The Washington herald., 1914-09-27
VIRGINIA TO RID
STATE OF RATS
War of determination Planned
to Protect Commonwealth
from Bubonic Plague.
APPEAL TO THE FARMERS
Special Pamphlet Issued by Board of
Health Urges Cooperation.
Backed by U. S.

The State OF Virginia has started a
war to the death against the rat, fol-
lowing the outbreak of bubonic plague
In New Orleans, for which the rodents
are held responsible. according to an
announcement made by the United
States Public Health and Marine Hos
lpital Service.
In special pamphlet issued by the
Virginia State board OF health at
Richmond farmers are urged in the
strongest possible terms to save Vir-
ginia from the possibility of a plague
outbreak by killing every rat within
the confines of the Commonwealth
The movement is heartily indorsed by
officials Of the Public Health Service,
who say that the rat has been costing
Virginia more than 100000 a year
in damage to crops and property alone.
It is the purpose of the Public
Health Service to bring to the atten-
tion OF the boards OF health Of every
State in the Union. the grave menace
Of the ordinary rat. In its effort to
make America ratless. the Public
Health Service is spending $4,000 a
year in New Orleans as an object les
son. Within two years, II is expected,
New Orleans will be one of the few
ratIess cities of the world.
Danger to Seaport Cities.
! The danger from bubonic plague
communication by rats is greatly in
tensified in States having seaport cities.
| and Virginia, for one, is determined
that Norfolk and Newport News. both
large ports will not be an entrance for
! seafaring rats and that the State as
a whole will not tolerate the presence
of the rodents
| But to return to New Orleans. the
object lesson" city. II was found whe3
| the plague broke out there several
months aEu, that rats and the heas
they carried were entirely responsible
| for the outbreak. The surgeons of
the Public Health Service Immediately
took sanitary charge of the city and
started a war on the rat.
There are three varieties OF these
plague carriers-the English rat, the
Egyptian rat and the Norway rat AL
three varieties are excellent sailors and
every ship on the seven seas carries
cargo. A Hungarian tramp, for instance
ties up at a dock in some remote Asiatic
wharf and a party OF these rats creep
ashore. They accumulate cargo OF
feas, which are perhaps plasue-carriers-
and the next time a tramp ties up
at the same dock they go aboard again
for another sail.
The tramp may make an American city
its next port and some OF the Asiatic
wanderers come ashore with their plague
carrying feas. The result. as happened
last spring. is an outbreak of the plague,
which, II allowed TO go unchecked. might
sweep the country from coast 20 coast
Other Countries Protected.
In addition to some eXpeGients as trap
ping thousands of rats every week and
forcing householders to take precautions
against the rodents. the agents of the
Public Health Service are examining
thousands Of packages OF freight leaving
New Orleans. TO prevent any Of the pos
sibly plague-Contaminated rats hndlhS
their way to other parts of the country
Freight cars and vessels are being in
spected and fumiEated. Premises were in
spected and made rat proof, nu!san'eS
were abated. and already something
like 100000 doses OF poison in tempting
bait-form have been scattered through
the city of New Orleans.
Week after week. the work goes on
and the rats are dying by the science in
the great battle against them. II has
been discovered, also, that the rat re-
fuses to multiply with ordinary raptdIty
when food gets scarce, so part OF the
task in New Orleans is to cut on his
food supply Garbage cans and food OF
other kinds is carefully guarded against
his ratship. fox he not only breeds heavily
when food is plentiful but nc disdatns
traps until the food supply runs low
In such ways New Orleans is being
rid OF its rats and the Public Health
Service is backing Virginia in its hSAc
against these little enemieS~of mankind
The rat must go. the sci lists say.