Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-07-13
PICTURES RAT As
MANS WORST FOE
Biologist Says it Has Caused More
Deaths Than All Wars of
History.

The rat is responsible for more deaths
among human beings than all the wars
OF history, according 10 David r. IAntx,
assistant biologist Of the Bureau OF Bio
logical Survey, who calls the house rat
the most destructive animal IN the woric.
mot all the fatal epidemice OF the
past werc bubonic plague, but enough
of them have been so identified to show
that almost every century OF the Cbr,s-
tlan era has had at least one great pan
dcmic Of this scourge which destroyed
millions of the worlds population, he
SAYS In a report TO the department of
Agriculture.
'"The great plague Of London which
killed more than half the inhabitants
that did not flee from the city was by
no means the worst outbreak recorded
The plague called black death devas-
tated Europe for fifty years of the fourteen
century, DESTROYING two-thirds to three
fourths Of the population OF large terri
tories and onc-fourth of all the people,
or about 25,oo0,Oo0 persons.
"Slnce 1896 plaques have carried away
nearly 100000 Of the population OF
India alone. The disease Is stall ntrenched
IN Ai.a, Africa and Australia and South
America, and cases of it have occurred In
Europe and in North America.
Through the fees that infest them,
rats are almost wholly responsible for
the pcrpetuation and transmission of
bubonic plague, and IT has been proved also
that rats are active, although not exclusive,
agents IN spreading pneumonia plague
Only the prompt measures taken by the
United States PublicHealth Service against
these animals prevented disastrous cpl
denies of plague in San Francisco, Seattle
n ri IN,
1912, and on New Orleans in 1914.
"1he economic loss due to rats Is as
founding. No extensive or exact statis-
tics on the subject are available, but
surveys of conditions existing IN few
of, the older cities Of the United States
show that losses due to rats are almost
in exact ratio TO the populations. In
rural districts the losses arc much great
er IN proportion to inhabitants than In
cities.
Assuming that there arc in the United
States only as many rats as people, and
that each rat in year destroys property
valued ~ 81, the total yearly damage
Is about $500 100000 To this must be
added the expense of fighting rats, in
Guiding the large sums paid for traps and
polsons, the keep of dogs and cats and
the labor involved. In addition the loss
ti nuUihu tHlfftntN tut 10 uiSfttssS utsSSilf-
mated by the rat should be considered.
Civilization and science have by no
means spoken their last word about the
means OF combating this greatest plague
of the human race. a building can be
made ratproof-why not a farmstead,
street, a village, city or a seaport?
II Rats cannot be extermlnsted they at
least can be repressed IN this country,
and at the same time effective barriers
can be erected against the landing of
fresh hordes. Up 20 the present time,
however, few efforts have been made to
find out the way, or even TO apply properly
the means already at command. II is
high time To begin.
''ro combat the rat successfully is
largely building problem. Buildings should
be SO constructed as TO exclude the ami
mails from shelter and food. When this
is done, individual and community efforts
10 destroy rats Will give satisfaction and
lasting results. The program may be re-
garded by many as too expensive. Will
II be too costly? What do rats cost nowf
II half the money now spent IN feeding
and fighting rats could be expended in
wisely planned and well-executed coop
erativc efforts for rat repression. 1t would
be possible within few years nearly to
rad the country of Its worst animal pest, to
reduce losses from its depredations by at
least 90 per cent and TO free the land COM
pletely from the fear of bubonic plague"