CO129-348 - Governor Sir Lugard - 1908 [7-10] — Page 193

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of the year 1907 "the absence of anti-flea measures has no

apparent effect".

0

4.

The summary attached to Dr.

Pearse's report shows the measures that have been taken

for the destruction and examination of rats.

The employment of a special staff

to catch rats was discontinued early in the current year

under the following circumstances:-

The Commission which was appoint-

-ed by Sir Matthew Nathan to enquire, inter alia, into the

administration of the Sanitary Laws commented severely on

the system, which they described as a failure, (see para-

-graphs 166 170 and 241 of their report).

In September of last year a

minute was accordingly addressed to the Principal Civil

Medical Officer pointing out that the system of catching

rats had been introduced in order to enable the authorities

to have rats caught in known houses; to have these rats

examined; to thus gain knowledge of the houses and

districts infested with Plague infected rats; and to be in

a position to take steps beforehand to meet an outbreak of

Plague in any particular locality, since human Plague is

known to supervene upon rat Plague.

The

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