Report of the Board of Health on a second outbreak of plague at Sydney, 1902 / by J. Ashburton Thompson.
- Thompson, J. Ashburton (John Ashburton), 1848-1915.
- Date:
- 1903
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Report of the Board of Health on a second outbreak of plague at Sydney, 1902 / by J. Ashburton Thompson. Source: Wellcome Collection.
19/100 page 11
![interval of fifteen months which elapsed before the disease again occurred having extended far beyond the time at which generations of new and susceptible rats had come into existence. Further, it will presently he shown that the state of rats as to disease was very carefully, and it is thought completely, ascertained over the whole of the threatened area from conclusion of the epidemic in J une 19' 2, to 31st December, while from the latter date the wharfs were watched in the same thorough way until far into ]903. Now, the last plague-rat was discovered cn 13tli July, 1902; consequently there is good ground for asserting that the second epizootic, at all events, died completely out: and therefore, as regards commencement of the second epizootic, the balance of evidence at Sydney appears to tell in favour of reimportation. But this matter requires further observation in the field, and experiment in the laboratory, as the short table below concerning Western Australia pointedly suggests. 47. As to reimportation, Sydney remained in the communication by sea with all those ports in other parts of the world at which plague existed between August 1900 and November 1901, which was described before, (Report, 1900, p. 21), ports in New Caledonia alone excepted; but to them must be added some danger from two States of the Commonwealth, namely Western Australia and Queensland. The facts as regard Western Australia nro shown in the table below :— Table YII.—Showing the dates on which successive outbreaks of Plague in the State of Western Australia began and ended. Year. Number of Cases. Locality. Duration. 1900 . 6 Fremantle April 5—June 18. 1901 . 23 Perth, Fremantle, and Kalgoorlie ... March 1—May 11,* 1902 . 3 F remantle May 19—July 4. 1903 . 9 Fremantle January 26— May 24. * The cases occurred at Perth and in its suburbs for the most part; 2 at Fremantle, probably of local origin ; and 1 at Kalgoorlie, a very distant place, thought also to have been infected at Perth. Fremantle, at the mouth of the Swan River (population 1G,3(>7) is tlie port of Perth, which lies 12 miles higher up. Vessels coming foreign berth alongside; they do not ascend the river, but goods are carried up on lighters. 48. The important facts as regards Queensland were as follows in 1991 :— Table YIII.—Showing the cases of plague in rats and in man at Brisbane durine' the latter half of 1901. V Cases in— Rats. Man. July . • • • . 20 3 August 8 1 September 1 October ... 1 November 1 December ... ... ... .:. 1 49. One case was also reported from Bundaberg, Q., on 17tli April, and one from Cairns, Q., on 16th July, both of which are seaports. Thus prior to November, 1901, the port of Sydney was in danger of importing plague-rats from Queensland, with which it is in daily communication by sea (by rail also with Brisbane), and perhaps also from Fremantle, though this seems uncertain. Precautionary measures were taken against this danger both at the distant ports mentioned and at this port, but these, as has already been pointed out (Report 1900, p. 44), cannot be relied upon invariably to prevent it. And it will be seen below that the rat-staff organised as soon as occurrence of Case 1 became known did on the second day of search (lStli November) take a plague-rat at Howard Smith & Co’s. Brisbane wharf; this being one of a line of wharfs, on the eastern side of Darling Harbour, at which produce is habitually landed, and the case having occurred at a produce store in the city which was distant from it. Nevertheless we are not at liberty to assume without reserve that the infection was brought hither either from Queensland or from TV estern Australia; lor a vessel which has received plague-rats at a very distant port has arrived at Sydney after](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b31353046_0019.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
