SCIENTIFIC RAT-KILLING

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 190, 7 May 1919, Page 6

SCIENTIFIC RAT-KILLING

THE PLAGUE HUNT IN INDIA.

•Bubonic plague, which every -ear carries off thousands of the poor in India, and every now and then rises like a flood and overwhelms whole cities, districts, and even provinces, is always due to the presence of rats. It is caused by tho bite of a tiny parasite, And that parasito Las only one natural home, the soft skin of the rat. When the rat dies the "flea" deserts tho cooling body and fixes on tho first warm organism it can find. If its new home is tho human body, there you have a case of plague—perhaps the start of an cptdemic. No spasmodic efforts can be tolerated in the faco of a danger eo terriblo as that. War must be waged on a scientific nlaij. For several years the municipal authorities of Bombay, always the most heavily stricken of Indian cities, have been carrying on such a war, and their campaign is gradually coming to success. The whole city is mapped out into districts, and to eaoh district is assigned a gang of rat hunters under a carefully-trained inspector. There arc two methods of attackby poison mid by traps. Each evening about 5000 little cubes of bread, smeared over with rat poison and dipped in powdered sugar and flour, ore distributed by theso gangs over tho buildings of the 1 wholo city, tho position of each cube being carefully noted lest any should go astray. About tho sarno-' time another small army of hunters goes out with somo 3001) traps of the familiar cage variety, baited with fish, coconut, and bread, and places them in positions which long exnerieneo has shown to bo the most like--1 Next morning tho gangs go round again to collect the trans, uneaten poison, balls, and dead rats. The dead aro very carefully searched for, and to each as soon as found a cavd is attached-with particulars of tho locality; where it was found. The live rats in the traps are flt once put to death in a lethal clumber-at headquarters and cremated. More attention is paid to the poisoned rots, however Of these every smglo body-atid there aro from two to three thousand every dav—is subjected to a post-mortem examination for signs of plague. As soon nk an infected caso is found every possible step is taken to exterminate all the >rats in the particular district from which the infected rat came, and to detect the presenco of plague among the human population of tho district. And tho infected rets number about one-tenth of Iho total number of rats examined! —R.N.H., in tho "Daily Mail."

Imported groats are too often old and etalo. Doctors' Cream O'Groata is always puro, fresh, and nourishing. All Grocers. Advt.