The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-07-11
THE TIMES DIsPATrH RICHMOND THURSDAY JULY H. 1912
BUBONIC PLAGUE
is FATAL TO q
Situation Is Serious, and Health
Service Wages Desperate
Battle.

Washington. July l0.-The oubonic
plague has claimed twcnty-one victims
IN Porto Rico during the present cpl
demic la the island. according to re-
ports received at the Public Health
md Marine Hospital Service here to-
day Another new case. resulting
fatally was reported from Puerta de
Terra, near san Juan IN al. thirty
three cases have been reported from
me island.
80 new cases were reported from
Cuoa. ana II Is said that the one case
IN Havana has not yet proved fatal.
The oihclals OF the Public Health
and Marine Hospital Service and the
health officers OF all the American
ports on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts
nave entered into the fight to pre-
vent the Introduction OF the plague
INTO TINS country with the greatest
determination.
AT present the situation IN Porto
RICO Is most serious Sauturce, where
the plague mas broken out, is the home
OF consid era bic wealth, and many
Americans are living there The
plague cases i'm ths Island nave been
located IN the following places. san
Juan. % cases. Is deaths Santrrce.
cases. deaths: Carolina. cases
deaths. Arroyo. case, I death
Nork IL Progressing.
Passed Assistant Surgeon Il. II Cree!.
IN command Of the forces nurshaled in
Porto RICO by the Marine Hospital Ser
vice against tho plague. reported to
SurSeOn-General Blue to-day that tho
Work Is going on mosts atlsfa ctorily
and that ne has seventy subordinates
working under him. His laboratory
force IS well organized. and the field
men arc being taught the mysterious
art or catching rats through which the
plague. is believed to DC carried. Sur
geon- General Blue remarked to-day
mat a good rat catcher is the mobiles i
work OF God
\ report gained ground yesterday
that case OF plngue mad been discov-
cred IN Santiago. Cuba. but Dr. Juan
Cuba. las wired that the report is UNI
true and there Is no plague In Santiago.
raised Assistant surgeon Won BIZ
dori OF tho Marine Hospital Service.
mas reported his arrival in Havana.
where he has been detailed to take
charge or the outgoing quarantine for
American ports The Cuban authori-
ties have established a quarantine Damn
~ Mariel for passengers entering cuba
from Porto Rico and this leaves free
me IuaFa ntine station at Triscornia
llor piasse,nsers who are leaving cuba
LOT t!orida and other American ports.
Crusade IL Vigorous.
me crusade against rats in the vari-
Gus American ports is being conducted
after a conference with State and city
health officers, has arranged for a
bounty to be paid for rats killed in the
city.
4 call was sent from Galveston FOR
many copies of a bulletin compiled by
Past Assistant surgeon Colby Rucler
on the eradication and prevention of
bubonic plague. In this bulletin Dr.
Rucker lays particular stress upon the
need for killing of the rats to prevent
the Introduction and spread of plague.
He says:
Plague is primarily disease OF ro-
dents. and secondly. n disease of man.
Mans safety from the disease lies in
tho exclusion Of the rodent and his
parasites. This is the basis OF all pre-
ventivc and eradcative work The
eradication therefore, means the eradi-
cation of rodents