J.J. Conlon’s story about reminded me of the rhyme, What Are Little Boys Made Of? Except, of course, J.J.'s wasn’t about frogs and snails and puppy dogs’ tails. His was all about (ewww) RATS! Which leads to…

Soon after the quake, bubonic plague made a return engagement in the city . When the plague made its first appearance a few years before the quake, it was easy to deny that the disease existed to the general public. However, the quake left the sewer and water systems in such a state of disrepair that these critters were running all over the place.

Luckily, the city's rat eradication campaign was put under the charge of Rupert Blue , an assistant surgeon in the Marine Hospital Service (forerunner of today's Centers for Disease Control). He got the public and the state and local governments to work together in eliminating the disease. He became the U.S. Surgeon General in 1912. Today, the bubonic plague campaign of 1907 is considered a landmark in public health.

The San Francisco Department of Public Health  set up an excellent website chronicling the state of public health during and after the quake of '06. It's got great stories about the city's emergency services , and facts on how sanitation, food and water conditions were handled , but it's definitely not all sugar and spice and everything nice. If you want to check out more pictures of rats  and broken sewers , you really gotta see it.

WARNING: Do not view before meals.