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"WAR AGAINST RATS: THE VALUE OF CATS."
1099 increased sums named in the present Order were the result of long and insistent remonstrance by, and on behalf of, the medical witness and that the amounts now laid down were fixed after full inquiry as those which were just and proper to be paid. It was not contemplated when satisfaction was expressed at the concession granted that these sums would be arbitrarily diminished merely with the idea of saving the funds from which the expenses of witnesses necessary to the administration of justice are drawn. As this form of socalled economy is likely to be felt, as a rule, locally, it should be within the powers of the medical men practising in those districts where it is exercised to bring a certain amount of pressure to bear in their own interests and in that of other members of their profession, and the matter appears to be one in which those possessing most local influence, although possibly themselves but little affected personally, should extend what assistance they can to their colleagues. --
"WAR AGAINST RATS: THE VALUE OF CATS." Lieutenant-Colonel A. Buchanan, I.M.S., contributes under the above heading an interesting letter to a correspondence in the Tinaes of India respecting plague prevention. After referring to the prejudice against rat is felt by the natives in many districts and which killing which make the use of traps and poison for the purpose difficult or objectionable, the writer proceeds to show that the object in view may be better attained by encouraging the keeping of cats. The value of the cat in plague prevention has not yet (he says) been sufficiently recognised. "About a year ago my attention was drawn to a small village, which lies on the roadside between two places that had frequently been infected by plague and which had hitherto been immune from plague. The head man explained that there were practically no rats because there were so many cats. Following up the hint it was found that many villages apparently owed their immunity to the presence of numerous cats. The next step was the taking of a cat census in the Amraoti district with a view to finding out, first, whether there were many cats in the district, and second, whether it was likely that they would be valuable in preventing plague. It was estimated that there were about 33,000 cats in the district and as there had been 5000 odd deaths from plague in the last plague season there was a good opportunity of testing whether cats were really of value in preventing plague. In order to obtain a figure for comparison of villages the percentage of cats to houses was worked for 1017 villages. This part of the inquiry was done by the Revenue officials. Afterwards the number of deaths from plague was inserted opposite the name of each village in the civil surgeon’s office, so that manipulation of statistics to suit any particular view would, as far as possible, be avoided. The villages were divided into three groups:Number of
villages. Under 20 per cent. cats to houses...... 20 to 50 per cent................... Over 50 per cent.......... ,......,.
357 514 146
......
......
......
Deaths. 3258 550 14
On further investigation it was found that in one village in which there had been 13 deaths, although the cat percentage was over 50, most of the cats were brought in after the plague epidemic. It would thus seem to be a rule that a village with 50 per cent. cats to houses will be free from plague. Other investigations were made in villages in which plague had recently been prevalent and comparisons were made between houses in which cats were present and houses without cats. In every instance it was found that the number of plague cases was much less in the houses where cats were present. Before plague breaks out it is well known now that rats are very numerous and one cat is
away all the rats, but there is a good deal of evidence to show that a house with three good cats that are not over-fed will be free from plague....... The essential element in the present policy is scrupulous consideration for the wishes and traditions of the people and the wisdom of this policy will be apparent to anyone who considers that the disease is spread by an animal that lives in the houses of the people. Now it so happens that the traditions among the people are exceedingly strong in favour of keeping cats. There are many references to the cat in the sacred book of the Mahommedans : the Hindu who kills a cat is subject to a heavy penalty and the Marwari who so strongly objects to killing rats is very willing to keep a cat. Most of the Marwaris have aheady got cats in this part of the country (Nagpur). It is therefore, I think, a better policy to advise Marwaris to keep cats and to avoid asking them to use traps and poison. At any rate, a knowledge of this fact affords a means whereby rat extermination can be carried on without risk of offending the religious prejudices of the people generally. For the poor, traps and poison ; for the wealthy Jain and Marwari, cats....... We have made the first step on solid ground in recognising that rats are the cause of plague epidemics. Will it not be the second step when we realise that the best way to prevent the disease is to employ the natural enemy of the animal that is responsible for its spread ?"
not sufficient to
keep
-
CHILD
ENGLAND AND IN 65 YEARS, 1841-1905.
