The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1914-09-23
Uncle Sans School Army
IS Bigger Than Euer

going the rounds Of port cities in all
parts of the coun-
Fighting try, where the peo-
the Rat. pie are as anxious
to rid their com
munities OF the brown fea-carrying
rodent which spreads bubonic plague
az all Americans have been In recent
years to swat the fly" and help In
the depopulation Of the insect which
provides means OF transportation for
germs OF many diseases, particularly
typhoid fever. A complete report Of
the csmpaigns going on In q dozen
important port cities has Just been
submitted to DR.. Rupert Blue, sur
geon-generali Of the United State
public health service, who beliey
that IL the work which has been
started is persisted I'm the United
States will have little to fear from
plague scares In the future.
Although seaport cities In all parts
\ of the country have started active.
campaigns OF rat determination In
recent months, SUPERINTENDENT Blue
says that start In work OF this kind,
important as II Is, means very little
unless It Is made q permanent fea-
ltnre OF a city's public health pro-
gram In other words, trout the rat"
activities must be carried on as per.
sistently and continuously as swat
the hy" campaigns II community
| is to be kept free from the disease
which these pests carry and spread
to places OF human habitation. San
Francisco, after several bubonic
plague scares, has now the most thor
oughly ratproofed city In the United
States, and the head of the public
health service believes that every
port In the country which il o point
of plague infection may do well by
following after the California me-
tropolis.
i Among the cities the progress Of
whose work In rat determination has
Just been reported to Surgeon-G General
Blue are New York, Philadelphia, Bal
ltimore, st, Louis, Charleston, 8. c.:
Jacksonville, Galveston, Natchez and
Guifport, Miss: Mobile. Ala, and
Pensacola, Fla. None OF these cities
has had plague scares. In New Or.
leans this work has been going on
very actively during the whole OF the
summer because OF the number OF
cases OF bubonic plague which have
been reported. and In recent years
practically all Of the new buildings
put up in San Francisco are rat-proof-
ed in their original construction.
In New York city. DR.. Charles J.
O'Connell health ofY1cer of the port,
has taken special precautions to pre-
vent the introduction Of plague-in-
tested rats. The rodents are killed
by fumigation Of the ships and bac-
teriologfcally examined at the new
Laboratory recently established at the
place OF quarantine. Surgeon General
Blue is highly pleased with the fore
sightednese OF the public, health au-
thorities Of Philadelphia In planning
an antirat campaign. At the request
Of the director Of public health and
charities an oficer OF the United
States public health service has been
tsent TO advise and assist the local au.
thorities and IL inspectors to take
part In the work have been appointed
by the city from among medical stu
dents In Philadelphia. The govern
Iments health officers commend the
work Of the city In setting aside
special fund OF $4,000 for emergency
. use in rat determination and In OFFER
Ing a bounty Of Eve cents for each
rat which IL killed.
Baltimore is included among the
cities which the public health service
report names as taking part In ac-
tive "routtherat" campaigns. The
city health department Is trapping
rats along the water front, and all
rats captured are being examined for
plague infection at the city labora-
4 tory. The city health commission has
requested the board OF estimates 10
employ permanently a city rat trap
per. In st. Louis the city police have
been utilized In making q house-to-
house investigation In the river and
frelghtyard districts, and reporting
TO the city health department the
premises found to bejratinfested