The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-06-11
MOSQUITO
To BLAME
Medical Board on
Yellow Fever
Agency.
SURGEON GENERAL
GIVES APPROVAL
Treatment Of Malaria Considered
Circular Instructions Prepared
by DR.. Harvard. U. S. A.


General Sternberg. himself one of the
most highly-rated experts in yellow
fever treatment, has just given his ap-
prevail, without reservation, to the re-
port of the special medical board, COM
posed of Surgeons Reed, Carroll and |
Agramonte. upon the "Etiology of yell
low Fever in which the conclusion
was reached that the mosquito is chief |
this fell disease. Moreover, the medi- |
cal department of the army is moving |
energetically to put into practical OPP |
Grafton the methods of treatment and |
prevention of yellow fever, involving a
radical reversal of existing methods, |
which form the basis of the report. To- |
day Surgeon General Sternberg form
ally approved a circular prepared by
Chief Surgeon Hazard at Havana,
with the Endorsement:
I'm my opinion the present state of
our knowledge fully justifies the publ
cation of this circular
| The text of the circular, which will
! form the instructions for all medical Of
fcers in the army in treating fever is
attached. It may be noted that the
general orders referred to under head
one provide for the liberal use Of coal
oil to prevent the Matching out of mos
quito eggs. This circular reads:
iRESULT OF HAVANA EXPERT
MENTS.
1.-The recent experiments made in
Havana by the medical department of
the army having proved that yellow
fever. like malarial fever, is conveyed
ichiefy, and probably exclusively, by
the bite of infected mosquitoes, import
ant changes in the measures used for
the prevention and treatment of this
ldisease have become necessary.
1T is, therefore respectfully recon-
tmended that the following instructions
Ibe published and enforced at all posts
in this department:
q. In order to prevent the breeding
of mosquitoes and protect officers and
men against their bites, the provisions
Of General Order No. 6. Department of
Cuba, December 81. 1900. shall be care
fully carried out, especially during the
summer and fall.
INFECTION FROM YELLOW FEW
Err.
- So far as yellow fever is con-
lcerned infection of a room or building
simply means that it contains infected
mosquitoes-that is, mosquitoes which
have fed on yellow fever patients. Dis
infection, therefore, means the employ
l.ment of measures aimed at the des-
Itruction OF these mospitoes. The most
effective of these measures is fumiga-
ton, either with sulphur, formaldehyde
or insect powder. The fumes of sui
Iphur are the quickest and most effective
insecticide, but are otherwise objection
able Formaldehyde gas is quite eff
fective If the infected rooms are kept
closed and sealed for two OF three
hours The smoke of insect powder has
also been proved useful; 1t readily
stupefies mosquitoes, which drop to the
floor and can then be easily DESTROYED.
THE washing of walls, floors, cell
ingS and furniture with disinfectants is
unnecessary.
49, AS it has been demonstrated that
yellow fever cannot be conveyed by
fomities, such as bedding. clothing, eff
fects and baggage, they need not be
subject to any special disinfection
: Care should be taken. however, not to
i.
until after formaldehyde fumigation, SC
| that they may not harbor any infected
mosquitoes.
g ISOLATION OF NURSES.
i. Medical officers taking care of vel
y low fever patients need not be isolated
they can attend other patients and as
ISOLATE with non-immunes with perfec
: safety to the garrison. Nurses and at
t tendants taking care of yellow feve
IL patients should remain isolated, so al
- to avoid any possible danger of thei
conveying mosquitoes from patients t
- non-immunes.
"a. The Infection of mosquitoes
most likely to occur during the frs
two OF three days of the disease. Am
bulant cases, that is, patients not Il
enough to take to their beds and re
manning unsupported and unprotected
are probably those mostsresponsible TO
the spread of the disease. 1t is there
fore essential that all fever cases shal
be at once isolated and so protecte
that no mosquitoes can possibly ge
access to them until the nature of tn
fever is positively determined.
Each post shall have a 'detentio
ward for the admission of all feve
cases, and an isolation ward for tn
treatment of cases which prove to b
yellow fever. Each ward shall b
made mosquito proof by wire nettin
over doors and windows, a ceiling
wire netting at height of seven fee
above the floor. and mosquito bars owe
the beds. There should be no place
it where mosquitoes can seek refug
not readily accessible to the nurs
Both wards can be in the same built
- ing. provided they are separated by
: mosquito-tight partition.
QUARANTINE OF SUSPECTS.
SO. All persons coming from an il
fected locality to a post shall be kel
upon careful observation until Il
completion of five days from the tin
ry of the possible Infection, either in