The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1909-07-15
THE PLAGUE IN
SAN FRANCISCO
A Wonderful Story Of the Fight
Of Modern Methods Against
Disease.
From the Springfield Republican.

From the Springfield Republican.
The story of the eradication OF the
bubonic plague from San Francisco. In
l9O7-1908. throws into high relief the
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 a volume of somewhat
pver 800 pages. Now that It's defenses
against the plague have been made the
strongest in the world. the Pacific sea-
port is glad to ave 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
plan for a model campaign for its ex-
termination, and. consequently. It
should be in the library of every board
pf health in america.
1t is we'll known. by this time, that
the bubonic plague. known in the mid
Ease of rats %(including mice), transmit
led to man by the rat flea. 1t is never
transmitted directly by h rodents.
even to each other; the flea is always
she medium Of transmission. Even
7ouns rats sucked by plague-infected
liz kdNC lOl llhCAl klIo Ol6Cd60
hen no fleas were present to convey
t. After the plague bacillus was dis
lowered by Yersin, of the Pasteur in
ltitute, in 1894, at Hong Kong, and
he case against the rat established.
he role Of the aea was not thoroughly
Understood until some years later.
Thus 1t happened that, in India, tho
tat catchers in the sanitary service
lied at a frightful rate until they
earned all 0 the rat flea. Nova
lays care is taken by the rat CATCH
FRS to destroy the feas. first Of all. by
chloride of mercury solution. Fleas
that infest the hides of rats sick with
The plague become dangerous. to man
ts o o as the rat dies, for the insects
leave the rat cadaver at once. and IL
they cannot find food by biting other
anything.
In he chapter on the flea in this re-
port 1t is stated that nature could not
have produced a more effective instru-
ment for inoculating people with plague
than the flea. If he misses with his
he bites, he exudes blood. The bite
ltcles. The victim scratches, n 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.
vi. LllS ~ SPCS1CS, OlilS liz d
flea trasmits readily the plague bacillus.
In San Francisco, Of 3S experiments at
Transmission by the human flea, only
three were successful in % experiments
with the cat flea. The comparative i'm
munity of the cat is suggestive, in view
mas waged on the rat. The value Of
cats to mankind is beyond all estimate,
When they are considered as enemies
Of an animal which is Of no possible
use In the human economy and which
rhould be ruthlessly exterminated any,
earth.
San Francisco has had two plague
visitations-brought on by rats on ships
calling at the port-the first in 1900, the
second in 1907-19OS. The first one was
confined to chinatown and, in spite
~ Surgeon Blue, Of the United States
marine hospital service. His method
HAS to destroy all the rats, If possible.
Ind then to "bulld out" the disease
from the infested district by making it
hninhabitable 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
pm a ship from the far East in the
spring Of 1907. The first human case
was discovered in May of that year.
-pOT TWO dIu OllC-Ildll months there
was no other. On August IL the. sec
pnd case was reported; by September
!, owe Ia people were attacked in wide
~ separated localities. OF course. It
IS now manifest how the plague spread,
for the rats were carrying it by their
subway system to every section of tho
city. In September, the authorities
woke up to this new peril, and there's
after the record of efficiency in fight
ing the plague was magnificent, Sur
Beon Blue and a large staff of assist
hnts returned for a new campaign. tho
splendid results Of which need not be
stated in great detail. It is estimated
that over 2,OUO, 900 rats were extermi-
hated in San Francisco, and it is q
natter Of laboratory record that 154 000
fats were bacteriologically examined.
Not a single infected rat has been
Taught since last October. The cam
taign was remarkably thorough. all
plantations being enlisted in the work.
In summing up the permanent bene-
ats to the city, there Is to be consid-
fred, first, the education received By
|he entire population in the theory and
practice OF plague determination. Ev-
smallest school children, learned what
hll the fuss was about and they win
hever forget it. The second great bene.
1T is that in rebuilding the city anti
tat building principles nave been large
" adopted, h result being that the
cellars, %outhouses, markets. ware
houses. restaurants and back yards az
10 other city in the world are today 90
hearty rat proof as those Of San Fran
cisco. The warning for ali citiea n
hat much can be done toward mini
MIXING 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
merce increases, the plague infected
rat may suddenly appear in anv lana
Of whatever cline.
=" Botany for Children.
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