The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-03-28


mosduito left nothing 20 be desired n
order to fuinll the requirements OF 4
scientiiic experiment
pf' heed now allowed fifteen days "a
eHpsc before he made further experi.
mehts. Then non-immune Spanish i'm.
mlsraht was bitten by four mosquitoes
maj nad been contaminated seventeen
Ss petore, 1hree days later symptoms
Oh me fever appeared and In four days
weli-dehned case was manifest.
DISEASE CONVEYED BY INFECTION.
Having settled 20 his satisfaction that
'pe mosquitoes communicated yellow fe-
| ~r 10 man, DIR. Reed b, gan 10 expert
ment as 10 other methods of acquiring
,,'.s she uisease' Four men crhsented to allow
4 Dioou from "a yellow fever patient 10 he
| injected into their veins. In three of these
! Eases me disease developed IN from TWO
| ana hsif 20 three and a half days.
| Inc fourth case failed 10 take TN. dis
ease. This latter case was subsequently
inocuiated by mosquitoes that had been
round capable OF conveying the diseasc
without result. and the doctor SET him
uoWn as one possessing a natural immu-
nifty 10 yellow fever.
Dr Reed and his associates then took
up an investigation OF the origin OF vel
Tow ieVer epideElics in order 10 determine
"hst enect contact with infected articles
| ulSeASr.
house WAS built, one-half OF which
was separated from The other by wire
nct'ils' ana was arranged so that only
TWO WINDOWS on one side were available
ana no possible circulation OF air coula
take place through the house from the
Mills without. The windows were pro-
fireplace, ana Nellie said: "Who could
tected with sliding glass and heavy
wooden shutters, and also with wire
screens hne enough TO Insure against the
possibility OF mosquitoes entering
buring the day and until after sunset
ihe mouse was kept securely closed while
I's temperature was raised by a heating
',t'. s'us from " TO 30 degrees. and sufi-
cient humidity was also insured
Three large boxes filled with sheets NIL
10" SLIPS, blankets, etc, conts animated by
cases OF yellow fever were sent from vel
ioW-ieVer cases In the Havana HOSPITALS
ana opened In the building by two pri.
Yates or the United States hospital corps.
VINO took pains TO freely shake and ex
pose them so as 10 Infect, AZ possibIe thu
ar OF the chamber,if IL was possible from
these articles
Ihe bedding was used for the sleeping
quarters I'm the building by non-irnmune
inoiNlduals Each morning the soiIed arti-
80 were carefuliy packed I'm the boxes
ana Al night distributed over the beds
During the day their users were permit-
TED TO occupy tents outside. but were kept
IN strict quarantine. A fourth box was
Also received from Las Animas hospital
IN Havana, where they had been used fo,. |
from seeing anything.
~ Inc end OF twenty-one nights ~ sucb
lhtimats contact with these Infected ar
tlcles the men were again put under auar |
ahths, from which they were released /
~" uss later ia perfect health In no 1
, - uid any individual who occupied the 1
mouse and was exposed 10 possible infec-
tpl from these articles ger the disease /
'nu 'r every attempt 10 infect the building |
ON Dec. u, 1909. after the closing OF
lHIs experiment, there was set free In the
n,,1s LIZ room ot the building fifteen mos
llltoee contaminated by biting Yellow
Iever patients, and "a non-immune Ameri-
con entered the room where the nnosofii- |
.oes @ ha, been freed He remained in the |
room % minutes, being bitten several !
times.
Four days later he came down with veil
90" FEVER the diagnosis being confirmed.
~ tne same time two non-immut,es re-
nalied In the same building only profect- 1
'd from the mosquitoes by n wire screen
,,nrltlnn, sleeping there eighteen nights
health.
These experiments thus carried out
'esm 40 positive 80 far as they 20 that
Infected clothing. even of the most posi-
I've character. cannot convey yellow few
n which II In striking contrast with the
With mosquitoes
house therefore. can be said 10 be in
ecteu with yellow fever only when IL con- !
ans contaminated mosquitoes capable of
Onveyfng the disease. Thus far there has
'een no success in finding the specific or
'anism which undoubtedly exists and
auses the disorder.
OPENS A NEW EPOCH
DR.. Reeds paper created a stir among
ne medical men at the Havana congress- |
hd II was the general consensus OF opin-
On tllat n new epoch in the knowledge |
u yeiIoW ieNer was opened by his dis
overies. DIR. Horbeck OF Charleston. s.
:, expressed the orfnion that the prob |
I'm or 700 years was about 20 be solved. /
lie also described tho existence OF |
Inc belt within short distance of !
=. c.. I'm which yellow fever |
ever developed as an epidemic although 1
ne afflicted Herewith would go there |
uring the existence of the epidemic in |
'hSrlestou, would die from the disease, |
nd yet IL would not spread.
Mosquitoes are not known I'm thar re- !
ion and probably this is the true ex- |
lanaton OF the above fact He con |
ludcd by emphasizing the incstimabi,
aluc or DIR. Reeds experiments IL they |
rove to be true.
turiously enough the only hostile crit |
ism of the experiments was made bv a
uban doctor who took the position that
uman beings should not be exposed fo !
uch danger as DIR. Reed has subjected
1cm to.
DIR. Reeds reply To this was that as
o animal could be given the disease IL
as absolutely necessary To make the cN-
on human beings. and that All
le subjects were volunteers aud f:lIy |
ware OF the danger they were 20 en-