The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-05-18
SCHOOL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE
English Government Considering the
feasibility of Such an Institute.


| From the Baltimore Sun.
| The English government has under
! consideration a school of tropical
| medicine" in which our people, since
the grabbing of Cuba, Porto Rico and
| the Philippines, have a practical inter-
est In the establishment of the
school it is proposed to spend for
! buildings, plant. etc. an initial sum of
| $4,000, some S17,500 of which will be
| contributed by the colonial office, the
annual cost of maintenance being esti-
mated at $4,000. At the new school,
civilians who are graduates of existing
medical schools will be instructed,
| ilrst, in the practical treatment of
| tropical diseases and, next, will be
| trained in original Investigations as to
| the origin of tropical diseases, with a
view to developing improved methods
/ of prevention and cure Both objects
| are very desirable. 1t is indisputable
| that physicians and surgeons going to
| practice in hot climates should make
! special study of tropical diseases, in
| view of the fact that the ordinary
courses of study-devised for temperate
! climates-afford inadequate prepara-
ton and promise no progress in meth
| Cd of treatment.
Medical science has recently assumed
| an aggressive attitude toward the
problem of tropical disease. A number
| OF English, German and Austrian bac-
| teflologists and physicians have resid-
| ed in India and Africa for the express
| purpose OF studying cholera bubonic
! plague, rinderpest and maarial dis
! eases PreNentiVes or remedies, an
/ alogous to those devised for the treat
| mcnt of smallpox, anthrax. diphtheria.
/ etcr VIII, 1t is believed, be ultimately
| FOUND for the maladics which render a
| large part of the earth virtually un-
inhabitable for Europeans Large at
! tention has similarly been given by
! American and Spanish students to the
| genesis of yellow fever, in the hone of
! deprlVing that pest also of it's terr,rs.
! 10 "a certain extent success has already
peen attained. Rinderpest has been
brought under control with important
results for the cattle interests of South
/ africa. Cholera and the plague have
! each been confronted with a virus in
! equation with which is said to afford
| protection and hasten recovery. II
| seems To be definitely aScertaincd that
! the nlte or the mosquito impants in it's
/ Nl'tlln system the poison that causes
lhalarlal diseases. Much, however, re-
! mains to be learned in regard to trop-
| lcal malaria, yellow fever and the other
| diseases Of hot climates
IhESlclanS nowadays in view of their
| many victories over fevers of various
| Kinds, are no longer content to accent
| tropical pests as gifts Of Providopco
| To he received meekly along with the
weather as inevitable results of the
latitude. They look forward to a time
| Wheh vast regions of the globe now
desert, or inhabited only by inferior
races, will afford safe homes for the
| people of temperate climates. Malarial
| teNers at present render untenable wide
| areas of fertile soil. An effective pre-
! NentiVe, supplementng quinine, will
| open to settlement extensive regions in
| Central and South America, Cuba
Africa, southern Italy. the Euphrates
valley, India, the East Indies. New
! Guinea, Tonking, etc. The productive
| capacity of the globe would be doubled
| Dy medical discovery that dealt sue
| cessfully with miasmatic fevers alone.
| Inc proposed school of tropical medi-
| cine is to be welcomed. therefore. as
| Hrst step of concerted movement
| Tor the solution of the most important
| medical problem of our day. GERMANY
| and the United States, which aim to
| rival English enterprise in industry
! and foreign commerce. and have re-
| Gently acuired tropical possessions
may ultimately take part in it's solu
| tiOn