The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1903-10-01
THE MOSQUITO
CONTROVERSY.
Laredo Yellow Fever Epidemic Starts It
Afresh.
DOCTORS GUlTERAS AND TABOR
Marine Hospital Expert Contends That
the Pesky Little Insect is the Whole
Thing, While the State Medical Au-
th0rity Holds Otherwise.

Laredo, Tex.-There have been no
deaths from yellow fever in this city,
but five new cases have been pro-
nounced by the experts who are in
charge of the situation.
Orders have been issued to the rail-
way company prohibiting the sale of
tickets to any point north. This was
taken because the authorities intend
to establish detention camp ct San
| chez station, five miles from here,
where all persons who wish to depart
for points in the north will be COM
PEELED to spend ten days under sur
veillance. The. detention, however,
does not apply to through passengers
from points beyond the yellow fever
district in Mexico, the only thing ex-
acted from such passengers being a
certificate from United States consul
in Mexico showing they have not been
in an infected region within ten days.
Doctors Guiteras and Tabor have
perfected the organization OF their
forces to carry on the work OF placing
the city in sanitary condition by
sending out work gangs in charge OF
competent physicians whose duty it is
to supervise the disinfection of all
houses within the neighborhood
where yellow fever patients have died
and where cases now exists. Federal
and state officers are working in
harmony but there is difference of
opinion as to whether or not the dis
ease is contagious. DR.. Guiteras in
an interview urged the necessity of
fighting the mosquito as the only
means Of stamping out the disease.
He said this theory of stamping out
the disease was accepted by the inter
national medical congress held at
Havana in 1901 and although there
are many learned men who do not ac-
cept this theory he is thoroughly con-
vinced of its correctness. He said if
the city had been thoroughly drained
before the advance of yellow fever
from Mexico there would have been
no spread Of the disease here. DIR.
Tabor said that he believed the fever
could be transmitted by injection and
that while the mosquito undoubtedly
communicated the disease he thought
it could be acquired by infection as
well.
As there are many things not abso-
lutely settled to the minds OF. all men
of science, he said it would be we'll
for the inhabitants of the city to
take every precaution, both against in
lection from contact with the disease
and by being bitten by the yellow fe-
OF mOsquito.
Little information of reliable ma
ture can be learned from Nueva La
redo but it is reported that several of
the patients are not protected from
the yellow fever mosquitoes, some of
the medical gentlemen there not be-
lieving in the transmission of the dis
ease by this means.
It is hoped and believed by the ply
sicians that the disease will be stamp
ed out before it spreads much further.
Reports from Linares Say the yellow
fever situation is little improved.
twenty-five deaths have occurred dur
ing the past three days. In the towns
north of Linares the disease has not
appeared. The Monterey authorities
claim the city is free from fever. They
say the only case which has appeared
was that of DR.. alderman. They say
if the fever should appear they are
prepared to speedily stamp it out.