Evening star., 1902-09-12
HEALTH ANDtTHECANAL
HOW TO RrDtbkear ,nonrA11rr ON
THE 1sThMus.
Pure Water and Immunity From Mos
quitoes Are Requisites II Need of
an zmcisn Etary Service,

George NJ. sternbers thea prth American Review.
Now that 1t has been definitely decided
that the United States will construct an
interoceanic ship canal across the isthmus.
It is we'll to give careful consideration to
all the problems connected with this stu
pendous undertaking. The engineerfnR
problems have been fully considered; 1t
now seems almost certain that the United
States will secure satisfactory title to
property and concessions; the financial
problem Is solved; but. while this is true,
it is also true that the difficulties attend
ing the enterprise and the time required to
accomplish the task will depend largely
upon conditions which are too frequently
ignored by engineers and financiers.
l have not the data at hand to enable me
to state how many laborers and officials
lost their lives during the progress of the
work on the Panama canal, but 1t is gen.
orally known that the number was enor-
nous, and that the insanitary conditions
along the line of the canal. and the conse-
quent sickness and mortality among the
employees Of the canal company. consti-
with which this company had to contend.
Health of Laborers.
AS great engineering enterprises now de-
pend largely upon the employment of
vation of the health of these laborers is
an economic question of prime Importance.
From our point of view, 1t Is SO important
that it is incumbent upon the government
which undertakes to construct an isthmian
canal to give to those who will be engaged
in the actual prosecution of the work all
the advantages to be derived from we'll
organized sanitary service based upon the
present state Of scientific information re-
lating to the cause and prevention OF those
infectious diseases which are most likely to
prevail under the conditions which will eX-
ist along the line of the proposed canal
We know what these diseases are; We
know the conditions which lead to their epi-
demic prevalence, and we know how to
prevent them. Under these circumstances,
1t would indeed be criminal not to apply
this knowledge in practical way for the
preservation Of the lives Of those who are
called upon to battle with those malign
agents which appear to oppose themselves
to man, in his efforts to overcome the bar
riers raised by nature to arrest his pro-
gress In the subjection of the earth to his
material uses.
Danger From Typhoid.
The laborers upon the isthmian canal
will be exposed to the ravages of all these
infectious diseases; and 1t may be conf
IDENTIFY asserted that each one of them will
claim numerous victims, unless the proper
measures of protection are enforced 1t Is
well known that. the prevalence of typhoid
fever depends, to large extent. upon the
quality Of the water supply, and that, when
there is any possibility that this may be
contaminated. the. Simple and obvious
method of prevention is to sterilize all
drinking water. This is best accomplished
by heat; but it Is tilot sufficient to give di-
rections that all water used for drinking
must be boiled. There must be some one to
see that sufficient, supply of sterilized
water, properly cooled, is always available,
and that none other is used. We cannot de-
pend upon precept alone. when it Is a
question of protecting soldiers or laborers
from the invisible foes which surround
them. They are accustomed to Judge Of
the purity of water by its taste and appear
ance, and to drinking any water at hand
when they are thirsty
The question ofswater supply must not
be left to individual judgment.
Keep OF Mosquitoes.
But how about the so-called Climatic
diseases?" Can these be avoided? Ger
tainly they can; for as a matter Of fact,
no infectious diseases are directly due to
climatic influences, although climate has
much to do with the prevalence of some of
these diseases when the germs to which
they are due are introduced TO a given To-
cality. Thus malarial fever and yellow
fever prevail only where climatic conditions
are favorable for the propagation of the
sites to which these diseases are due are
transmitted from man to man. Ii we can
protect the laborers on the isthmian canal
from the bites of mosquitoes. they will en-
joy an entire immunity from the deadly in
fectious maladies which have been the
scourge Of the coast regions Of the Carib
bean sea. the Gulf of Mexico and the West
Indies for centuries.
In the army We have a well-traned medi-
cal corps, every member of which realizes
that the preservation of the health of our
soldiers Is a more important matter, even,
than the treatment of the sick and wound
ed. To aid in this work We have body Of
trained enlisted men-the hospital corps
equal to about per cent of the enlisted
strength Of the army. The army of labor
ers which will be sent to the isthmus will.
require sanitary corps having a personnel
at least as great in proportion to the num-
Der employed is provided for army
in the Philippines
The sanitary service the line of the
1sthmian canal should be III Ter one head.
and the carrying out of m' Hsures for the
prevention of disease and IT, care Of the
sick should be placed in the '--;nds of
competent medical director aving an
efficient staff and full power ct in ac
cordance with his best jude"- t for the
accomplishment of the desired suits. The
cost of such a sanitary serv would not
be inconsiderable. but it wouf not be great
magnitude and Importance of the work
COREA'S TROLLEY ROAD.