100 years ago: Galveston ravaged by bubonic plague

From June to November of 1920, more than 6,000 rat traps were set and 40 rat trappers were hired. They captured and killed nearly 50,000 rats in six months. From June to November of 1920, more than 6,000 rat traps were set and 40 rat trappers were hired. They captured and killed nearly 50,000 rats in six months. Photo: Mark Boyd Photo: Mark Boyd Image 1 of / 30 Caption Close 100 years ago: Galveston ravaged by bubonic plague 1 / 30 Back to Gallery

Twenty years into the new century, the world is gripped with worry over how to deal with a deadly pandemic out of the dark ages. It quickly spreads from shore to shore, and public health experts work feverishly to keep it from spreading.

No, this is not the coronavirus. It's the bubonic plague. And 100 years ago, Galveston was among the global communities trying to stem the tide of disease and death.

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“It was not a big surprise to have the plague in Galveston,” said Vladimir L. Motin, Ph.D., professor of pathology in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the UTMB. “In 1920, there was a pandemic going on so many port cities would get the plague from infected rats on steamboats.”

Symptoms of the plague often present like the flu at first. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the bacteria that cause plague—Yersinia pestis—maintain their existence in a cycle involving rodents and fleas. The plague can be transmitted in one of three ways: flea bites, coming into contact with contaminated fluid or tissue and by cough droplets spewing into the air.

Port cities like Galveston were ground-zero for plague outbreaks, caused by rats who hitchhiked on ships and quickly spread the disease by infecting fleas that were attached to the livestock aboard.

According to Texas Medical Center News, 18 Galvestonians were infected with the plague over a two-year period. Of those, 12 died and 67 plague-infected rats were identified.

“When the first person died, they set up a plague laboratory downtown and they encouraged people to catch rats, label them and bring them to the lab,” said Paula Summerly, Ph.D., research project manager for the John P. McGovern Academy of Oslerian Medicine at the Old Red Medical Museum at UTMB.

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Historical archives document how Galveston began a "Stop the Rat" campaign, fumigation, and even rat trapping to get the plague under control.

By killing the rats, city and health officials knew they would be able to break the epidemiological chain of the outbreak, according to TMC news. From June to November of 1920, more than 6,000 rat traps were set and 40 rat trappers were hired. They captured and killed nearly 50,000 rats in six months.

“They cleaned the entire city out,” Motin said. “This obviously helped, but they also looked at how an outbreak spreads—which was very important.”

Check out the slideshow above to see how Galveston dealt with the bubonic plague 100 years ago.

Danny Hermosillo is the Sr. Digital News Editor for Chron.com | Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @Dannyherm1| Email him at Danny.Hermosillo@chron.com