London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
City of London 1933
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Port of London]
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Particulars concerning those rats found to be harbouring
| Date. | Rat. Species and Sex. | Dock. | First Port of Loading. | Fleas. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| X. Cheopis. | C. Fasciatus. | ||||
| 5/7/33 | Black, Male | Royal Victoria | Vancouver | 3 Male | 1 Male. |
| 26/10/33 | Ditto | Ditto | Cuba | 4 Femal | Nil. |
| 26/10/33 | Black, Female | Ditto | Braila | 6 Male | 1 Male. |
| 7 Female | 4 Female. | ||||
| 27/10/33 | Ditto | Ditto | Braila | 1 Female | 1 Male. |
| 6 Female. | |||||
All the above rats were caught singly in traps.
Conclusions.
It appears that though to some small extent X. cheopis fleas are found on ship
rats in the Port, it is only in very rare instances that such fleas persist ashore. They
certainly do not multiply on the shore rat population, and if the spread of
rodent Plague ashore depends on X. cheopis, the Port of London should be
practically immune from any danger of a rat epizootic.