The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-09-08
nov REED LEARNED SECRET
or PLAGUE RAVA AGING CUBA
Story Of Work Of Brilliant vrginan Who Proved That
Yellow Fever Is Transmitted BY I
Mosquitoes.

Tho appearance Of yellow fever Il, New ~
Orleans has aroused ntehss ~ es, !,
fe uy s" "p5idemes. IS some denlls are given
here OF lhn wonderful results Of the
Of ,hc coml rs ICY ps
ARMY, in Cubu, results which. It is
ciulni1el, have enabled the nn ~
make lIayna ,ls on9 q I'D Sna Y
Of tonsttliit fever. The entire credit for
Tie development OF the theory into u
scientific fact IL due to Major Reed, who,
with other officers and plyHtes Of the
tho characterization. Assistant Surgeon
IAzear lost his life in he attempt Major
attack OF appendicitis in the city OF
Washing ton. 81 S5E
Major Reed a Brilliant Virginian.
Major Walter Reed was born IN
tts son Of the Rev h zen sutton Reed
tiicn wcnt@to the University Of Virginia
TO study medicine. graduating III 1868,
when only i years of age. Iie secured
College, in New York, and then served
u the Brooklyn and Blackwclls Island
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. I, for; he was q he was q
22 was one OF the five inspectors Of the
Board OF Health OF Broooklyn. He went
into the United States army MS assistant
III 1870 hnd during the next eighteen
years served In Arizona, Nebraska, Dako-#
u and IN the Southern and Eastern
Student and IaI poineeT In $50 he went
to Baltimore, working In the laboratories
OF Johns Hopkins University In 1898 he
ma major n% and w sasss deia %h in rs shn
as curator OF the Army Medical Museum
and professor, Of bactcriology at the
Army Medical School. He won high
ny n ntt1n n ~
expert In estgatng the causes Of
spidemic diseases at military posts and
II s,nE bsan,ary nspe s Dsring
lected MS tho head Of board to study
tho chusaton and spread OF typhoid In
the fano Of Of Tie yonn1s and
mental work. Is now In course Of publ
cation by the government and is Lex
Pec,ed to serve az basis for future study
Ills great work In Cuba, In demon.
strating that yellow fever Is transmitted
nl,y the mosquito, Is thus briefly described
Walter Reed Memorial Association at
Sent 70 Cuba to Study Yellow
Fever.
in June. 1860. Major Reed was sent
TO Cuba as president of Il board to study
the Infectious diseases OF the country
Dnl -, more re-. especially yellow fever Asso.
. +.
Surgeons James Carroll, Jesse W. Lazear
& and Az Agramonte. AT this time the
American authorities IN Cuba had for
and alf snleayorsd to dmln,
Cuban towns by general sanitary work.
but while the health Of the population
showed .nn,a 4, distinct , lmproyemen, and the
fever apparently had been entirely unaf-
fected BY these measures. In fact5 owing
10 the large number of non-immlfne for
go MO
than usual In Havana and in Qucmados
near the camp OF American troops, and
many valuable lives OF American officers
and soldiers had been lost.
Reed was convinced from the first
that general sanitary measures alone
would not check the disease. bit that its
he FACT that mnlarial fever. caused
BY an animal parasite in the blood, is
transmitted from man to man through
g Inc agency OF certain mosquitoes had
been recently accepted by the scien-
Dr. Carlos FlInlay, Of Havana. had ad.
conveyed thu, unknown cause Of yel-
low fever. but did not succeed in
de.m mo. 4 y truth Of his theory.
MAJ l e. q, Carter OF TIE Marine Hos
showing that. although the period Of
incubation Vas only five days, yet a
mouse TO which a patient was carried
did not become infected for from fifteen
TO twenty days -ez "a EI.7<7ff4
TO Reeds mind this indicated that
nv me unknown ,tn' inteGtlve agent has TO I'M
ucrgo Il period of incubation of from ten
to fifteen days and probably In the body
Sanarelli Theory Disproved.
up to this time the most generally
ace, theory as to the causatlon OF
claimed that, the bacillus lceterolds dis
4 covered BY him was the specific agent
or o., the disease Major Reed, in assoclu-
non with Dr.. Carroll. had, however.
already demonstrated that this bacillus
was one widely dissGnlna in the
United states. and bore no such relation
commission gave their entire attention
to the ARCHAEOLOGICAL study Of tho blood
Of yellow fever patients and the post
mortem examination of the organs OF
those dying Of the disease. G In twenty
TOUR cases. where tn, blood was repeatly
examined. as well 5as in eleven carefully
not, discovered, nor was there any ndl-
cation OF the presence in the blood Of
a specific cause aus; Of the disease.
Leonard Wood, the Military Governor a or
Cuba. for permission to conduct expert
ments on non-mmune persons. and a
purpose OF rewnrdIng Volunteers who
would submit themselves to experiment.
1T was: indeed fortunate that the
aby R en5n w nna
scientific training, could readily appre-
ciatc 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 soldLar,
volunt GERS from the army offered them
selves for experiment In plenty, and with
the utmost fearlessness.
DR.. Lazcar Dies a Hero.
Before tbs Arrangements were en-
tircly completed, Or. Carroll u member
M