Second review of some of the advances in tropical medicine, hygiene and veterinary science, being a supplement to the fourth report of the Wellcome Tropical Reseach Laboratories at the Gordon Memorial College, Khartoum : by Andrew Balfour and R.G. Archibald.

  • Balfour, Andrew.
Date:
1911
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: Second review of some of the advances in tropical medicine, hygiene and veterinary science, being a supplement to the fourth report of the Wellcome Tropical Reseach Laboratories at the Gordon Memorial College, Khartoum : by Andrew Balfour and R.G. Archibald. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

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    plague exists have become infected through their ports. He calls attention to the important Plague- fact of noting the temperature when making an inspection of passengers on boats, for many continued persons who have contracted plague have a marked rise of temperature even as long as two or three days before any other symptoms of plague have appeared. The paper contains an account of the method of disinfecting the clothing so as to rid it of fleas. On the whole, the use of steam for most clothes, and of sulphur or formaldehyde for clothes which cannot be steamed, and for boots, would appear to be the best available method of ridding clothes of fleas. If clothes are dealt with, the boxes in which they are carried should also be treated. In Bombay these boxes are washed and scrubbed under a tap and are then swabbed with a disinfectant. It would probably be a quicker and more effectual method to insert the empty box over a steam jet for a moment or two, in the way employed to disinfect milk cans in England. If, however, the swabbing method is continued it would be better to employ kerosine oil emulsion than the disinfectants now in use. In the case of Bombay, where crew's clothing is practically always carried in boxes, I am inclined to think that the cleaning of boxes and swabbing them with kerosine oil emulsion might, without risk, be substituted for the disinfection of the clothes carried in the boxes. The paper is concluded by a description of the various methods of destroying rats. Reference may be made to a very good paper by King ^ entitled Plague and the Destruction of Rats. The various methods of destroying these rodents are described, and a list of rat poisons is given. The paper concludes by mentioning a preparation consisting of sulphuric acid and crude gas tar, which King claims is of particular value in keeping houses rat-free, and preventing the return of these rodents for some considerable period. Referring to it, he says :— Dr. Hubert Marshall, D.Ph., who was then in charge of a large plague hospital camp at Jollarpeth, Madras, where rats were intrusive and troublesome, kindly undertook carefully conducted experiments with the preparation. He efiectually kept the whole camp free of rats by its use. It has since been used largely in the Madras Presidency, under my direction, as a routine plague measure after cleansing and disinfection of houses, with undoubted success. I found that, provided the mouths of all holes were treated with a sufficiency to ensure that should the rat attempt to exit, the feet must be smeared, rats could both be got rid of and prevented from returning for a period varying from a fortnight to six months. This is not only due to the irritating nature of the preparation to the skin, but also to the prolonged throwing off of gases, to which the rat objects. To escape from burrows so treated, rats wiU rapidly make new exits. Plastering holes here and there is, consequently, of little use ; these must be dihgently searched for, both in and outside dwellings, attached stores, stables, etc., etc. Care should be taken to see that the mixture of tar and commercial sulphuric acid is made only when about to be immediately used. Where particular goods are to be kept free from attacks of rats, it suffices to make a continuous circle of the fluid mixture on the floor around them. Following the same principle, during severe plague infection of rats, I have seen a large market made free of rats, and then kept free by this method. It is of particular value in keeping houses rat-free, when circumstances compel persons to live in dwellings within a badly-infected area. Further, by its aid a plague-infected area may be hmited by protecting houses not yet invaded—a result worth aiming at. The recent Committee ^ on Plague in India has pubhshed a report. The chief conclusions and recommendations are of sufficient importance to justify them being quoted here :— (1) An active anti-plague policy on the part of the Government is necessary, and should be continued. (2) The destruction of rats in Punjab villages by means of poison for the purpose of preventing plague epidemics is not attended with success, and should be abandoned on a large scale. (3) Systematic trapping with traps in the ratio of two per cent, of population does not reduce the rat infestation of Punjab towns and villages sufficiently to prevent plague epidemics. (4) To diminish adequately the rat infestation of Punjab towns and villages by means of systematic trapping present difficulties of such magnitude as to render it an impracticable policy on a large scale. (5) The destruction of rats by means of poisoning and trapping on the present lines does not yield results commensurate with the expenditure incurred, and it should be discontinued. (6) The greatest prospect of success in preventing the spread of plague by means of rat destruction consists in attacking the comparatively new locahties where plague persists during the quiescent period. (7) Anti-plague inoculation is essentially a personal prophylactic measure, and in recommending its adoption everything savouring of compulsion or pressure should be carefully avoided. (8) During severe epidemics of plague, regimental medical officers might with advantage be temporarily employed as inoculating officers in the recruiting area of their regiments. (9) For dealing with plague epidemics in villages, evacuation is a most important anti-plague measure, and means are suggested to facilitate its more widespread adoption. (10) Measures directed towards improving village sanitation and domestic hygiene are of the utmost importance, and efforts should be made to give effect to such simple measures of this nature as pubUc opinion may endorse. (11) The erection of model houses at the headquarters of districts, the removal where possible of manure from close proximity to village sites, and an increased conservancy staff for villages, are desirable measures. (12) The disinfection of infected houses during the course of an epidemic, or after its cessation, is not ordinarily necessary. ^ King, W. G. (December, 1910), Plague and the Destruction of Rats. Journal Royal Institute of Public Health. ^ Punjab Plague Committee Report (1910). Quoted in Indian Medical Gazette, December, 1910.