MORTALITY IN
WALES
DURING the six decennial periods of the 60 years 18411900 the annual rate of mortality in England and Wales among children aged under five years steadily increased from 66 - 03 per 1000 in 1841-50 to 68 - 60 in 1861-70, successively declined to 63-38 and 56’76 in 1871-80 and 1881-90, and showed a slight recrudescence to 57’74 in the most recent decennium 1891-1900. Child mortality, therefore, in the ten years 1891-1900, as was pointed out in the recently issued supplement to the Sixty-fifth Annual Report of the Registrar-General, exceeded by 1 - 7 per cent. that which was recorded in the preceding ten years ; while between the ages of five and 35 years the annual rate of mortality showed a striking decline in the later decennium, ranging between 15 and 18 per cent. This slight increase in the rate of mortality under five years of age is indeed the most unsatisfactory feature resulting from the comparison of the rates of mortality in 1891-1900 with those in previous decennia. It may, however, be noted that while the annual death-rate of children under five years of age in 1891-1900 exceeded the rate in 1881-90 by 1’ 7 per cent., it was 15’ 8 per cent. below the rate that prevailed during the ten years 1861-70, and was considerably lower than the recorded rate in any decennium prior to 1881-90. The slightly increased rate of child mortality in 1891-1900 was indeed more than 10 per cent. below the mean annual recorded rate during the preceding 50 years. It is, moreover, eminently satisfactory to find that during the first half of the current decennium (the five years 1901-05) the mean annual death-rate of children under five years of age fell to 49 ’36 per 1000, showing a decline of 14 ’ 5 per cent. from the mean rate in the ten years this rate was, moreover, very considerably lower rate in any five-year period since 1841, the earliest for which such English statistics are available. The figures published in the Registrar-General’s supplemental report, referred to above, show that the increase in the mortality of infants under one year of age in 1891-1900 was equal to 5’33 per cent., against 1’7per cent. among all children aged under five years. During the ten years 18911900 the deaths of infants under one 3 ear in England and Wales were equal to 160 per 1000, whereas in the previous ten years they had not exceeded 152 per 1000. During the
1891-1900 ;
than the
mean
"WAR AGAINST RATS: THE VALUE OF CATS." Lieutenant-Colonel A. Buchanan, I.M.S., contributes under the above heading an interesting letter to a correspondence in the Tinaes of India respecting plague prevention. After referring to the prejudice against rat is felt by the natives in many districts and which killing which make the use of traps and poison for the purpose difficult or objectionable, the writer proceeds to show that the object in view may be better attained by encouraging the keeping of cats. The value of the cat in plague prevention has not yet (he says) been sufficiently recognised. "About a year ago my attention was drawn to a small village, which lies on the roadside between two places that had frequently been infected by plague and which had hitherto been immune from plague. The head man explained that there were practically no rats because there were so many cats. Following up the hint it was found that many villages apparently owed their immunity to the presence of numerous cats. The next step was the taking of a cat census in the Amraoti district with a view to finding out, first, whether there were many cats in the district, and second, whether it was likely that they would be valuable in preventing plague. It was estimated that there were about 33,000 cats in the district and as there had been 5000 odd deaths from plague in the last plague season there was a good opportunity of testing whether cats were really of value in preventing plague. In order to obtain a figure for comparison of villages the percentage of cats to houses was worked for 1017 villages. This part of the inquiry was done by the Revenue officials. Afterwards the number of deaths from plague was inserted opposite the name of each village in the civil surgeon’s office, so that manipulation of statistics to suit any particular view would, as far as possible, be avoided. The villages were divided into three groups:Number of
villages. Under 20 per cent. cats to houses...... 20 to 50 per cent................... Over 50 per cent.......... ,......,.
