The Lakeland evening telegram., 1914-07-22
PROTECTION AGAINST
THE BUB0N|C PLAGUE
Board of Health Bulletin. J

Health, Florida's sanitary watchdog
has been sounding the alarm of the
approaching plague. The develop
ments of the past few weeks have
proved that this alarm was not
merely a growl of the ordinary
watchdog, nor an empty "baying at
the moon. F."
The history of the disease shows
that its progress across the deep
oceans is stealthy and mysterious.
BY no ordinary means can the pres
ence of the infection in a given To-
cality be determined until the dis
ease is actually manifested in the
human victim.
The dire anticipations and fears
of State health authorities all along
the Atlantic and Gulf coasts that
the disease was approaching the
United States were realized by its
appearance in Havana last Febru-
airy. Twenty-seven cases and six
deaths had been reported from Cuba
by July /, all but two of the cases
in Havana. The energetic measures
taken by the Cuban health authori-
ties. under the direction of DR..
Guiteras, were an assurance that cv-
cry effort was being made to conlino
and stamp out the disease.
Without warming it was an
nounced from New Orleans and from
what source the infection reached
that city has not yet been discovered,
or, at least, if known, has not been
announced It is as likely to reach
any other seaport city on the Allan
tic or Gulf States-quite as likely,
that is, If no precautions are taken
to resist its coming.
The insidious nature of the plague,
its stealthy approach in the infected,
flea bearing rat, which hides in the
darkness of the ships hold, which
gnaws its way into the foundations
of freight laden warehouses, and
which is a synonym for sneaking re-
pulsiveness, all these combine to
make the fight against it a fight in
the dark, fight, it may be, against
a danger that may not be actually
present, but fight against the
chances that it may lie.
What do sane, sober minded men
do in such circumstances, where the
gamble is for the healthfulness of a
city and community, for life against
the chances of a horrible epidemic
and a more horrible death? No mat
ter how small the odds against them,
they fight.
That's the situation in Florida to-
day. 1t is emphasized at every sea-
port, and it is a menace directly in
proportion to the amount of its ma
rine commerce with the countries of
the world, particularly with south
ern and tropical lands.
Prompt and energetic action is
necessary By every city that has a
deep-water commerce, and by every
other city that has trade relations
with it-and all Florida cities are
closely united by constant travel and
business relations. Get rid of the
rats, both for health preservation
and for economic reasons. Prepare
against the possibilities of this in
fection. Once it is discovered in
any community, then it's another
proposition. 1t means a fight for
life extending over months, to stamp
out the disease, and the rest of the
world becomes afraid of the infect
ed city, trade relations are paralyzed
and quarantine may lay its heavy
hand on the plague spot.
Infected rats may be in port for
considerable period before their
presence is discovered through an
outbreak of the disease. The time
of incubation Of the bacillus in the
human host is shorter 1t may vary
from twenty-four hours to several
days, but If 1t is not actively mani
tested within ten days, the isolated
suspect is released as not dangerous
to the community. The disease takes
several forms in the human victim,
according to whether certain glands
are attacked, as in the bubonic
form; the lungs, in the pneumonia