The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-04-18
LED BY ARMY DOCTORS
Experts Report on Transmission Of
Yellow Jack.
s7ERNBERG APPROVES THE REPORT
Medical Department Of the Army Moving to
Put into Operation Methods Of Preyen-
ton That May Succeed in Ban
ishlng Yellow Fever.
ishing Yellow Fever.
(By the Associated Press.)


Washington, April 17.-Surgeon Cen
eral Sternberg has just given his APP
proval without reservation to the re-
port of the special board composed Of
Surgeons Reed, Carroll and Agramonte
upon the "Etiology of yellow Fever, .
in which the conclusion was reached
that the mosquito is responsible for the
transmission Of this fell disease. More
over, the medical department of the
army is moving energetically to put
into practical o@ARration methods of
treatment for the prevention of yellow
fever, involving a radical reversal of
existing methods, which form the basis
of the report.
Today Surgeon General Sternberg
formally approved a circular prepared
by Chief Surgeon Hazard. at Havana,
with this 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
officers in the army in treating fever
is attached. The general orders re
ferred to under head one, provide for
the liberal use of coal oil to prevent the
Matching out of mosquito eggs. The
circular says:
THE recent experiment made in Ha-
vana by the medical department of
the army having proved that yellow
fever, like malariel fever, is conveyed
chiefly, and probably exclusively by the
bite of infected mosquitoes. important
changes in the measures used for the
prevention and treatment of this disease
have become necessary.
so far as yellow fever is concerned
infection of room or building simply
means that it contained infected mos
quitos, that is mosquitoes which have
fed on yellow fever patients. Disinfec-
ton, therefore, means the employment
of measures at the destruction of these
mosquitoes The most effective of these
measures is fumigation either with sui
phur, formaldehyde or insect powder.
The fumes of sulphur are the quickest
and the most effective insecticide, but
are otherwise Objectionable. Formalde-
hyde gas is quite effective if the in
fected rooms are kept closed and sealed
for two or three hours. The smoke
of insect powders has also been proved
useful; for it readily stupefies mosquitoes
which drop to the DOR and can be easily
destroyed.
THE washing of walls floors, ceilings
and furniture wit hdisinfectants is ne
cessary
las it has been demonstrated that
yellow fever cannot be conveyed by
bedding, clothing, effects and baggage,
they need not be subject to any special
disinfection Care should be taken,
however, not to remove them from the
infected rooms until after formaldehyde
fumigation, SO that they may not harbor
any infected mosquitoes.
Medical officers taking care of yell
low fever patients need not be isolated.
they can attend other patients and assoc
ciate with non-immunes with perfect
safety to the garrison. Nurses and at
tendants taking care of yellow fever
patients shall remain isolated, so as 20
avoid any possible danger of their con-
veying mosquitoes from patients to non
immunes.
"Malarial fever, like yellow fever, is
communicated by mosquito bites ard
therefore is just as much of an infection
disease and requires the same measures
of protection against mosquitoes. On
the assumption that mosquitoes remain
in the vicinity of their breeding places,
or never travel far the prevalence of
malarial fever at a post would indi-
cate want of proper care and diligence
on the part of the surgeon and cont
handing officer