Waterbury Democrat., 1903-01-17
TRANSMITS DISEASE
That Mosquito Carries Yellow Feve, Is an Established Fact.
Surprising That the Theory Was Not Hit Upon Long AgO-Quaran- tine Methods Will Probably
 Be Modified.

The yellow fever symposium of the American Public Health association was most interesting contribution to sanitary science on many points convincing to, the laity. A disease which caused America many thou. sands of lives and many disturbing panics in the past was stripped of most of it's horrors and shown to be one of the most easily controlled and protected against. When we read from the history of yellow fever tho thousands of theories advanced in re- gard to it. the wonder is that the re- cent discoveries made of the trans mission of the disease by mosquitoes was not stumbled on long ago, says the New Orleans Times-Democrat t.
 For years the question whether quarantine did or did not keep the fever out of a country was discussed, and at different times the quarantin- ists and anti-quarantinists were Ion top" The commission appointed in 1853 to investigate the epidemic of that year was doubtful on most points, and was convinced on only one, that the :. disturbance of the earth, excavations during the sum- mer, tended to cause the spread of the disease, and as result of this report nearly all public improve ments were seriously handicapped. The rats were looked on with suspi- cion, then filth, decaying vegetation, an excessive rainfall, the water sup ply, and dozen other causes were cited for the disease. In many cases these theories were apparently sup ported by the prevailing conditions, but another year the conditions . changed and theories formerly up- held and apparently built upon rock were completely shattered.
 It seems strange, considering how often and how carefully the subject was investigated, that the recent dis coveries in regard to the mosquito and yellow fever were not made There were some vague hints on this point, but nothing to attract general attention or bring about the accept ance of the mosquito theory by phy sicians and sanitarians. Yet as soon as this idea was advanced it was seen that, alone of all the theories, it filled every condition of the disease and explained every apparent peculi- 1. arity about it.
 [ The discussion before the ~Ameri- can Public Health association fully confirmed what has already been said on this subject. The matter is no longer theory, but an established fact, as thoroughly demonstrated as any scientific question has ever been. Practical experiments made in half dozen different localities all brought the same res ut, and micro scopy explained and proved them. The convention was unanimous on the point that the mosquito could and did transmit yellow fever from a person affected by it to another. Doctors from Cuba and Mexico agreed with the physicians of this country, and the evidence was so r overwhelming that no one who has i investigated the matter can longer entertain a doubt.
 l This makes protection against the 1 fever far simpler than we have ever thought it to be, and does away with the complicated, expensive, and often brutal quarantine systems which have frequently been resorted to in the past. The annihilation of the mosquitoes in community would as- sure it complete immunity if mosqui- toes are the sole means of transmit ting the disease; or if this annihila- tion be impossible, an ordinary mos o,,;+o for tho nerSno sick nf vel ] low fever, so as to prevent the mos quitoes from getting at him, and thus becoming infected and the source of danger to others, is the simple pro- ] tection needed.
 1 It will be noted that on one point the members of the association were not fully agreed. All accepted the mosquito theory, that the insect l could transmit yellow fever. ma 1 jority were of the opinion that the disease was transmitted only in this way, but the minority, while unable l to produce any very strong evidence : to the contrary, refused to accept that proposition and favored the Scotch verdict, ''Not proven" In other words, while the evidence IS strongly and, indeed, convincingly in favor of the mosquito theery, it does not prove that the disease cannot be propa agated by fomites or in other ways. ....<
 To lay mind this conclusion seems to be prudent if not a cor ! rect one. It is not pretended tha. the mosquito creates or generates the disease, but simply that it trans mits it from one person to another The origin of the fever is, therefore due to some other cause, and it would seem that this cause which origi nally produced it may produce il again. 1t would seem wise. there fore, not to go too far, not to aban. don all the safeguards of quaran tine, but to keep up an investigation which has been productive of such excellent results and which we may hope to see sooner or later explain all the mysteries of this malady