New-York tribune., 1901-08-29
FIGHTING YELLOW FEVER
,ccpss OF METHODS EMPLOYED IN
cTBA-WORK AT SANTIAGO
AND HAVANA.

,7,sbtpeton Aug 2S (SpeciaD.-The cabled
,oenent Yesterday that there had been
-, +uo deaths from yellow fever at Havana
IN August and the fact that these two
- nartents who had been inoculated by mos
80 IN the interests OF medical science, is
- sbort of marvellous as compared with an
% Of more than fifty deaths in the same
nth for the last eleven years. Army officers
- tbese developments with qualification, and
- nareonable pride in the success attained
military authorities in their efforts to rid
-. island of Cuba Of this dreaded disease. 1t
in official reports received by the Divis-
- % Insular Affairs of the War Department
40, the fight against this malignant foe began
- .,a ci+v of Santiago almost Immediately after
,r,erican occupation While there is no blare
g t-unnets. nor pomp nor circumstance Of war,
sns no medal of honor for yellow fever service,
=. she canopaign against il calls for as much
.o,sonal bravery, as much calm facing OF the
- end as vigorous measures as would be called
a, q caupaign against a human enemy. IL
6gbt against q foe who turks in the atmos-
-hsre in ths water, who works In the watches of
>. night more than in the broad light OF Gay.
ID whose advance IS more steG'. y than that
- troops armed with modern gus and smoke
Lass nowder lis casualties show greater per-
..n+sge Of loss for those attacked than show
ususer OF Krag for those struck in battle.
rOA yellow fever epidemic at Santiago in 1899
...r,ted IN death rate Of 20 per cent Of all who
t.s the disease. The epidemic began in the ab-
.anee OF General Wood in the North. and II
-.gs5 without abatement until MS return when
.onpt measures were taken TO quench the fires
bv renoviny the fuel on which they FED. Every
ausrioan soldier stationed in Santiago was sent
% the mountains. Department headquarters
wsre sent out OF town; prompt isolation or sus-
,,dous cases an6 disinfectiOn Of houses where
,bev occurred were made. Hotels and lodging
houses in which cases had occurred were closed.
quarantine measures were ris1oly enforced and
detention camps for suspicious cases were organ
tied The disease at once began TO wane.
SANTIAGO MADE CLEAN
The result Of nearly TWO years OF American
rule has been 10 make Santiago, TO all outward
eupearances. as clean as any American city
Every house where yellow fever occurred in
1899 was disinfected three times. EighLF-fve
miles OF streets We're swept daily; 25.ODO cubic
wards Of sweepings were hauled out Of the city
IN the -sar; 11S,OO0 cubic yards OF garbage were
remov-5, IN the destruction Of which $4,000 gal
Ions of crude petroleum Were used, 1000 gallons
OF sarboIc acid; and l1,0oe pounds Of chloride
O. lime disinfected the air IN the same good
Work NO street tACdNGl--l5 We15 lS4 444ANNSN-
The result Of this work is that there has been
no yellow fever IN Santiago since December 27,
1899 Its banish1nent from that city, its habitat
for four hundred years, was accomplished by
American cleanliness and energy. intelligently
directed by military authorities. and its absence
has been no freak or accident
The general sanitary condition Of the city OF
Havana continues excellent. In June there were
s9S deaths from al causes. This iE the smallest
number occurring IN any June since 1889. The
greatest number OF deaths for June occurred in
1895, when there were l,2j3. and the average
since 1899 is 71840. The rate per thousand Is
equally favorable being 23-2S for the month OF
Juna. The death rate for June compared ia
Vorably with thai of many large cities IN the
civilized world For example, the death rate IN
the City OF Mexico for the week ending June
was 6562; Vera Cruz for the week ending June
L had death rate OF 37.49: the death rate OF
the city Of Kingston. Jamaica. IN May last was
4S22; Rouen, France for the month OF April
last had death rate OF 2S.43. The condition OF
the city OF Havana, far as yellow fever is
concerned is particularly gratifying. In the
month OF June there was not a single death
new case in Havana. The records show that
since l16l no previous June has passed with
absolute freedom from this disease. There has
never Deen year that approached the present
IN It's freedom from yellow fever, the last death
having occurred on March 10.
THE MOSQUITO INFECTION THEORY.
Beginning about the middle Of February the
sanitary authorities based their whole manage
nent OF yellow fever upon the position that the
mosquito Is the medium OF its transmission from
person TO person. a theory originally brought
FORWARD and elaborated by DR.. Charles Ffndlay,
OF Havana, and finally entirely established by
S.le complete experiments or the Yellow Fever
commission When the results OF these expert
nehts were made known the military governor
directed that every effort be made 70 carry out
olSnfecton on the lines indicated by this dis
teoVery and the result Of four months work has
peeh 10 strengthen the conclusion reached by
the board
In January there We're twenty-three cases.
seVen M oeeths; February. eight cases and five
uealha After this date, the new method OF dis
lnIecuon being IN operation. there were new
cases on February %, % and 27 and March
on aho There were no further cases until April
~ aho ~ when two occurred, and no more
Eases until May and z, when there were four.
mere were no cases from May TO June 30. the
osIe covered by the reports so far received.
mere nave been years IN which there was
ntue yellow fever. but none in which IL has
saAufeiy disappeared at present II would
therefore Seem to be fair inference that the i'm
proved method OF disinfection killed off the in
lected mosquitoes; that by March the city had
Deer no OF the infection and was free OF fever
s snti April 20 when focus Of infection again
sssFelopeo. Disinfection again apparently
slheo the infected mosquitoes, as the city was
re from fever until May 6. when another focus
ueselopeo. The same method of disinfection
as again applied, with the result that no cases
developed after that date
- Is believed that by pursuing the present
as reaaoos the Island can be rid OF yellow fever,
auo lus spread may be prevented even when in
So9uceo from the outside. If this condition can
a.. ss brought about many OF the restrictions now
,5aposeo upon commerce by quarantines can be
zone away with
euEsTlON OF FORGERY AT HAVANA.