NORTH SHORE: BREEZE": 
Jan. 19, 1917. 
“Rats and Their Menace to Humanity” 
Subject of Most Interesting and Instructive Talk 
by Municipal League Anti-Rat Campaign Manager 
RS. Apert T. LEATHERBEE, Man- 
ager of the Anti-Rat Campaign 
of the Women’s Municipal League of 
Boston, was the principal speaker of 
the evening at the meeting of the 
Keverly Farms Improvement society 
Ages that removed a quarter of the 
population of the entire world and 
spoke of the theory recently publish- 
ed by Dr. Brigham of Boston to the 
effect that the celebrated “yellow 
fever” epidemic of 1798 which re- 
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held in the Chapel of the Baptist 
Church at Beverly Farms last night. 
Mrs. Leathbee’s subject was “Rats 
and Their Menace to Humanity,” 
and was illustrated by stereopticon. 
The speaker gave a brief history of 
the Norway rat from his origin in 
Asia, through his migrations over 
Furope and his entry into England 
with George the First, which caused 
him to be known there as the “Han- 
overian rat.” He appeared on the 
coast of New England about the mid- 
dle of the 18th century in Englisa 
ships, and working inland has finally 
overrun the entire continent, causing 
a loss of innumerable millions in 
property and constantly menacing the 
health of the populace. 
The rapid spread and tremendous 
increase in the rat population was 
1cadily explained by the statement 
tl at females breed at the age of three 
months, having six or more litters 
yearly, ranging from six to nineteen 
each. A healthy pair of rats will, 
providing all live, be accountable for 
seme 800 descendants per year. Such 
remarkable fecundity has made the 
rat population about equal to the hu- 
nan population in urban districts, 
with a ratio in rural districts consid- 
crably in favor of the rat, running 
from 5 to 1 upward. 
An outline of the story of bubonic 
plague was then given, in which the 
speaker told of the various celebrated 
plague epidemics that had scourged 
Europe, mentioning in particular the 
famous Black Death of the Middle 
Among other things, Mrs. Leather- 
bee said: 
“Of course the most effective meas- 
ures possible against rats are those 
which will keep them out of your 
buildings and thus deprive them of 
food and nesting places in your domi- 
ciles, although in country districts, 
even when deprived of housing, rats 
will revert to their natural habitat and 
burrow their own villages in the fields 
from which, however, they will con- 
tinue to prey upon chicken yards, and 
such food supplies as they may find 
outside the buildings. They can be 
driven from such burrows by ferrets 
or they can be killed by the forcing 
of carbon bisulphide into the bur- 
rows. Dr. John D. Long of the Pub- 
lic Health Service has invented a spe- 
cial machine for this work that is 
considered most effective and econ- 
omical. There are various methods 
of exterminating rats in buildings. 
sulted in the deaths of some 5000 
persons along the Atlantic coast, was 
in reality bubonic plague. 
This disease originates in rats and 
is carried from them to humans by 
the agency of the rat? fleas,» The 
slogan has been raised by health 
authorities the world over of “No 
rats, no plague.” 
Having spoken of the cost of sup- 
porting rats, which the Federal auth- 
crities have conservatively figured at 
half a cent per day per rat, and told 
of the great economic losses in de- 
struction of goods, fires and water 
damage caused by these pests, the 
speaker devoted considerable time to 
the rural conditions concerning rats 
and gave advice as to practical pre- 
ventative measures to use against 
them, as well as some of the various 
tuethods of destruction. 
WeveER WAS 
ED 
weLL F 
= / 
Many persons find poison the easiest 
manner in which to destroy rats. The 
U. S. government recommends cer- 
tain poisons and issues literature re- 
garding their preparation and use. 
There are also several excellent poi- 
sons manufactured by reliable firms 
which are for sale in drug, grocery 
and hardware establishments. But it 
irust always be remembered that poi- 
sons are impartial and what will kill 
a rat is liable to kill children, dogs 
and chickens. When using poison 
ereat care should be exercised to see 
that it is done in a safe and sane 
manner. X 
“For trapping there are various. 
appliances all of which are successful 
under some conditions. But the suc- 
cess of all trapping depends upon a 
realization bv the trapper that the 
rat is an extremely intelligent and 
