The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-06-24
HAVANA'S HEALTH REPORT
The City Said to Be in Excellent
Sanitary Condition.
Statement of Major Goreas for the
Month of HHy-t Falling of in the
Death Rnte-Good Results From
the determination of the Mosquito

! The report of w c Gorgas. major and
! surgeon L. S Army and chief sanitary
! officer of Havana dealing with the SAM
/ tary conditions of that city during the
/ month of May has been received at the
! War Department. It shows a steady inn
| provement from the standpoint of the
public health and is especially interesting
/ in its reference to the subject of the ex-
/ termination of the mosquito. and its in
fuence upon the spread of yellow fever.
in his report Dr.. Gorgas says:
4 am glad to announce to the Depart
/ meRt Commander, that the sanitary con-
| dition of the city continues excellent He
/ viii see that the number of deaths this
month, 81, is considerably less than for
any May. since 1883, with the exception of
May, 1890; the average number Of deaths
| for these years being 735S1. rate 35-S2. Last
month we had 565 deaths; which shows a
| considerable Improvement this month
! over last
This rate 1omPaEes---very favorabiy
with our neighbors in this part of the
world Kingston, Jamaica, for the month
/ OF April, with a population of 1852, hav-
| ing 154 deaths, giving rate OF 2i-H per
thousand: Tampfco, Mexico, with a popu-
IaUion of 1873, for the month of March
had 81 deaths, giving a rate OF 1888: City
! of Mexico, Mexico for the week ending
April Z, with population of 331. 7S1. had
$40 deaths. giving rate of *. 20 per thou
sand.
Liverpool. England. for the first three
months OF 1901. with Il population of 635,-
09o had $50 deaths, giving a death rate
Of 300 FER thousand. Halifax with a pop
ulatiou of 1oS,STS, for. the first three
months of 1901; had 1,326 deaths, giving a
death to of ~ r,a--
But what Think most important to US
is the unusually favorable showing made
by the city this year as to yellow fever.
We commence June with the city free
from yellow fever, no cases being on
hand This is probably the first time
Havana has ever entered June free from
yellow fever. April and May. also COM
menced in the same way
Our last case of yellow fever occurred
May :. Since the first of March we have
only had one death from yellow fever,
which occurred March I3. In 10 other
year have the conditions, as to yellow
fever even apProxinlat Ted this.
The table III the body OF the report
viii show the. number Of deaths in March,
SpriI. and May. from the year 1889 to the
present time twill be seen by this table
that the lowest year was 1859, when we
the average, $500. is very mitch greater.
I cannot but hope that this exception
ally good condition is in great part due
10 the large amount Of labor and money
We are expending, in the destruction of
mosquitoes; and the circumstances of the
case point in the same direction.
Since March 8. outbreaks of yellow fe-
yer have occurred twice The first time.
April Z and 2, We had two cases; and
again on May and I four eases. Each
time the infected houses and three or
four contiguous houses on every side Of
the infected house. were carefully gone
over Every room in each of these houses
was closed and sealed, and insect powder
burned in them at the rate Of l pound TO
$50 cubic feet All standing water was
drained away, where possible; and oiled
where it could not be drained The re-
suits look as if the focus OF infection
at that particular point. had been eradi-
Gated In the case of the patient taken
sick March after Our disinfectiOn. we
went 4 days till the next case. Then an
outbreak occurred, April q and p We
again disinfccted; and went 10 days till
the next cases. May and I. We again
disinfected; and have gone q days with
out a ease. I am more particularly i'm
pressed by these figures, as We cOnmenc-
ed our systematic destruction about the
middle OF February.
Formerly we paid no particular atten-
ton to the mosquito, merely disinfecting
for yellow fever, as we do for other in
fictitious diseases The only part of the
process that killed the mosquito. was the
fnsnaiiHe used in one or two infected
looms.
Our report shows : most excellent
Of oil in,
fectious diseases are concerned. There
has been no smallpox since last July
The amount of sanitary work done
continues large; but most of our
attention now. is being paid to the de
struction Of mosquitoes. The suburbs. and
all the small streams IN the suburbs,
have been pretty thoroughly cleaned out;
and pool oiled and drained.
The mayor has issued an order pro-
hibiting the keeping of standing water,
anywhere within the city limits. unless
made mosquitoproof This is being en-
forced; and all standing water found not
protected as required, Is emptied; and the
owned fined
I'VE are employing about 70 men IN this
mosquito work. and have gotten over the
whole city during the last month: and 1
expect 20 do this every month during the
summer At any rate d. iplS IS II seems
70 have the present happy result IN this
waE. during the past month, We have
used about 400 gallons of oil.
The physicians and people Of Havana
are showing general interest in the work
Of the department; and having lately had
many requests, from leading men. that
the vital statistics be published in Span
ish, I have this month made that change,
publishing statistics in both English and
Spanish. / have also in this report, en-
bodied all the suburbs; while I still print
the statistics of Havana separately. con
sideriug il best to do so. as an easy means
Of comparison with past statistics.
An Ared EIuckster Eound bend