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
At 1364 Calle Sande, Tondo, where 5 cases originated, the infections
were undoubtedly almost synchronous and no infection occurred after
disinfection of the house, while at 1226 Calle Juan Luna, Tondo, the
two cases were plainly infected at about the same time and this
previous to disinfecting the premises.
GUINEA-PIGS AS INDICATORS OF INFECTED HOUSES.--The following experiment
shows strikingly the necessity for disinfecting houses where human or
animal plague cases have occurred.
Upon December 17, 1912, Dr. O. Schöbl, of the Bureau of Science, and
myself, placed two healthy guinea-pigs, free from fleas, in a wire trap
cage in the house at No. 4 Calle Barraca, a few hours before the house
was disinfected, a patient with plague from this house having died
within the preceding twelve hours. The cage containing the guinea-pigs
was placed exactly where the patient had slept upon the floor, as
indicated by the other tenants of the house. Disinfection was delayed
for a few hours and the guinea-pigs were left in the house for one
day. Upon December 21 one of the guinea-pigs died from typical bubonic
plague--anatomically and bacteriologically positive--other inoculated
experimental animals also developing the disease.
Other guinea-pigs placed in plague houses on Calle Cabildo and Calle
San Fernando, after disinfection of the premises, failed to acquire
plague.
NATURAL ENEMIES OF THE FLEA.--It was observed during the studies in
Java that certain natural enemies of fleas exist and operate against
their laboratory cultivation and their natural reproduction.
Ants of several varieties, large and small red ants and small black
ones, were found to be very antagonistic to fleas, both in the larval
and adult states, destroying them actively.
Fleas in the laboratory were found to be affected with mites, with a
resultant high mortality among the insects. The same parasites were not
found upon wild fleas. On account of the prevalence of mites upon the
laboratory fleas certain experiments concerning the transmission of
plague were vitiated.
The activity of ants in attacking and disposing of rat cadavers found
in our antiplague work in Manila was frequently brought to my
attention. We invariably included an attack upon ants in treatment of
houses known to harbor, or suspected of harboring, plague rats. The
combination of kerosene and cresols, elsewhere referred to, was found
to be perfectly satisfactory in the destruction of ants; assuming, of
course, that the necessary procedure of exposing the ants, by the
moving of merchandise, boards or other protecting materials, was
performed, so that contact, by spraying the insecticide mixture, was
secured.
ACTIVITY OF FLEAS.--It was also observed during the Java studies that
the rat flea, while rather lazy, may and does cover distances of five
metres and that he sometimes covers eighteen centimetres at a single
leap.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account