原文

In the early days of the settlement of Australia, enterprising settlers unwisely introduced the European rabbit. This rabbit had no natural enemies in the Antipodes, so that it multiplied with that promiscuous abandon characteristic of rabbits. It overran a whole continent. It caused devastation by burrowing and by devouring the herbage which might have maintained millions of sheep and cattle. Scientists discovered that this particular variety of rabbit (and apparently no other animal) was susceptible to a fatal virus disease, myxomatosis. By infecting animals and letting them loose in the burrows, local epidemics of this disease could be created. Later it was found that there was a type of mosquito which acted as the carrier of this disease and passed it on to the rabbits. So while the rest of the world was trying to get rid of mosquitoes, Australia was encouraging this one. It effectively spread the disease all over the continent and drastically reduced the rabbit population. It later became apparent that rabbits were developing a degree of resistance to this disease, so that the rabbit population was unlikely to be completely exterminated. There were hopes, however, that the problem of the rabbit would become manageable.

Ironically, Europe, which had bequeathed the rabbit as a pest to Australia, acquired this man-made disease as a pestilence. A French physician decided to get rid of the wild rabbits on his own estate and introduced myxomatosis. It did not, however, remain within the confines of his estate. It spread through France, Where wild rabbits are not generally regarded as a pest but as sport and a useful food supply, and it spread to Britain where wild rabbits are regarded as a pest but where domesticated rabbits, equally susceptible to the disease, are the basis of a profitable fur industry. The question became one of whether Man could control the disease he had invented.

--RITCHIE CALDER Science Makes Sense --

译文

在澳大利亚早期殖民时期，富有进取心的移民们不智地引进了欧洲兔。这种兔子在南半球没有天敌，因此以兔子特有的繁殖无度而迅速繁衍开来。它很快遍布整个大陆。通过掘洞和吞食草本植物，它造成了大破坏——这些植物本可养活数以百万计的羊群和牛群。科学家们发现，这种特定品种的兔子（显然，其他动物不会如此）对一种致命的病毒病——粘液瘤病[1]极易感染。通过感染一些兔子并将它们放回洞穴，便可在局部地区引发这种疾病的流行。后来，人们发现有一种蚊子充当这种疾病的载体，将它传播给兔子。于是，当世界其他地方都在努力消灭蚊子时，澳大利亚却在鼓励这种蚊子。它有效地将疾病传播到整个大陆，大大减少了兔子数量。后来，事实证明兔子正在对这种疾病产生某种抵抗力，因此兔子人口不大可能被彻底消灭。然而，人们仍抱有希望，认为兔子问题将变得可控。

讽刺的是，将兔子作为害兽传给澳大利亚的欧洲，却反过来获得了这种人为制造的疫病。一位法国医生决定清除自己庄园里的野兔，于是引进了粘液瘤病。然而，这种疾病并没有局限于他的庄园。它在法国蔓延开来，在那里野兔通常不被视为害兽，而被看作是狩猎的乐趣和有用的食物来源；它又传播到英国，在英国野兔被视为害兽，但家兔同样易感这种疾病，且家兔是利润丰厚的毛皮产业的支柱。于是，问题变成了人类是否能控制自己发明的疾病。

--RITCHIE CALDER Science Makes Sense --

[1] 粘液瘤病（myxomatosis）：一种由病毒引起的兔子传染病。