View report page

On the first floor of the wharf in question, there was a large quantity of peanuts,
the bags of which had teen torn by rats, and some pea-nuts evidently eaten
by them. They endeavoured to catch all the rats at the wharf until June 13th,
without much success. On June 13th and 14th they set about 60 traps, but only
caught two on each night.
Arrangements were made with rat-catchers to catch rats on all the premises
where they were to be found along the riverside from the Poplar boundary to the
City boundary, as well as on all the premises situated in the island mentioned above.
Instructions were given to the Sanitary Inspectors, Dustmen, Sewer-men, &c., to
bring to the Public Health offices all dead rats found in other parts of the Borough.
The latter and all the rats caught (256 in number) were bacteriologically examined
by the Local Government Board bacteriologist, but with the exception of the five
previously mentioned, no Plague bacilli were discovered.
After sufficient rats had been caught for the purpose of examination to ascertain
the extent of the disease, a campaign was started to exterminate them. Ratcatching
by professional rat-catchers was not a success, and a virus from the Ratin
Bacteriological Laboratory was used, which proved satisfactory in every way.