The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1914-08-05
THE FIGHT At
NEW ORLEANS

HLW ulIILnHu
| (The Board of Hath Bulletin
/ The presence OF the plague at
New Orleans continues to be the
source of great anxiety to health
officials along the Gulf and At
lantis seaboard and their efforts
to ward off the contaglon from
the infected ports are unrelaxed.
1t is we'll to understand how
earnestly the United States
Government medical officers in
| charge Of the situation at New
Orleans, are working, not only
to eradicate the disease, but also
especially to confne it to the
limits of the Louisiana city.
The commerce Of New Or
leans is carried by vessels and
by rail. 1t is possible for the in
fected rat, with his burden OF
heas to transmit the disease to
human victims, to travel by eth
err route to distant cities
and ports, and both outlets are
being guarded by the most ad-
i.vanced scientific practice.
In reply to inquiries by Flor
ia s Health Officers for a state
n,ent Of these methods, the fol
lowing reply, under date OF July
"a, from Assistant Surgeon Cen
cral w. c. Rucker, Of the United
States Public Health Service, IN
charge of the work at New Or
leans is important to Florida,
Nine cases Of human plague
have occurred, the first beng
| found on June 70, 1914 VI
these nine cases four are dead.
Eight cases of rodent plague
have been found" (These hg-
ures at the present writing, July
20. have been increased to thlr-
teen human cases and twenty
infected rats.)
"A force Of 100 men under the
direction of six officers is now
at work trapping rats in an en-
deavor to mp out exactly the
area Of rodent infection. y
thorough outgoing quarantine Is
being maintained Of vesSels
clearing this port, both fol
foreign and domestic ports
Shipmasters and agents are noti'
fed that vessels must be tended
, off 8 feet from wharf and gang
WAYS must be guarded at al
times and raised at night Wher
slip is not actually working
cargo. Vessels are fumigate'
thoroughly for rat destruction
. and a certificate to that effect /
given the master of the vessel.
! All this work is being dom
under the immediate supervisor
, LOT a medical officer of the Ser
vice. In cases where vessels i
; the smallest respect fail to com
ply with all Of these regulations
r a note is made on the tace Q
their port sanitary statemen
that they have not compile
!. with out going quarantine reSu
1 lations in force at this port, an
4 no certificate Of iumigation l
I given them. There has been
4 disposition on the part OF som
J il reign vessels to be a little care
\ less in placing rat guards lil'
! however, is being rapidly over
| come, and you may be assure
| that in no case will certihcat
be issued to any vessel that ha
| not fully complied with all tn
4 regulations outlined above.
There is no cause for alarr
either in this port or in torelg
| places"
In addition DR.. Rucker sent
telegram regarding the Situatlo
! at New Orleans under date Q
] July 18th in substance as FOL
1 lows:
| My professional and ofhcla
opinion is that passenger train
/ between New Orleans and Flor
| da may be permitted to continu
without danger to Florida. L
| the bubonic type OF the diseas
] and the absence OF Suctorial in
sects, the human being is neg
: ligible factor in transmission G
I the plague. Nine cases her
] have been bubonic, one sept