Abstract

Through the ages the rat, which has caused untold amounts of sickness and death as well as property damage that far exceeds human imagination, has been a major scourge of mankind. Investigators throughout the world have searched for the ideal rat poison, which, according to O'Connor,1 must have the following characteristics: 1. It must be surely effective in baits of small quantity so that its presence is not detected by the rodent. 2. The finished bait must not excite shyness of the rat population so that the necessity for prebaiting is avoided. 3. The manner of death must be such that surviving rats will not become suspicious and will remain on the premises eating of the bait until they, too, die. 4. The poison must be species specific unless its use can be made safe for man and domestic animals by some other means.

This ideal rodenticide proved to