i 86 The National Geographic Magazinr 



but steadily increased up to December, 

 1901.* 



The deaths in 1900 numbered 199, 

 and in 1901 reached a total of 432. The 

 disease was at its worst each year dur- 

 ing the hot, dry months of March, April, 

 and May, nearly or quite disappearing 

 during September, October, November, 

 and December. It will be noted that 

 the number of cases in 1901 exceeded 

 that in 1900 by 200, while the number 

 of deaths was about two and a half times 

 as great, and the percentage of mortality 

 among persons attacked increased from 

 73.4 in 1900 to 91.7 in 1901. 



This heavy increase in plague for the 

 3 r ear 1901 justified the apprehension that 

 a severe epidemic would occur in 1902. 

 Strenuous efforts were made to improve 

 the general sanitary condition of the 

 city, but the habits of the Chinese resi- 

 dents and the lower class of Filipinos 

 were such as to render the enforcement 

 of proper sanitary regulations well-nigh 

 impossible. 



On account of the important part 

 which house rats are known to play in 

 the distribution of bubonic plague, a 

 systematic campaign was inaugurated 

 against these rodents in Manila. Police- 

 men, sanitary inspectors, and specially 

 appointed rat-catchers were furnished 

 with traps and poison, and both traps 

 and poison were distributed to private 



*The deaths by months were : 



Months. 



January 



February .. 



March 



April 



May 



June 



July 



August 



September. 



October 



November. 

 December . 



Total 



IQOO. I90I. I902, 



7 

 27 

 63 

 ill 

 137 

 35 

 39 

 34 



471 



individuals under proper restrictions. 

 A bounty was paid for all rats turned 

 over to the health authorities, and sta- 

 tions were established at convenient 

 points throughout the city where they 

 could be received. Each rat was tagged 

 with the street and number of the building 

 or lot from which it came, w T as dropped 

 into a strong antiseptic solution, and 

 eventually sent to the Biological Labo- 

 ratory, where it was subjected to a bac- 

 teriological examination for plague. 

 During the first two weeks 1.8 per cent 

 of the rats examined were found to be 

 infected. This proportion steadily in- 

 creased, reaching the alarming maxi- 

 mum of 2.3 per cent in October. At 

 this time numerous rats were found dead 

 of plague in the infected districts, and, 

 in view of the fact that epidemics of 

 plague among the rats of a city in the 

 past have been uniformly followed by 

 epidemics among human beings, the 

 gravest apprehension was felt, the rapid 

 spread of the disease among the rats 

 after the weather had become compara- 

 tively dry being a particularly unfavor- 

 able symptom. 



It was deemed necessary to prepare to 

 deal with a severe epidemic, and a per- 

 manent detention camp, capable of ac- 

 commodating 1 , 500 persons, was accord- 

 ingly established on the grounds of the- 

 San Lazaro Hospital. Hoping against 

 hope, the board of health redoubled its 

 efforts to combat the disease. The force 

 of sanitary inspectors was greatty in- 

 creased, and under the able supervision 

 of Dr Meacham their work was brought 

 to a high degree of efficiency. Frequent 

 house-to-house inspections were made 

 in all parts of the city where the disease 

 was known to exist. The sick were 

 removed to the hospital if practicable; 

 otherwise they were cared for where 

 found and the spread of infection 

 guarded against. 



Plague houses were thoroughly disin- 

 fected, and their owners were compelled, 

 under the direction of the assistant sani- 



