T. P. ANDERSON STUART. 



Of 85 human fleas dissected, only one had bacilli in its 

 stomach, of 77 rat fleas 23 were infected, but the 4 cat fleas 

 had no bacilli at all. It is thus clear that the rat fleas are 

 the main carriers of the bacilli. Clearly also, it is not an 

 air-borne infection, since with the cage containing the 

 healthy animal only 2 inches from the floor in a plague room 

 the animal is infected — at 2 feet above ground it is not, 

 obviously since the flea cannot jump so high. In the absence 

 of fleas healthy animals live quite safely in the same houses 

 or enclosures as plague animals, but as soon as fleas 

 are introduced the disease spreads in direct proportion 

 to the number of fleas introduced. The roofs of 

 native houses covered with country tiles are rat in- 

 fected, and from these the fleas come down as a sort of rain 

 upon the inhabitants, especially if the houses be dark, as 

 they often are. With rat-proof roofs all this is 

 avoided. Another important conclusion is, that the 

 disease can exist in a chronic form in rats and yet can give 

 rise to the acute form. Thus the disease lurks in the rat 

 population during the time when there are no cases among 

 human beings. If anything could incite our people to 

 further vigilance and activity against the rat it is such a 

 recital of the evidence against him. But it is strange how 

 apathetic people are, they seem always to rely upon "the 

 authorities" doing everything — this the authorities can- 

 not do. My fear is that our people will drift into a position 

 of tacit acceptance of the plague as something inevitable, 

 and that so, Sydney will become a marked place — a place 

 to be avoided. Already we have had it six years in suc- 

 cession, and yet, to my knowledge, it has not been dealt 

 with as it ought to have been. Will this be allowed to go 

 on ? 



An Experience in the Management of Contagious Dis- 

 eases.— The past year has seen the deatli of Fritz Schaudinn, 

 at the early age of 35. Schaudinn, only a couple of years 



