The Washington times., 1920-07-04


In his tour of inspection, DR.. Cum.
ming visited Pensacola. Mobile. New
Orleans, Bougalousa. Beaumont. Gal
weston, Port Arthur and neighboring
towns. and reports a serious condi-
ton with regards to the prevalence
of plague.
PLAGUE" said the surgeon general,
(which for the first time appeared in
the Uniteo States on the west coast,
and New Orleans. but has been quies-
cent for long while. has now shown
a weak recrudesence in New Orleans.
and has invaded other cities of the
Gulf Coast, including Pensacola and
Galveston. Still more aIainingly, it
has appeared also in one place away
from the coast in Bougalousa.
SERIOUSLY PREVALENT.
"While the number of places is
small, yet their appearance indicates
serious prevalence of the disease
among the rat-population of the
Southern Coast, and indicates a wide
degree of infection among these ro-
dents which are carriers of the dis
ease. The extent and gravity oS the
cannot be determined until
there Is completed survey of the rat
population in the ports of the coast
to determine how much infection
exists among them" ..
DR.. Cumming further stated that the
gravity of such a situation cannot
well be overestimated, and that the
public health service had already as
sembled a large force in these various
places, consisting OF medical officers.
sanitary engineers, laboratory experts
and expert rat-catchers (several hun
dred persons in ALL, for the purpose
of prosecuting a vigorous campaign
against this dread infection. The
force will be steadily increased as
the situation may demand. The pub
lie health service is also working in
close cooperation with the local!
States and city health departments.
CALL OUT RAT-CATCHERs.
The campaign in its broader fea-
lures contemplates two classes OF
work. First. extensive rat catching
for laboratory examination, to deter
mine the extent and degree of the in
fection. Second, the Inauguration of
the necessary work for the preven-
ton Of any further spread by builG-
ing out the rats, both in houses ard
along the wharves of the port towns.
In the city of Mobile an examina-
ton of the rat population has just
been completed by the catching Of
5000 rats and their examination tr
the laboratory. Fortunately, no
plague was found among them, so
that Mobile, for the present, may ce
considered clean.
1t is not generally known that the
public health service has for years
conducted schools at New Orleans and
San Francisco, as well as other towns
on the West coast, where persons
have been taught to be expert rat
catchers. These experts, who study
with care the habits of the different
species of the rats, especially the
Norway, black. and Alexandrine rats.
succeed with ease in capturing these
clever animals where less versed per-
sons fail utterly.
WANT RAT BARRED OUT.
In the meantime, the Public Health
Service has endeavored to stimulate
local civic bodies and health authori-
ties at once to begin a fight against
the rat population. City ordinances
are rapidly being passed requiring
the necessary changes in the con-
struction of buildings, wharves, etc.
in an effort to build out the rat
since that is the only effective way OF
combating the prevalence of this
dangerous pest.
The surgeon general emphasized the
fact that the real gravity of the sit
uation could not be fully determined
until the surveys upon the rat popul
lation had been completed and the ex-
tent of the infection definitely made
known.
"An examination of the rats" he
said, "'in all coast towns OF the
country is at the present time a
public health matter of the first i'm
portance. Plcague Is one OF the sever
lest injections known, and In many
respects the most difficult to combat.
II spreads slowly but surely. Its ex-
istence should be determined as early