Plague: Its Cause and the Manner of its Extension, Its Menace, Its Control and Suppression, Its Diagnosis and TreatmentJackson, Thomas Wright
History
Plague: Its Cause and the Manner of its Extension, Its Menace, Its Control and Suppression, Its Diagnosis and Treatment
Jackson, Thomas Wright
Plague; Rats as carriers of disease
From this time (September 24) on, however, human cases occurred at
intervals of a few days until Christmas Day, 1912, the longest
plague-free period being one week; the number of cases by calendar
months being distributed as follows: September, 3 cases; October, 22
cases; November, 12 cases; and December, 6 cases.
GEOGRAPHIC GROUPING.--Not until October 21 was there any apparent
geographic grouping of cases indicating a well localized infected
centre. Upon this date there began the outbreak of plague among the
employees of the Manila Railway Company, laborers at the freight
station and yard of the company. This freight station and yard is
located between Calle Azcarraga, Calle Dagupan and Calle Antonio
Rivera. The outbreak totalled 17 human cases, all fatal, and extended
into November. Indeed, the last case traced to this focus occurred on
December 7, 1912.
During the present epidemic of plague in Manila this focus was the only
one to which a larger number of cases than five could be traced, and in
all the other instances where multiple cases were traced to an infected
centre, the foci were all single buildings.
The locations giving rise to multiple infections and the number of
cases of plague developing at each address, with months of incidence,
are as follows: Calle San Fernando (804-814), November, 1912, 4 cases;
Calle Teodoro Alonzo (518), November and December, 1912, 2 cases; Calle
Cabildo (Intramuros), November and December, 1912, 2 cases; Calle
Comercio (1028), February, 1913, 2 cases; Calle Sande (1364), April,
1913, 5 cases; Calle Juan Luna (1226), May, 1913, 2 cases.
Returning to the Manila Railway outbreak, it is necessary to state
that a well-defined epidemic among rats preceded this outbreak,
resulting in the death of a large number of rodents (undoubtedly from
rat plague). This epidemic was not reported by the railroad company
until the outbreak of human plague had begun. It was then too late to
identify plague in the dead and mummified rats found under floors,
platforms and elsewhere, but the fact that large numbers of rats had
recently died here was established by the unanimous testimony of the
employees at the freight station and the finding of rat cadavers.
As stated, the human outbreak here occurred upon October 21, and
fifteen cases developed within 3 days.
This indicates an extensive desertion of fleas from plague rat cadavers
and an attack upon human beings, after a fasting period, on the part of
the fleas, of several days. The human outbreak at the station and the
death of a large number of rats at the same place, just previous,
correspond to a nicety and establish to a moral certainty the
connection necessary to explain the epidemic.
After the railway epidemic of human plague, cases continued to occur
through November and December, without apparent relation to each other,
except in the following instances, which have already been mentioned:
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