Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-25

DR.. wolfred Nelson and other medical
authorities who have studied the question
carefully, the large decomposition OF vege-
table matter and the mixture of salt and
fresh water in the lagoons and rivers are
fruitful causes of malaria and other dis
eases.
Vegetable growth is extremely rapid on
the isthmus on account of the heat and in
tense humidity Of the climate, and those
same causes make vegetable decomposition
equally rapid. Wherever you go upon the
fsthmuS you see vast masses OF rotting
vegetation: occasionally you may come
across almost a whole forest which Is In
decay. The air is consequently laden with
miasmatic poison, especially in the vicinity
of rivers or lagoons, where this vegetable
decomposition is naturally at its worst.
Some of the smaller streams are almost
choked by rotten vegetable matter. 1t will
be necessary for the American san!tarians
to clean them out, and burn the decompos-
ing vegetation all along the canal zone, so
far as it il possible to do so.
The mingling Of the salt and fresh water
in the lagoons and rivers presents prob
lem apparently impossible of solution. Ac-
eording to Dr. Nelson, who may. perhaps,
be regarded as the best and most expe-
rieneed authority on the sanitation Of the
fsthmus, this admtxture of water is con-
sidered to be Of great importance in
creating intense forms of malarial poison,
particularly on tidal coasts like that Of the
Pacific"
Remedies Suggested.
The terrible mortality In the labor camps
Of the French Canal Company was largely
due to the fact that many Of them were
pitched in the worst parts Of the low-lying
"malarial belt" Later on. the canal COM
pany built numbers Of small frame houses
on high ground above that belt for their
workmen, who were then fairly free from
disease. This policy will have to be adopt
ed by the American builders of the canal
at all events until the low-lying territory
has been made thoroughly healthy. The
permitted to live by the French authorities
was also responsible for thousands of
deaths. It Is not to be supposed that that
mistake will be repeated.
Many of the causes OF the unhealthiness
Of the fsthmus can be removed, and the
CHASTITY death roll of the Panama Railroad
Company and the French Canal Company
will not be repeated, but It Is not conceiva-
BILE that the isthn1us can ever be made as
healthy a country as Cuba has been. There
oxist natural conditions pretudicial to
health which are beyond the power of any
doctor or engineer to remedy. People who
live ON the isthmus for years, slowly soak
ing the miasmattc and nnalarial poisons
into their blood, will fall victims to disease
even after the American cleaning up.
But epidemics will be stamped out, or not
allowed to originate; and there will be no
repetition Of the terrible sacrifice Of life
which has been tnseparable from former
fsthmian enterprise. Whole shtploads Of
laborers died of like flies In few weeks
after landing, and many hundreds OF men
never did stroke of work because they
foil Ill almost Immediately they reached
isthmian soil. American experience will
surely prove that there was no need for
such a frightful hecatomb OF lives.