Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1901-09-07


was found. and there are those investi-
gators who today believe that the Ba-
cillus icteroides of Sanarelli Is the
causative organism Of the fever: while
the English physician. DR.. Herbert Il.
Durham, who, with the late DR.. Walter
Myers. was sent ont by the Liverpool
School of Tropical Medicine TO Bra
zil. believes thar In q small bacillus
which they lave frequently found in
autopsies they have discovered the true
germ. The proof brought by the Am
erican experiments that certain mos
quitoes will transmit the disease, how.
ever. renders both Of these claims un.
certain and probably incorrect. In fact
DR.. Reed denies that Sanarellis bacih
lus has anything to do with yellow
! fever. The true parasite will be dis
| covered, without doub and 1t Is to he
hoped that the American army officers
who have been responsible for such an
extraordinary advance in our knowl-
edge Of the etiology of the dread dis
ease may be the Investigators to carry
! the work through to its fullest con.
illusions.
The experiments carried on by DR.
Reed and his associates were as perfect
in their methods as 1t was possible Tor
scientific acumen and nard common
sense to make them. Every possible
| element of error seems TO have been
| guarded against. the maj and con.
| elusive tests made during the autumn
Of 1900 were conducted with a spirit Of
earnestness, 'self-sacrifice and enthu'
siasm which affected every one con.
nected with the work. even In the most
subordinate positions. coAmon soldiers
not only offering themselves for the
presumably dangerous test, but insist.
.ng that they should ne accepted as
subjects for experiment. The master
spirit Of the investigation. Dr. Reed.
Sas evidently the man auove all men
ior this work, in this respect of com.
..eiling the greatest confidence and en-.
.husiasm, no less than in the absolute.
y complete maner in which the eX.
yeriments were conducted. have no
space to describe me letails Of this
mastery experimental work. While 10
was in progress, criticism was invited
and urged. from Havana physicians,
from visiting surgeons. and from every
one interested. But so perfect were the
plans that 1t seems impossible that any
criticism could have been mde.
An experimental san. ...ry station was
established in the open. a mile from
Quemads. Two houses were built
tightly constructed. with winHows and
doors protected by wire screens.
Fumigation Not Necessary.
In one Of thes, .-ouses, soiled sheets.
pillow cases and blankets were user
as bedding, and this bedding was
brought straight from the beds Of pa
tients sick with yellow fever at ha.
vana. For siXty-three days tIese beds
were occupied by members of the hos
pital corps for periods varying from
twenty 10 twenty-One days. At the end
IF his occupation the men. who We're
all non-immunes, were taken to quar-
antine for five days and then released.
Not one Of them was taken i'll. All
were released in excellent health. This
experiment is of the greatest import
ance, as showing that the disease IL
not convey by fOmites. and hence the
dis!nfection of clothing. bedding. or
merchandise supposed to have been
contaminated BY contact with yellow
fever patients is no longer necessary,
and the extremes TO which this dis
infection work has been carried In
cases of yellow fever epidemics In our
Southern States have been perfectly
useless.
In the other house, which was known
as the "infected mosquito building"
We're no articles which mad not been
carefully disinfected. The house con-
tanned two rooms, and non-immunes
were placed In both rooms. In one
room, separated from the other by
wire screen partitions only, mosquitoes
which had bitten yellow fever patients
were admitted In the otner room tue
men remained in perfect health in the
mosquito room 50 per cent Of the per-
sons bitten by infected mosquitoes
tha' hdu DctH htpt 4"tlNc uuys VI ilOIt
after biting yellow feve patients were
taken with the disease. and me yell
low fever diagnosis was confirmed by
resident physicians in Havana who
were above all others familiar with he
disease in every form. Persons bitten
by mosquitoes at an earlier period than
twelve days after they had bitten a
yellow fever patient did not contract
the disease. In another series of ex-
Deriments, Of seven persons bitten by
infected mosquitoes by placing the
hand in jar containing the insects,
five. or II per cent, contracted ths
diseas.,
Such, in brief was the result OF the
experimental work. None of the pa.
tients experimental with died
1t was found that yellow fever was
produced by the injection of blood ia,
ken from the general circulation OF a
patient, simultaneous injections of
two cubic centimeters OF blood being
followed by the disease, and the def.
mite conclusion was reached that the
parasite of yellow fever must be pres.
ent in the general circulation at least