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The wholesale rat poisoning campaign as a measure prece-
dent to the onset of each Plague season was vigorously carried
out in the Spring of 1912 in which year we had the worst
epidemic since 1894, the number of Plague cases recorded being
1847.
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In the Spring of 1913, after discussion of the subject
with yourself and Dr. Pearse, Assistant 3.0.H., the vigour of
our proceedings in this direction was considerably abated, only;
half the usual amount of rat poison being used. The number of
Plague cases recorded that year was 408.
Early this year we again discussed the subject, and I
suggested that apart altogether from the fact that the numbers
were made up very rapidly, after a rat poisoning campaign, by
increased breeding, we had to consider the further fact that
the new rat population was susceptible to Plague whereas many
of the rats we desired to destroy, would be immune, having
passed through a Plague epizootic. I have not seen this aspect
of the case referred to hitherto in medical literature, but it
is the outcome of our experience of attempts to reduce our rat
population by poison.
It is a fact however that the general trend of opinion
in all recent Plague literature has been to regard attempts at
rat extermination as futile, and to concentrate attention on
rat proofing. I enclose a Public Health Report which reached
me a few weeks ago, after our discussion of the subject,
confirms this view,
which
When we know that the rats in an isolated block of
buildings are Plague-infected we deal with the block by removing ceilings, filling up rat runs, refixing gratings and
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