Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-05-31
HAS BEEN WIPED OUT
Yellow Fever Exterminated
in Havana.
REPORT OF MAI. GORGAS
RESULTS OF AMERICAN occUPA-
TON.
Comparison Of Conditions That Elk
listed Before the Spanish War
What Has Been Accomplished.

Surgeon General Sternberg has received
an interesting report from Major W. c.
Gorgas, surgeon United States army, chief
sanitary officer at Havana, in regard to the
sanitary condition Of the city of Havana
as it passed out of the hands of the military
government. This is the last monthly re-
port of vital statistics" says Major Gorgas,
which will be made to the military COVER
nor, and it is also my last month health
officer of the city of Havana. 1 therefore
wish to invite the attention Of the military
governor to a comparison between the con-
ditions existing April, 1898, just prior to the
American occupation, and those which ex-
list in April, 1902, the last month of the
American control.
Remarkable Results.
THE number of deaths in the city of Ha-
vana in April, 1898, was 1880; the death
rate was 71.SS. In April 1902, there were
400 Deaths death rate of pit. In April
1898. there were 40 deaths from malaria; in
April, 1902 two deaths secured from that
disease April, 1902. there were no cases and
no deaths Of either yellow fever or smallpox
in the city; these two diseases have for gen.
erations ranked among the principal causes
of death here.
borne out by an inspection of the city; it
is clean the conditions will allow
labor to make it. The streets in every di-
rection are kept in beautiful order by the
engineer department.
But the work which the sanitary depart
ment has urged forward more particularly
is the cleaning of the interior Of the houses
The constant Inspections and fines which
were necessary, carried on for the past
three years. have caused people generally
to keep their yards and houses clean. Per-
manent conditions have not changed; every
house in Havana still has a cesspool, To-
ca ted somewhere on It's premises, and 1t has
not been the policy of the department to
interfere with these conditions until the
sewer system shall have been put in. In
deed, it would be impossible to do away
with the cesspool until the city Is properly
severed. But such cleanliness as can be
brought by sweeping, washing and manual
labor is general.
The Tenement Districts.
The tenement districts of Havana chal-
lenge comparison with similar habitations
in any city that l know of. OF course, one
seeking to criticise can find individual
cases all over the city that might be i'm
proved, but these are principally due to the
necessity for having cesspools in every
building. The figures quoted bear out these
statements. 1t would have been impossible,
unless the city were kept in frst-rate SAM
tary condition, to lower the death rate of
Havana from 71.SS in 1898 to PIT in 1901,
the rate of average cities of civilized coun-
tries
Another month has passed without
case of yellow fever the last occurred in
September, 1901. For the past twelve years
the smallest number of deaths, 122. occur
red in the yellow fever year of 1Ss9-1990;
the largest number, 1885, occurred In 1886
1897, and the average number of deaths for
that period was 466. For the similar period
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