with the
stories of how rats carry disease
germs from one part of the world to
the other. These stories are per-
fectly true Extraordinary precau-
tions are taken against rats at Mar
seilles and other Mediterranean
ports, which have learned much by
tragic experiences in the past.
DR.. Calmette concludes by show
ing that within two years a single
pair of rats will ordinarily multiply
to over 1900, to be exact, to 1886
That is one of the reasons why he
thinks that unless something is done
rats will some day be the only ami
mails left on tha surface or the