Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1909-07-15
THE PLAGUE IN
SAN FRANCISCO.
A Wonderful Story of the Fight
of Modern Methods Against
Disease.
From the Springfield Republ,can.

Disease.
From the Springfield Republican
I The story of the eradication OF the
bubonic plague from San Francisco in
1907 1905, throws into high relief the
splendid efficiency OF sanitary and
medical science. A full account is now
AVAILABLE in the published report OF the
citizens health committees historian,
Frank Morton Todd, of San Francisco,
the book making volume of somewhat
over 300 pages. Now that it's defenses
against the plague have been made the
strongest in the world. the Pacific sea-
port is glad to have told the worst as
poets of Its experience for the benefit
of sister cities which may have to UNI
dergo a similar visitation. II the
plague should appear elsewhere in
America. this report would furnish the
plan for model campaign for its ex-
Termination. and, consequently. 1t
should be in the library of every board
OF health in America.
1T Is we'll known, by this time. that
the bubonic plague. known In the mid
die ages as the black DEATH" is a dis
ease of rats Qincluding NIECE. transmit
ted to man by the rat flea. 1t is never
transmitted directly by the rodents,
even to each other: the flea is always
| the medium of transm,ssion Even
young rats sucked by plague-i infected
mothers have not taken the disease
when no fleas We're present to convey
1t. After the plague bacillus was dis
covered by Yersin, of the Pasteur In
stitute. in 1894, at Hong Kong, and
! the case against the rat established.
the role of the flea was not thoroughly
understood until some years later.
Thus it happened that, I'm India, the
| rat catchers in the sanitary service
died at y frightful rate until they
| learned all about the rat flea. Nova
days care is taken by the rat catch
ers to destroy the fieas. first of all, by
| dipping live rats in their traps into BIZ
/ chloride of mercury solution. Fleas
| that infest the hides of rats sick with
the plague become dangerous to man
| MS soon as the rat dies. for the insects
! leave the rat cadaver at once, and if
they cannot find food by biting other
rats. which they prefer. they will bite
| anything.
In the chapter on the flea i'm this re-
port IT is stated that mature could not
! have produced a more effective instru-
| ment for inoculating people with plague
than the flea. If he misses with his
! bite, he has another recourse. for, as
1 he bites. he exudes blood. The bite
tches. The victim scratches, and the
chances are high in favor of his rub
bling the infected blood into the fresh
| puncture of the skin.' All fleas, how
ever, are not adopts in this business.
| OF the various species. only the rat
| aea transmits readily the plague bacillus.
In San Francisco. of 3S experiments at
transmission by the human flea. only
three We're successful in 81 experiments
4 with the cat flea. The comparative Inn
munity of the cat is suggestive, in view
/ sf the age-long warfare that animal
has waged on the rat. The value of
rats to mankind is beyond all estimate
when they are considered enemies
pf an animal which IL of no possible
use In the human economy and which
should be ruthlessly exterminated any
Ehare and everywhere throughout the
Earth.
San Francisco has had two plague
ons-brought on by rats ON ships
J .alling at the port-the first in 1900, the
tecond In 1907-l8O8. The first one was
confined to chinatown" and, In spite
! pf serious difficulties 1t was eradlcted
1 by Surgeon Blue. of the United States
marine hospital service. His method
was to destroy all the rats. IL possible,
snd then to build out the disease
lrrom the infested district by making 1t
! lninhabitable to the plague bearing
animal.
No one knows when the rat landed
that brought in again the plague, but
The rodent probably reached the port
on ship from the far East in the
spring of 1907. The first human case
was discovered In May of that year
For two and one half months there
was no other. On August IL the sec
1 pnd case was reported. by September
l. over IA people We're attacked in wide
lily separated localities. Or course. 1t
| lis now manifest how the plague spread
for the rats We're carrying II by their
/ subway system to every section of the
.ity. In September. the authorities
woke up to this new peril and there
, after the record of efficiency In fight
+ ing the plague was magnificent Sur
!, geon Blue and n large staff of assist
| ants returned for "A new campaign. the
splendid results of which need not be
stated in great detail. 1t Is estimated
! that over 2.0UO.0Oo rats We're extermi-
| mated in San Francisco. and II Is
matter of laboratory record that 1874 900
| rats We're Interchangeable examined
] Not Il single infected rat has been
caught since last October. The cam
paign was remarkably thorough. all
| classes in the community and all or
lganiZatiOnS being enlisted In the work
In summing up the permanent bene-
fits to the city. there is to be consid-
! cred. first the education received bv
the entire population In the theory and
,practlce of plague determination. Ev-
erybody from the mayor down to the
smallest school children, learned what
all the fuss was about and they Will
lnever forget 1T. The second great bene-
lift is that in rebuilding the city anti
rat building principles have been large
lbs adopted, the result being that the
Erclars, outhouses. markets ware
houses. restaurants and back yards of
no other city in the world are today so
nearly rat proof as those of San Fran
rsco The warming for all cities is
That much can be done toward mini
ffnizing the pest of rats by proper CON
struction and by everlastingly clean
ing up. Seaports especially must be on
their guard. for, as maritime COM
linerce increases, the plague infected
rat may suddenly appear In any land
Of whatever cline
Lincoln and the News Of Vicksburq
Gideon WelIes In the Atlantic.