The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1903-03-31
TRANSMITS DISEASE.
That Mosquito Carries Yellow Fever
Is an Established Fact.
surpriaInR That the Theory Was Not
AIT Upon Long AEO-QuRran-
dine Methods VIII Probably
Be Modified.

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 t. be
n of the most easily controlled and
protected against. When we read
from the history of yellow fever the
thousands of theories advanced in re-
gard to it. the wonder is hat the re-
cent discoveries made of the trans
mission Of the disease by mosquitoes
was o. stumbled on long ago, says
the New Orleans Times-Democrat.
For years the question whether
quarantine did or did not keep the
fever out of a country was discussed,
and at different times the q~uarantin-
lists 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 a 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 a 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.
1t 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 ply
sicians and sanitarians. Yet as soon
as this idea was advanced it was seen
that, alone of all the theories, il
filled every condition of the disease
and explained every apparent peculi
arity about it.
The discussion before the Ameri
can Public Health association fully
confirmed what has already been sale
On this subject. The matter is NJ
longer a theory, but an established
f,1{ Ne 4ha-arr1h1u 1onaanCfrn4a1 ~
any scientific question has ever been
Practical experiments made in hal
a dozen different localities al
brought the same result, and micro
scopy explained and proved them
The convention was unanimous OF
: the point that the mosquito coulc
and did transmit yellow fever from
a person affected by it to another
Doctors from Cuba and Mexic,
agreed with the physicians of thi
) country, and the evidence was s.
overwhelming that no one who he
investigated the matter "a longc
entertain a doubt.
! This makes protection against tn
: fever far simpler than we have eve
! thought it to be, and does away wit
l the complicated, expensive, and ofte'
brutal quarantine systems whic
: have frequently been resorted to i
, the past. The humiliation of tn
mosquitoes in a community would as
1 sure it complete immunity if mosqu
toes are the sole means of transmit
: ting the disease; or if this annihils
4 ton be impossible, an ordinary mo:
quito bar for the person sick of We
low fever, so as to prevent the mo:
!, quitoes from getting at him, and thu
i becoming infected and the source {
!" danger to others, is the simple prc
: lection needed.
It will be noted that on one poiT
. the members of the association wer
: not fully agreed. All accepted til
! mosquito theory, that the inse'
could transmit yellow fever. A mi
iority were Of the opinion that tt
disease was transmitted only in tn
way, but the minority, while unab
to produce any very strong evident
to the contrary, refused to acceI
that proposition and favored Il
Scotch verdict. Not proven"
other words, while the evidence
/, strongly and, indeed, co~nvincingly
favor of the mosquito theory, it do
i not prove that the disease cannot
q propagated by fomites or in 9th
o ways.
To a lay mind this conclusi'
seems to be a prudent if not a CO
rect one. 1t is not pretended tn
d the mosquito creates or general
l. the disease, but simply that it tran
mits it from one person to anothe
d The origin of the fever is, therefor
t. due to some other cause, and it won
TX seem that this cause which orig
ell nally produced it may produce
st again. 1t would seem wise, ther
fore, not to go too far, not to aba
IN don all the safeguards of quara
he tine, but to keep up an investigate
lie which has been productive of SUI
s. excellent results and which we m;
nope to see sooner or later expla
lie all the mysteries of this malad
RS There has been perhaps too great
=. willingness of late to accept new 81
Is entifc theories as proved in all pa
-. = w. -o,- 4b;s IN fha fbaOri