Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1904-09-02

ell by Felicia Il. Clark, to be reviewed
in these columns later, the Literary
World says: The story has few II
any dull moments"
!. I. {.
II Is very cheering indeed to read
over the reports OF American officers
who have undertaken to improve the
sanitary condition Of tropical cities
and villages in Panama, Porto Rico
and the Philippines. When impor.
tant discoveries in medical science
can be practically applied to the needs
of the people, to their immediate ply
steal betterment; in many instances
to the thorough elimination of do.
structive diseases among them, one
feels that the age is perpetuatod to
some purpose. The results Of efncient
work by the medical officers Of our
Government in Havana and other
parts OF Cuba are well known.
For three years the hotbed OF yellow
fever has been free from this disease
and promises to be one of the most
healthful cities in the tropics. In an
article in The Review of Reviews for
July. Dr. Gorgas. who has charge of
the Governments sanitary work in
Panama, outlines the plan for the
work there. The first and most diff.
pie of their prejudice against hsspi.
tails. This prejudice is common to all
ignorant populations, white or black.
with q view to keeping in close
touch with malaria, yellow fever. and
other infectious diseases, 1t will DO
our endeavor to get all the sick from
the whole population 10 come to the
sanitary department for treatment.
With this object In view, we expect to
equip our hospitals with the best mod
ern appliances OF every kind, and with
the most sRillful personnel in the way
of physicians and nurses. From
personal experience | know this can
be done. In Havana we soon
had one hospital with such reputa.
ton that We had to use no force or
punishments to induce people to re.
port their yellow fever cases to the
sanitary authorities. Taking the
towns OF Colon and Panama, do not
think that II would be large estimate
to say that we shall have popu
lation on the strip of 100000 people.
1t is not large estimate, partic.
ularly In the tropics, to say that 10 per
cent. of this 100000 will be constantly
sick from one cause or another. II
our efforts are crowned with success
we ought to be able to get one-half OF
this 10 per cent. under hospital con.
troll
This would give us a hospital pop.
ulation of 5000 to look after. :.
The health department of Panama will
have to inaugurate mosquito brigades
which will look after the destruction
OF the mosquitoes, as they relate to
yellow fever and malarial fever. to
the isolation and care of infectious
diseases, to street cleaning. to the
disposal of garbage. .
Our treaty with Panama provides
that we shall put both water and a
sewer system in Panama and Colon.
THE people are all more or less
suffering from malaria. The anophe.
les mosquito, which Is the malarlal
mosquito, bites them, becomes herself
infected, and when she in turn bites a
newcomer, conveys malarial fever to
him.
"If we introduce $4,000 unacclimat.
ed people into these villages, intimate.
ly associated with the present infect.
ed population, our condition in a year
or two will be about as bad as that of
the French. We hope that, year
from now, when our unacclimated
population comes, 1t will be to clean
uninfected villages, with all the pres
ent native population free from mala
rial infection. and that there will be
left very few malarlal mosquitoes
and that these malarlal mosquitoes
not being able to bite any human be
ing previously infected with malaria
will be harmless. In Havana, vel
low fever was cared for in just the
way we propose for malaria.
IAN unacclimated man can go tc
Havana now and, though he may pro
badly be bitten good many times by
yellow.fever mosquitoes, these mos
quitoes have had no opportunity In
the past three years of biting hu
man being infected with yellow fever
and therefore are themselves entirely
harmless"
I. i 4
In Porto Rico the new Anaemit
Commission, consist of Drs. b. X. Ash
ford, w. W. King and Pedro Gutierrez
have done splendid work.
Nearly one-fourth of the deaths II
the island are from anaemla" (pover
ty of red blood due to a parasite call
ed anchylostonium duadenale. Tit