668 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION I. 



direction of a sanitarian with initiative enthusiasm and 

 resource. It ought not, therefore, to be beyond the genius of a 

 people, one of whose watchwords is a " White Austraha," to make 

 the settlements of its fruitful north habitable with comfort and 

 health, and even more capable than at present of rearing a vigorous 

 race. 



With regard to fleas, which, since the report of the Indian 

 Commission, have been definitely proved to be the intermediary^ 

 in the spread of plague from rat to rat and from rat to man, the 

 use of petroleum suggests possibilities of preventing the carriage of 

 infection. Experience shows that even in San Francisco and 

 Sydney, where attempts at the wholesale extermination of rats 

 have been carried out, owing to their prolific breeding propensities, 

 how difficult it is to extirpate rodents. Having whilst in Egypt 

 found that kerosene was the best application to keep ants out of a 

 kitchen, to remove bugs from old houses, and that it was effectual 

 in killing fleas, I made enquiries as to its sphere of usefulness in 

 combating the inroad of infected fleas into houses. Dr. Turner, 

 Executive Medical Officer, Bombay Municipality, in a letter dated 

 June, 1907, referring to the use on the floors of native huts of crude 

 petroleum, to which the name of " Pesterine " has been given, 

 says :— " We are using ' Pesterine ' freely in Bombay and killing 

 rats. Whether it is the ' Pesterine,' the rat killing, or both, I 

 cannot say, but this is the mildest epidemic we have had. We use 

 ' Pesterine ' in the places after infected rats are found and plague 

 cases occur, and also in collections of water and privies and stables." 



When in May, 1907, we had two fatal cases of plague in one 

 building in Auckland, N.Z., six tins of kerosene were used in 

 swabbing the floors and other woodwork. 



Although three years ago, when I circularised the different 

 State Health Departments in Australia drawing attention to the 

 use of kerosene in the destruction of fleas and other insects, it was 

 probably merely regarded as a fad ; I was pleased on meeting Dr. 

 Ashburton Thompson last June to learn that the properties in this 

 respect of blue oil had been recognised by the New South Wales 

 Health Department, more especially in connection with conserv- 

 ancy systems. 



In Australia and New Zealand, apart from rats, the presence 

 of fleas in houses is due to the keeping of flea-invested dogs, and in 

 some cases, cats. With regard more especially to the former, a 

 night spent in a Maori whare would convince anyone of this. 

 Fleas naturally live upon the animals which they infest, or upon 

 man, special varieties being found on different animals. The 

 eggs laid by the fleas may fall on the floor or the carpets of houses, 

 and, after hatching, live for an indefinite period upon the dust 

 which accumulates under carpets, and in crevices and joints in the 

 flooring. Thus, to rid a house of fleas, attention should first be 

 directed to any domestic pets which should be treated by rubbing 

 them either with kerosene mixed with three parts of some ordinary 



