The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-07-25
ROBBED OF ITS PERIL
CAUSE OF YELLOW FEVER PROV
 ED TO BE MOSQUITOES.
Demonstration is Complete-Invest- gation by Marine Hospital ser vice at Vera Cruz Removes
 Last Doubt.
Washington Post.

"YeIIow fever is now plaything.
 This declaration was made yesterday by one of the members of surgeon eenerai wyman's staff, who has followed very closely the work of investigation or the cause and prevention of yellow fever that was taken up earnestly by various scien- tific departments of the government three wears ago. More than to any other de- partment of the government it has fallen to the lot of the Marine Hospital Ser vice, of which Surgeon General Wyman is chief, to pursue this work steadily and persistently. although all of the scientihc bureaus have contributed valuable aid to the result which at last has been issued on the subject, which presents an elabor- ate review of the work done during the past year by the commission of exeprts sent to Vera Cruz, Mexico, by the Marine Hospital Service to study the disease.
 No Fear of Outbreak.
 It is confidently asserted by the highest scientific authorities in Washington that there is no longer cause to fear an out break of yellow fever in those regions of the South where the disease in past years has wrought such frightful havoc both to life and commerce. To pr. Her man B. Parker. assistant surgeon United States Marine Hospital Service, and Drs. George E. Beyer and O. L. Pothier of New Orleans, are due the credit for demonstrating beyond reasonable doubt three propositions whose practical im- portance cannot be overestimated, viz.:
 First-That the cause of yellow fever is an animal parasite and not vegeta- be germ, or bacterium.
 Second-That the disease is communi- cated only by the bite of mosquitoes. Third-That only one genus of mosQui- toes. which is classified as Stegomyia fasiata, is the host of the yellow fever parasite.
 It is expected that within six months the commission will make another report to the government, which will wind up the work and will so thoroughly cover every point now in doubt as fully to con- vince the scientific world that yellow fever has been mastered at last because its cause has been definitely ascertained. The commission from now on will address itself to determining what is known sci entifcally as the cycle of the yellow fever parasite. The word "cycle' in this connection means that the parasite under observation will undergo certain devel- opment under law accepted by scientists as no longer fir. dispute. The American investigators at Vera Cruz have proven the cycle of the yellow fever parasite in the stegomyia fasciata, and all that at present remains for them to do fully to establish the theory is to demonstrate that the same cycle goes on in the human being a in the mosquito that is infected with the yellow fever parasite.
 Old Theory Discredited.
 The fact of supreme importance to the scientific world demonstrated by the conn mission at Vera Cruz Is that the theory enunicated several years ago by Sanare.li, an Itelian scientist. who studied the dis ease ,n Cuba and was decorated by his government for his work. that yellow fever was communicated by a vegetable and not an animal parasite Is wrong.
 The first experiment was with a native twenty-six years old. who had never been exposed to yellow fever, as he lived be- yond the infected belt. Careful examina- ton showed that he was in perfect heath. The day following his arrival two mos qutoes known to harbor the yellow fever p ras.tes were permitted to feed on his left hand. Counting from the beginning of the symptoms, 1t was seventyfour l hours from tho bite of the mosquitoes to 1 the perfect 6eveopment of the disease. The patient went througl all the stages of the discase, even to the black vomit He was carefully watched and nursed by the physicians and was brought through the disease and discharged as well after oNout three weeks' treatment.
 Ttegomyia fssciata that were known 1 not to be infected with the parasites were permitted tn feed on this man while the disen SC was at its height. In due time. or about ten days after they had feasted on his diseased blood. they were killed, sectionej. and microscopically examined. This revealed the presence in them of the same parasite that had been found in the blood of the yellow fever patient.
 Disease Didn't Develop. Experiment No. 2 was on a man of about the same age, history, and physical condition. In this case mosquitoes that were known to hal bor the yellow fever parasite were ground up and placed In wa ter. which the man drank. This man was kept under observation fer twelve days. and as the disease did not develop ] iu him from th.s experiment, he was dis | charged.
 | In experiment No. blood was draw n i in sterile syr.nges from the arm of ex- pertinent No 1. while the latter was suf- fering most from yellow fever. The blood thus drawn was injected into the l arm of experiment No without produc- | ing the diSaase in him. Every ina ginable experiment of this nature was made until | it was demonstrated by the most practi- 1 cal and scientific tests that the only means by which yellow fever can be com muniCated is by the bite of the mosquito | that harbOrs the parasite.
 l As a result of this demonstration. the public health Marine Hospital Service of