The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-08-06


been recently accepted by the scientific
world also, several years before, Dr.
Carlos Finlay of Havana had advanced
the thory that mosquito conveyed the
unknown cause of yellow fever. but -
not succeed in demonstrating the truth Of
his theory
Or. H. r. Carter of the Marine Hos
pital service had written a paper showing
that although the period of incubation
was only five days, yet house to which
a patient was carried did not become in
fected for from fifteen to twenty days.
ITO Mr.. Reeds mind this indicated that
the unknown infective agent has to I'M
dergo a period of incubation of from ten
to fifteen days and probably in the body
of the biting insect!
Sanareli Theory Disproved.
'Up to this time the most generally
accepted theory as to the causatlon of
yellow fever WAS that of Sanarelli, who
claimed that the bacillus iceteroids dis
covered by him was the specific agent Of
the disease. Major Reed in association
with DIR. Carroll, had. however, already
demonstrated that this bacillus was one
widely disseminated in the United States,
and bore no such relation to yellow fe-
yer.
I'm June. July and August, 1Svl. the
commission gave their entire attention to
yellow fever patients and the postmortem
examination of the organs of those dying
of the disease In twenty-four cases
where the blood was repeatedly examined
as well as In eleven carefully studied au-
topsies, bacillus iceteroids were not dis
covered, nor was there any indication of
the presence in the blood of a specific
cause of the disease.
application was made to General
Leonard Wood, the military governor of
Cuba. for permission to conduct expert
ments on non-immune persons, and
liberal sum of money requested for the
purpose of rewarding volunteers who
would submit themselves to experiment.
81 was indeed fortunate that the mill
tary governor of Cuba was a man who
by his breadth of mind and special scien-
tific training, could readily appreciate
the arguments of Major Reed as to the
value of the proposed work.
Money and full authority to proceed
were promptly granted, and to the ever
lasting glory of the American soldier,
volunteers from the. army offered them
selves for experiment In plenty, and with
the utmost fearlessness.
DR.. Lazear Dies Hero.
Before the arrangements were entire
ly completed DIR. Carroll, member of
the commission, allowed hipself to be
bitten by q mosquito that fsgelve days
previously had filled itself with the blood
of a yellow fever patient. He suffered
from very severe attack, and his was
the first experimental case. DR.. LaZear
also experimental on himself at the same
time. but was not infected. Some days
later, while In the yellow fever ward he
was bitten by mosquito and noted the
fact carefully. He acquired the disease
in it's most terrible form and died a mar
tyr to science and true hero.
mo other fatality occurred among the
brave men who In course of the expert
ments willingly exposed themselves to
the infection of the dreaded disease.
"A camp was especially constructed for
| the experiments, about four miles from
Havana, christened Camp Lazear in
honor of the dead comrade The inmates
of the camp were put into most rigid
quarantine and ample time was allowed
to eliminate any possibility of the dis
ease being brought In from Havana.
"rile personnel consisted of three
nurses and nine non-immunes. all in the
military service, and included two ply
| sicians
prom time to time Spanish immi-
| grants, newly arrived, were brought In
| from the immigrant station; a person not
known to be immune was not allowed to
leave camp. or If he did was forbidden to
return.
1.-THE most complete record was kept
of the health of every man TO be ex-
perimented upon, thus eliminating the
possibility of any other disease than yell
low fever complicating the case.
Wonderful Experiments.
"The mosquitoes used we're especially
bred from the eggs and kept in building
| screened by wire netting. When an in
sect was wanted for an experiment it
| was taken into a yellow fever hospital
| and allowed to fill itself with the blood
| of a patient: afterward. at varying inter-
walls from the time of this meal of blood
1t was purposely applied to non-immunes
| In camp.
| "In December five cases of the disease
were developed as the result of such APP
| plications in January three and in Feb
ruary two. making in all ten, exclusive
| of the cases of Drs. Carroll and IAzear
Immediately upon the appearance of the
! first recognized symptoms of the disease,
| in any one of these experimental cases,
| the patient was taken from Camp Lazear
| to yellow fever hospital. one mile dis
\ tant Every person in camp was rigidly
protected from accidental mosquito bites,
and not In a single instance did yellow
| fever develop In the camp except at the
will of the experimenters The expert
ments were conducted at season when
there WAS the least chance of naturally
acquiring the disease and the mosquitoes
used were kept active by maintaining
| them at a summer temperature.
"A completely mosquito-proof building
was divided into two compartment by a
wire screen partition: infected insects
were liberated on one side only. A brave
non-immune entered and remained long
enough to allow himself to be bitten
several times He was attacked by vel.
| low fever, while two susceptible men In
the other compartment did not acquire
the disease. although sleeping there thir-
teen nights. This demonstrates In the
simplest and most certain manner tba,
the infectiousness Of the building was duf
only to the presence of the insects.
Every attempt was made to infect In.
dividuals by means of bedding. clothes
and other articles that had been ,Isef