vni, B, 2 Heiser: Plague in Manila during 1912 113 



Calle San Sebastian, which is in the same block in which the 

 human cases on Calle Villalobos occurred. On September 7, a 

 plague rat was found at 104 Calle Santa Rosa, and another at 

 215 Calle Echague, both of which addresses are within a block 

 of the cases that had occurred on Calle Villalobos. On October 

 4, a plague rat was found at 644 Calle Ilaya, and another 

 at 637 Avenida Rizal. Up to October 1 the percentage of in- 

 fected rats found has been 0.005, which is unusually low, 2 per 

 cent being considered a low average where human cases are 

 occurring. At Hongkong, for instance, 7 per cent of the rats 

 examined have proved to be plague-infected. 



During the early part of October the rat-catching efforts were 

 increased, and rats were being caught at the rate of approxi- 

 mately 9,000 per month. Other plague-infected rats were found, 

 on October 16, at 520 Calle Jaboneros, 417 Calle Principe, and 

 614 Calle Salcedo ; and on October 17, at 323 Calle Barcelona and 

 1057 Calle Padre Chavez. It is interesting to note that human 

 cases were also found near all of these addresses. 



SANITARY MEASURES EMPLOYED 



Wherever a case of human or rat plague was encountered, 

 the premises were immediately and thoroughly sprinkled with 

 kerosene, and then disinfected in the usual way with some form 

 of emulsion of a coal-tar product. The blocks surrounding the 

 infected block were regarded as an infected center, and cleaning 

 and rat-proofing measures were instituted from the periphery 

 of such a zone and continued toward the center. This was 

 done with the idea of driving the rats to the infected block and 

 gradually eliminating them, and thus guarding against the 

 spread of the infection throughout the city. For an infected 

 center of this kind, approximately 75 laborers were employed 

 whose duty it was to remove all accumulations of garbage and 

 rubbish, and particularly to move wood piles, goods in ware- 

 houses, boxes, and other things among which rats might hide, 

 and then to spray with kerosene. For the purpose of catching 

 rats that attempted to escape during such operations, fox ter- 

 riers were used with considerable success. In this outbreak, 

 the experience had with former outbreaks, that is, that wood 

 piles are great harboring places for rats, was repeated. 



All householders in an infected zone were required to provide 

 themselves with metal garbage cans at least 30 centimeters in 

 height, with tight-fitting covers. The height was insisted upon 

 particularly, in order to prevent dogs and cats from upsetting 



