PLAGUE CARRIERS

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 11, 14 July 1928, Page 20

PLAGUE CARRIERS

KATS THE ENEMY OF MANKIND. Speaking recently before an international congress at tho Sorbonnc, Paris, Professor Gabriel Pelt, a distinguished medical man, declared that in the course of twenty years rats havo caused the death of ono million of the people of India. This, unfortunately, is a grave under-estimate of the facts, declared a health authority to the "Statesman," for, he added, in the last 25 years nearly ten million people in India have died of plague, -which is directly traceable to rats. He suggested that a determined effort should be made to reduce tho number of rats by educational propaganda; introducing now building regulations and other means. 'Every medical man is aware that bubonic plague is directly duo to'intimate association of rats with man. Plague primarily is a disease of rats and other rodents, and human plague is really an accidental occurrence resulting from an epidemic of plague in one or other of these animals. "There arc certain animals which feed very largely on the same food materials as men, and of these rats are the worst, because they have so largely accustomed themselves to live in close association with man. In fact, they may bo considered almost to be domestic animals. In many parts of India houses are built of such materials and in such a way as to encourage the largest, possible number of rats. "For example, houses built of mud with country-tiled roofs, form ideal shelters for these animals, arid villages in the Punjab, the United Provinces, Bombay and Bchar, and Orissa are always honeycombed with rat-holes. The foolish habits of casting out food refuse at their very doors, and of stocking grain in their dwellings in receptacles easily accessible to rats, encourage the propagation of these creatures on an enormous scale. "Plague infection is ordinarily conveyed from rat to rat by means of rat fleas, but when many rats have died tho fleas are compelled to find other sources of blood,' and in these circumstances they resort' to man taking plague infection with them. So long as people are content to allow rats to multiply in large numbers within or near their dwellings, plague will persist. "In the last 25 years nearly ten million people have died of-plague in India. The majority of these deaths have occurred in the Punjab, the United Provinces, Bombay and Behar, and Orissa. Bengal has suffered far less than most of the other provinces, and though Calcutta has on occasions been attacked with serious outbreaks of plagues, very few cases have occurred in recent years. The explanation of the relative immunity of Bengal from plaguo is probably to be sought in the physical and climatic conditions of the province and in the character of its main TiarI vests. 1 "Bengal is almost wholly deltaic, and enjoys a very heavy rainfall, which often floods village sides. This circum- j stanco is unfavourable to the multipli- I cation of rats, as they would obviously be drowned owing'to the rise of the | water. In this connection it is quite i possible that Calctuta owes her relative immunity in recent years to, the periodical flooding of the city. Whenever stroets are flooded a .little casual observation will show that many rats perish in the waters. "As regards the effect of agricultural conditions it may be pointed out that many of the provinces in India subject to plague depond more upon dry crops than upon rice. In many areas there has been.a sudden decline oi plagup prevalence) in April and May as soon 'as \ the harvest has been reaped.''