Evening star., 1940-08-08
Of Stars, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Field, Laboratory
And Study
By Thomas r. Henri.

By Thomas r. Henry.
Bubonic plague. probably the most
dreaded Of all epidemic diseases, has q
toe-hold in the United States.
The malady turks in the blood of
ground squirrels, woodchucks and DOS
sibly some rabbits in the Pacific Coast
States, ready to attack careless hunter
or rats around some town dump who
may carry 1t into homes.
Actually in 40 years, the United States
Public Health Service announces, there
have been 400 cases and 314 deaths of
essentially the same disease that prac-
tically depopulated northern Europe in
the 18th century and may have been
responsible for the great plague of
London In the reign Of Charles II,
While there Is little possibility that
the situation ever will get out of
hand. Public Health Service officers are
on constant guard and over 1000 tests
have been made Of possibly infected
animals in the past four years.
The disease, says Brock c. Hampton
Of the Public Health Service staff, has
been quiescent for many years until
there was an explosive outbreak in
China in 1894 which in two years had
spread halfway around the world, but
with diminishing violence. BY that
time 1t was known that the germs were
carried by rats. Most countries had
fairly strict quarantine regulations and
all ships were de-ratted. Nevertheless.
in two years cases Of the malady had
been reported in Africa, Australia and
Western Europe.
So efficient was the United States
quarantine, however, that it was not
until 1900 that the first case was found
in the United States. A Chinese sailor
died Of 1t in San Francisco The cause
OF death was determined beyond any
question. Rats in the neighborhood
were found infected. The Public Health
Service ofhcials OF the day were alarmed
but when they attempted q cleanup
they met strenuous opposition from the
leading citizens of San Franciscs who,
alarmed for the reputation of the city,
energetically denied the possibility of
such an infection. Almost surrepti-
tiously the Federal agents managed to
clean Chinatown OF infected rats.
But apparently the damage already
had been done. The plague had scaled
the quarantine walls. There was another
outbreak in San Francisco In 1907
followed by sporadic cases in other
Pacific Coast cities. The last out
break was in Los Angeles In 1924 with
Al cases and "a deaths. There have
been outbreaks in New Orleans and
Pensacola, Fla.
But the chief cause Of worry is the
ground squirrels of the West. They are
fairly thick over most of the country
side. They come into the suburbs of
towns in search Of food and there come
IN contact with the city-dwelling rats
The animals exchange feas and 50 the
ground squirrels carry the deadly germs
back to the country with them.
Fortunately ground squirrels, unlike rats,
are not especially social animals. They
do not congregate and hence the in
fection-carrying fleas spread slowly.
Nevertheless several foci OF infection
have been found. All Of them are for
tunately In thinly inhabited country
where the likelihood Of their fieas getting
on human beings is remote. The ground
squirrel, per sc, keeps as far away as
possible from human beings. Only the
hunter who shoots one is likely to get its
neas on his body.
The danger is that they will pass the
dfSAogo hark n hA -
they received it. They also, Public Health
Service investigators have found, can
pass 1t on to woodchucks and rabbits.
Apparently in the wild animals the
malady undergoes q slight change of
form, but it remains just as fatal to
human beings who contract it. They
die Of an especially virulent form of
pneumonia.
AS part OF the precautionary meas
ures hunters are kept constantly collect
ing sample ground squirrels from the
whole region. The parasites are taken
from these animals and innoculations
made in guinea pigs. In this way track
is kept Of the spread of the disease in
the animal population and its close ap-
proaches to towns ana cities.
Constant watchfulness is the only
safeguard, Public Health Service doctors
say. So much is known about the
malady, however, that there is practically
no chance Of major epidemic. It would
be stopped at the start by a rigorous
cleanup of rats.
However, the plague in ground
squirrels can spread unnoticed over large
areas and it slowly is moving eastward.
1T is evident" reports Mr.. Hampton,
chat further spread of the infection
eastward, through q human and rodent
population Of insufficient density to give
rise to explosive epidemics, will even-
tually bring the disease within striking
distance Of the rat and human popula-
tions Of large cities. Then, through
reversal Of the original sequence, the
disease may become epidemic in any city
which has q sufficiently high popula-
ton Of rats and suficiently high flea
index to provide favorable conditions for
human Infection"
Says War Is