Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1904-03-09
FEVER FOE
OF PANAMA
Surgeon Perry Finds Sanitary cond'
tions Very Bad But Says That
They Can be Improved.
WATER SUPPLY uNWHoLEsoME
Conditions Extremely FHthy-O's'
ease May be Conquered by Amer
lear Methods.

Sanitary conditions at Colon, Pana-
ma, and along the route OF the Pana'
ma canal are the subject OF an eN-
haustiye report made by Surgeon j.
c. Perry of the United States public
health and marine hospital service.
The report is anything but %encourag-
ing for those who will be engaged in
constructing the big waterway, as at
Colon and Panama, and along the
route. the land is low and swamPy.
the climate is decidedly e~neryating.
malarial fever of the most pernlclous
tyne exists. and tuberculosis, small
pox ard yellow fever are quite cora-
mon.
These u%nfavorable conditions can
be improved, according to Surgeon
Perry. The island on which Colon Is
situated is only a few feet above tie
level OF the sea, and may be divided
into two portions. Thai occupied by
the buildings of the Panama railroad
and Canal Company comprises a mar
row strip along the shores Of the
bay, and has been filed in so this
section is dry. The rest of the Island,
a portion of which Is occupied by the
town proper. is low and swampy, the
houses being built in a swamp, which
is covered with water during the rainy
season. The streets are macadamized
and in a fair condition, and are high.
er than the lots on hich the houses
are built.
Water stands in stagnant pools I'M
der twothirds of the houses during
the rainy seaso and ever during the
dry season there are many pools of
stagnant water. An unoccupied por-
tion of the island il a primitive
swamp. covered with dense tropical
vegetation and stagnant water, fur
nishing admirable breeding places for
millions of mosquitoes. The water
supply is derived from two sources
rain water collected in c~isterns and
barrels and from reservoirs owned by
the railroad company. Neither sup
ply OF water is wholesome.
Sureon Perry declares malarial few
er of an especially pernicious form
exists throughout the year. but is
more prevalent and severe during the
rainy season. The records of the
Panama railroad hospital show that
o%ne-fourth of all the deaths among the
patients in that institution have been
Que TO malarial fever. Beriberi is a
IiCnnga 10 Tn1ap Ir..pt,,.
is common and rheumatism and tl-
berculosis are always present, and
there is also yellow fever. Cases de-
yelop every summer and as steso.
mia are everywhere present it only
needs a lot of non-immune material
to show a marked increase in the
number of cases. This dread disease
is not as frequent in Colon as in Pan.
ma. Negroes make up the larger
part of the population because the
climate of Colon Is so e%nervating the
railroad company grants its employ.
es two months leave of absence each
year. The negroes do not seem 70
suffer to an appreciate extent.
In the opinion of Surgeon Perry,
Colon a be made a healthy city as
tropical cities go. He declares the
task Is a large one and is an engi
neering problem. IL will be an ex
tensiye undertaking and means the
filling in of the entire island on which
the town is built, the installation of q
good supply of water. which can be
secured from Santa Keta, eleven
miles distant, a sewerage system
the destruction of the greater mum
Der of buildings now occupied by
negroes. and the construction of new
houses on sanitary principles and tn,
enforcement Of sanitary regulations
These improvements would remove
the swamp Immediately around the
town, the cisterns and water barrels
and breeding places of mosquitoe.
which are most dangerous to the com
munity.
AT Panama conditions are not Sc
bad as at Colon. Panama can b,
made healthy by supplying good wa
ter and a modern sewerage system
thereby removing the breeding place!
for mosquitoes. This water supply
can be secured from the Juan Dai,
river, twelve miles distant. The hos
pitfalls at Panama belonging to the ca
nal company, which now become tn,
property of the United States form
an admirable base for modern hos
pitfalls. They are well located ant
there is sufficient ground to permi
Of the construction of additional pa
vilions IL their present capacity o
hundred beds should prove in
adequate.