Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1914-08-05

Washington, Aug. 5.-Four deaths
from bubonie plague in New Orleans
last month turned the United States
Public Health service into a squad of
rat killers Such is the quick methods
of the United States.
In less than two weeks $4,000 of the
rodents were killed! Such is the quick
method of the United States health of
ficers in striking at the source of a
pestilenee which in May, June and Ju-
ly, 1911, caused the death of $4,000
persons in India. To show how effici.
ent the public health army is, let me
cite these facts:
One morning during the routine of
his office work, Surgeon General Blue,
director of the Public Health service,
received a night letter from the mayor
of New Orleans advising him that one
man had died and another was afflicted
with disease that resembled bubonic
plague. DR.. Blue was asked to come
and investigate. By noon Blue was
in conference with Secretary of the
Treasury MeAdoo, in whose depart.
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McAdoo ordered Dr. Blue and Assist
ant Surgeon General Creel to New Or
leans. Within twenty-four hours they
were en- route. Within three days the
diagnosis of the New Orleans surgeons
was confirmed, an outgoing quarantine
YVES established and expert rat killers
ordered from San Francisco. Fifty
thousand rats were killed within the
first two weeks.
In the meantime Wild rumors had
reached Washington of sixteen deaths
the first day in New Orleans, and the
ministers and ambassadors of the South
American countries wired their govern
ments Immediately recommending a ces-
sation of commercial intercourse. The
health service through Secretary Me
AdOo protested through Secretary of
State Bryan to these countries. They
were invited to send physicians to New
Orleans to see that any such prohibi-
tion against shipping was foolish and
unnecessary Most of these countries
then withdrew the barriers pending
more thorough investigation.
By this time warning was sent to
every state on our coasts and those bor-
dering on the Mississippi Health of
ficers and the public were told to KILL
RATS.
"This plague is primarily a disease
of rodents, said Assistant Surgeon
General Rucker, who was left in charge
of the situation by DR.. Blue, who went
on an inspection tour of gulf ports,
"and secondarily and accidentally a
disease of man. Man s safety from the
disease lies in the exclusion of the ro.
dent and his parasites This is the
basis of all preventative and eradicat
i've work. If man can live in rodent
free surroundings he need have no fear
of plague, because if there be no ro-
dents there can be no rodent parasites,
and for all practical purposes the flea
may be considered as the common ven
dor of the disease from rodent to ro-
dent and from rodent to man. The
eradication of bubonic plague therefore
means the eradication of rodents -
Almost everyone asks how they
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first answer is: I" Not with cats. That
theory was exploded long ago. A man
raised whole farm of cats, whetted
their appetites on raw meat, almost
starved them just before turning them
loose at a dock then put some wharf
rats in the enclosure and the cats all
ran away, Why I have seen rats as
big as big rat terriers and no cat will
ever attack them. ="
The best method, DR.. Ruckcr said,
is by traps and burning sulphur. Elk
perienced rat killers know Just how to
rotate traps and food so as to deceive
rats. They go into all ships that are
to be fumigated and put sulphur pots
all around light the sulphur and close
up the ship. Twenty-four hours later
they go in and sweep out the rats, for
they all come out of the holes and clus-
ter around the sulphur pot because the
air Immediately around the pot is al.
ways fresher until the last suffocating
minutes. Then the rats are too .ver.
/ >cmo to get away.