New-York tribune., 1902-05-12
THE HEALTH OF HAVANA.
WONDERFUL RESULTS ACHIEVED UN-
DER AMERICAN ADMINISTRATION
Lsr TELEGRAPH TO TEE rH1nrxz

OF the worst pestholes under civilized gov
eminent and the chief source OF scourges which
compelled the United States 10 maintain expensive
quarantine establishments. is verified by more
curate vital statistics than presented by other
municipalities This statement of Havana's improve
ment is warranted by the latest report. covering
March OF this year. made by Major y c GOrgas
surgeon. L 5. A. the chief sanitary officer which
has Just come TO the War Department He says:
The report shows much the smallest number OF
deaths for any March since 1889. The minimum
oeT Ior o, tIs Lnonth occurred IN lSSS when there
had 1873 deaths The death rate. 2s5 would be ex-
the world From the table @ appended. which @ shows
the death rate of cities in the United States Europe
Havana,s death rate is smaller than that IF Balti-
Liverpool Manchester edinburgh Barcelona
Madrid and many other American and European
YELLOW FEVER PRACTICALLY ERADICATED
Another month has passed without yellow fever.
ma 3king & SIX months since Havana had slngie Gase
1889 and If il went back 80 years the character
Of the record would be The same A reference 20
only two months passed in Havana in which
1899 and April. 1900 We have just passed six
secutive months not only without death. bur
without "ase- 1t seems to me- that this proves
that yellow fever has been eradicated from Havana
WIN be rd s lIh w 0T f ms '4Dl b NOV b snS 1
plshed by the mosquito work. Referring 70 the
seen that the minimum number Of deaths rom
in Sa7 average 466 The year Of mosquito work ; II
must be embered, the time. hat although
I only quote from The period since 1889 the same
existed since 1852 The number of cases Of other in
DiPhthera caused one death typhoid fever seven
While maIaraI fevers are not required to be
ported under the head of infectious and contagious
for as yellow fever the general work for the de-
structlon OF mQsqult3es would De expected 70 az
show this 10 he the case and inclined think
thdt malaria would De eradicated from havana,
just as yellow fcver has been. II il were not so
country our Statistics show that We had in the
neighbOrhood OF $50 deaths from malarial fever IN
mosquito work We had Isl This month only four.
Inc results with regard 10 the maIarfaI VOTE pa
! Havana ar" very important Havana is the hrst
city in the world Of any consequence that has put
TO practical hygieniC use the scientific knowledge
/ with regard 70 the mosquito as conveyer Of dis
ease and IL Is the only place where We can meas meas
/ ure the results with any accuracy We nave oeen
/ az work Just one year killing nosquitoes and we
t ~ ~ al, ra az sese - ,3t G one "a nv me
exter7inaTjor Of v@iIov fever whtch annuaIy cost
/ mum from malarial fever This does not take into
| account the decrease in the number Of sick who
| recovered and who do not show in the mortality
also invite attention 70 the large amount f 2i
tact the energies ana attenlon o. tle ts
are directed now principally against tuoercuosls-
0nas{ion 6f vaiiSr saver ovsrs6aSowed all other
/ things in our eary work on account of It's bearing
| upon commerce and quarantine, but as far as the
| cuioss is more Important The department, under
the able supervision OF Major g l. tJlroush. mas
| paign against this disease dspensary has been
attended 5v an able corps OF physicia rs where the
T71nciral 1oor are iDvfed 10 aDpiv for assistance
The report shows how successful II has been Med
/ teal inspectors. who dwell very extensively upon
the subject tuberculosis. Systematically sent
20 tenement houses and tobacco manufactures,
~ Iae ss oS ,,barrosI iocstad and through
| the various measures used We have now about
! names are carded, with residence and other data
! and popular literature sent to them. explaining
haf- :
| manner of cure. believe that II the system can
be continued for four or i've years tQoerculoS!s
| had nine hundred deaths last year from tuber.
| culosis; placing The average length OF a case Of
| tuberculosis al three years. which is a longer
RgGIi RRaId ba8e @ tw5ntysevsn hundrea Eases Of rber
| culosis on hand in the city We. have az present
seen how thorough and successful our system Of
reporting has been
| COMPARISON WITH OTHER CITIES
| Interesting and valuable as an example 10 the
| other population centres of the world. most OF
them vastly favored over Havana in the matter Of
location this statement OF Dr. Gergas Is. his re-
! port for the preceding month. of which the above
\ is only compementary- Is more astonishing For
/ that month the number OF deaths 391. the
J minimum for thirteen years. giving death rate
/ of I7oG. The latest available figures for com
| parisou showed that Baltimore for December had a
death rate OF Is IS Boston, for October 1885; New
! orleans for December. 22.4. Troy. y. Y. for No
/ vember 2o4o. New-Yorl, for the week ended De-
| cember @, 20I5- Liverpool. England. for the week
| ended December y. 2256 and London for the week
/ ended January > ~ 50 Dr. Gorgas says,
During the last year of Spanish occupation 1895.
/ there - deaths IN Havana. giving a rate
Of qI.03. the next year 1899. the first OF the
| American occupation. had SIS deaths. giving a
= 20. 1901 j,l2O deaths occurred rae of I'll
/ This month had Sl deaths. which record. II
maintained for the year. viii give 4,s92 deaths and a
/ Of 1905
| The number Of deaths from contagious diseases
/ has been exceedingly Snall-frOm typhoid fever
only three. scarlet fever one. diphtherta one and
] from smallpox Not a or the last Ua med
| disease has occurred since July. 1900.
! The prospect for escaping relnfeCJOn from vel
] low fever grows and more hopeful as the
| months pass and each month strengthens the
eradCated from Havana At the end Of February
| five months had elapsed since the last case oc-
( CURED and when We consider that for a hundred
! Havana had never been free from yeiloW
/ for "a single month. this claim very
| strong We feel confident now that Havana VIII
/ have yellow fever until IL Is introduced
| from some infected port inside OF cuba. era
/ cruz has had less yellow fever all winter.
and the sanitary department Is watching this port
/ with anxiety possible point from Whlcn We
/ might become infected our commerce with Vera
| C'rllz is very intimate and " have a number OF
! passengers every week from that city Believing
that the mosquito IS the only way by which yellow
/ fever il prOpagated. the sanitary department put
restrictions upon goods, luggage or IaDricS OF
I kind from Vera Cruz. The only tning
| We fear is that some person sick or about 10 be
I sick with yellow fever may enter the CITY
/ Military Governor issued order re-
| quiriug all nOn-immuneS to report daily Tor eN
! amna tiOn. This examination - kept up during
I the period of incubation IN the case or rach IN
/ divdUal
The absence of yellow fever has enabled the san-
/ tarv department down considerably its eX-
| port shows that a large amount of work is stiH
/ being done. The mosquito WORK IN particular, IS