357 514 146
......
......
......
Deaths. 3258 550 14
On further investigation it was found that in one village in which there had been 13 deaths, although the cat percentage was over 50, most of the cats were brought in after the plague epidemic. It would thus seem to be a rule that a village with 50 per cent. cats to houses will be free from plague. Other investigations were made in villages in which plague had recently been prevalent and comparisons were made between houses in which cats were present and houses without cats. In every instance it was found that the number of plague cases was much less in the houses where cats were present. Before plague breaks out it is well known now that rats are very numerous and one cat is
away all the rats, but there is a good deal of evidence to show that a house with three good cats that are not over-fed will be free from plague....... The essential element in the present policy is scrupulous consideration for the wishes and traditions of the people and the wisdom of this policy will be apparent to anyone who considers that the disease is spread by an animal that lives in the houses of the people. Now it so happens that the traditions among the people are exceedingly strong in favour of keeping cats. There are many references to the cat in the sacred book of the Mahommedans : the Hindu who kills a cat is subject to a heavy penalty and the Marwari who so strongly objects to killing rats is very willing to keep a cat. Most of the Marwaris have aheady got cats in this part of the country (Nagpur). It is therefore, I think, a better policy to advise Marwaris to keep cats and to avoid asking them to use traps and poison. At any rate, a knowledge of this fact affords a means whereby rat extermination can be carried on without risk of offending the religious prejudices of the people generally. For the poor, traps and poison ; for the wealthy Jain and Marwari, cats....... We have made the first step on solid ground in recognising that rats are the cause of plague epidemics. Will it not be the second step when we realise that the best way to prevent the disease is to employ the natural enemy of the animal that is responsible for its spread ?"
not sufficient to
keep
-
CHILD
ENGLAND AND IN 65 YEARS, 1841-1905.
MORTALITY IN
WALES
DURING the six decennial periods of the 60 years 18411900 the annual rate of mortality in England and Wales among children aged under five years steadily increased from 66 - 03 per 1000 in 1841-50 to 68 - 60 in 1861-70, successively declined to 63-38 and 56’76 in 1871-80 and 1881-90, and showed a slight recrudescence to 57’74 in the most recent decennium 1891-1900. Child mortality, therefore, in the ten years 1891-1900, as was pointed out in the recently issued supplement to the Sixty-fifth Annual Report of the Registrar-General, exceeded by 1 - 7 per cent. that which was recorded in the preceding ten years ; while between the ages of five and 35 years the annual rate of mortality showed a striking decline in the later decennium, ranging between 15 and 18 per cent. This slight increase in the rate of mortality under five years of age is indeed the most unsatisfactory feature resulting from the comparison of the rates of mortality in 1891-1900 with those in previous decennia. It may, however, be noted that while the annual death-rate of children under five years of age in 1891-1900 exceeded the rate in 1881-90 by 1’ 7 per cent., it was 15’ 8 per cent. below the rate that prevailed during the ten years 1861-70, and was considerably lower than the recorded rate in any decennium prior to 1881-90. The slightly increased rate of child mortality in 1891-1900 was indeed more than 10 per cent. below the mean annual recorded rate during the preceding 50 years. It is, moreover, eminently satisfactory to find that during the first half of the current decennium (the five years 1901-05) the mean annual death-rate of children under five years of age fell to 49 ’36 per 1000, showing a decline of 14 ’ 5 per cent. from the mean rate in the ten years this rate was, moreover, very considerably lower rate in any five-year period since 1841, the earliest for which such English statistics are available. The figures published in the Registrar-General’s supplemental report, referred to above, show that the increase in the mortality of infants under one year of age in 1891-1900 was equal to 5’33 per cent., against 1’7per cent. among all children aged under five years. During the ten years 18911900 the deaths of infants under one 3 ear in England and Wales were equal to 160 per 1000, whereas in the previous ten years they had not exceeded 152 per 1000. During the
1891-1900 ;
than the
mean