ABSTRACT
This was one of the first accounts in Peru of a terrible epidemic of bubonic plague, a disease that is transmitted by the bite of fleas - usually the Xenopsylla cheopis - from rats infected with the Yersinia pestis bacterium. The plague extended to Lima and the major ports of Peru in 1903-05, and shortly thereafter became a characteristic trait of all coastal departments, and of some in the highlands. In the early twentieth century, the environment in Lima and other coastal areas was ideal for rats and mice. These rodents could easily spread due to the excessive population, overcrowded living conditions, rickety dwellings, piles of refuse and unhygienic habits. The panic caused by the plague and the measures that led to police control gave rise to various responses. The efforts made to preserve social order led to the establishment of regulations for flight from infected areas.
