New-York tribune., 1905-01-09

he.l,h epiesehtation of DR. Gorgas the
a',n oincer. armed with a buttere,, ro, til,
,..- -. i0'e TO capture Senor Anopheles II
49,. - ooHcet' which afforded vast smuse-
-rho -, = was seriously significant too
NJ mosquito theory OF malaria aud a,I
heVer is no dream. 1t is ouite roaI -, :, 'oi'O'
! OeP'eo' People who sleep under rooso,,,.o 80
ing escape those diseases Those ,,.b, o,o
t Piecauuoh so to Ancon Hospital Orr
engineers and health officers are doip. -.
~ Fahaha Tor the determination of the
- tu''o- i"ey are draining swamps filling nm
pools. dispensing kerosene and in otbar -
aooishing the breeding grounds-or u,.ta !,
The pests. The plan is TO do this for ~ -
halt mile around the city. That Will make tha
city safe for the insects do not travel moro thor
mat distance from their birthplace WITH oil
uue respect, 1t might be suggested that the nc
oohipilsheo Bishop Of Panama might effectively
cooperate with DR.. Gorgas in this work bv nra
venting in some way the use of the fonts IN tho
churches as breeding places for MOSQUITOES. for
truth 10 tell, the holy water in the font OF the
DIG cathedral was. when 1 visited that venerable
ana sacred edifce, wen stocked with the liveliest
KIND of wigglers. | am not prepared to saw
whether they were yellow fever mosquitoes or
halarial mosquitoes, or just the plain. innocent
kind But they were there
The mosquito has added a new topic 10 social
conversation at Panama. II is quite the correct
thing to call your friends attention to the fact
mat an insect upon the back of his neck is in
sldiousy inoculating him with yellow fever or
with malaria, as the case may be In the day
Time 1t is usually yellow fever since that sounds
the more formidable Of the two-though l am
not at all sure il is. But in the evening it must
be malaria. since yellow fever mosquitoes are
said not to bite after dark
What. then. is the actual sanitary condition
OF Panama al This time? 1t is not good and vet
II is not half as bad as it might be- There were
a few cases of yellow fever there during nv
visit but no more attention was paid to them by
the public than TO so many cases of grip In
New York. The patients were sent up TO Ancon
and their houses disinfected That was all
Nobody took the trouble 10 go 10 the other side
OF the street in passing the infected house Nor
was there any reason why they should have done
So There were and are of course great many
more cases of malarial fever and OF dengue fever
and Of various intestinal disorders. I found
about two hundred and eighteen patients in the
hospital, nearly all suffering from the diseases
nave named, though there were a few surgical
cases. Some of the doctors take gloomy view
or the situation; others hopeful view. The lat
ter are probably In the majority. There is
general agreement to this effect that so long a
present conditions prevail there can be little or
no Improvement; but cases OF illness and even
increase frequency
number Of employees and worknen increases. and
that decided improvement is confidently 10 be
anticipated when the sewerage. water supply
and paving completed. which ought to be
within year. Then Panama will probably he
healthful city-for the tropics
Meantime there is one very practical thing
that can and should be done The chief health
officer should be invested with plenary powers
and supplied with ample means which latter he
should be able to at his discretion an
emergency fund. A health fund is really an
emergency fund. If there is a sudden outbreak
Of disease. it will not do to wait the deliberate
processes OF red tape TO deal with it. There
must be action prompt that of the Fire
Department when an alarm of fire is sounded.
And the man on the spot is the man who hears
the alarm and who must direct the work, and
who therefore should be armed with means and
power
They are doing good work at Ancon, and viii
be doing better. Our French predecessors
selected an unrivalled spot for the hospital, and
erected admirable buildings. But they strangely
failed in their practical management of the
place. They had. doubt expert physicians
and surgeons. But the best doctor in the world
can do no good unless he is by the side of the
patient. The French doctors did not reside
there as steadily as they should have done.
They seemed 10 think that If they spent their
Office hours the hospital the place could run
itself for the rest OF the day and night. Nor
was the nursing efficient There more
earnest and devoted women in the world than
the clerical Sisters who formed the nursing staff.
But with all respect and reverence,>it must be
said that piety cannot dispense with scientific
knowledge. and all the Ave Marias" and "Pater
Nosters'' in the world cannot take the place of
bathing and ventilation and the frequent chang
ing OF bandages! The fact is, the superbly de-
signed and equipped French hospital
Quoted on a medieval plan. with medieval re-
suits
Our people have changed all that They are
introducing the best skilled nursing and anti
septic and sanitary methods and the doctors are
AT the scene OF duty night and day. The equip
nent of the buildings is being brought up to
date. A fine pathological and meteorological
la boratory is being developed which will not
only be Of immense direct service 10 the patients
in the hospital but also will be an important
school for research and study in those tropical
diseases which as yet we so little understand
but which. with our enormously increasing con-
nectfon with tropical countries rising into
the very first Iank Of Importance The thought
full observer will not jump al the conclusion that
Panama is as healthy as NeW-YOrk. or even that
II is likely ever 10 be made so. Neither will he
regard IT as a hopeless plague spot He VIII
rather see I'm il a place where not favorable
natural conditions have been aggravated by years
oF neglect and misgovernment where great i'm
proyements are even now being made, and whore
one OF these days salubrious conditions will
surely prevail. A particularly encouraging feat
ure OF the case IS that the Panamans them
selves appreciate what is being done, and the
need OF #. and are facilitating the sanitary re-