The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1905-08-02
Time>-D July 20.

We give below the details OF the
famous investigation made in Havana
in 1900 and 1901 by the American
Military Commission, composed OF
Major W. Reed, NJ. d., and Drs. D..
Carroll. A. AgramOnte and l. w.
Lazear. which established the mos
quito theory of the origin of yellow
fever beyond all question and paved
the way to the emancipation OF
Havana from a disease which had
prevailed there for a century and a
han. n -account of which has already
been given in the States. In these
experiments Major Reed. with other
officers and privates of the United
States army. risked their lives in the
demonstration. Assistant Surgeon
Lazear lost his life in the attempt.
Major Reed succumbed three years
ago to an attack of appendicitis in
the city of Washington.
Major Walter Reed was born in
Gloucester county, Va, in 1851. He
was the son of the Rev. Lemuel SUIT
ton Reed. He received a fair primary
education and then went to the Uni
versity of Virginia to study medicine,
graduating in 1868, when only seven
teen years of age. He secured a
second degree at Bellevue Medical
College in New York and then served
in the Brooklyn and Blackwell's
Island. Hospital. Before he was
twenty-one he was q district physician
in New York, and at twenty-five was
one Of the five inspectors of the
Board of Health of Brooklyn. He
went into the United States army as
assistant surgeon with the rank of
first lieutenant in 1875, and during
the next eighteen years served in
Arizona, Nebraska, Dakota and in
the Southern and Eastern States. He
was always an indefatigable student
and q pioneer. In 1880 he went to
Baltimore, working in the laborato-
ries of Johns Hopkins University.
In 1893 he was made surgeon with the
rank of major and was detailed in
Washington as curator of the Army
Medical Museum and profession OF
bscteriolOgy at the Army Medical
School. He won high praise for his
writings and became an expert in
investigating the causes Of epidemic
diseases. at military posts and in
making sanitary inspections. During
the Spspish-American war he was
selected IS the head of the board to
study the causation and spread Of
typhoid in the camps of the volunteer
troops, and the report of the COM
mission, . monumental work, is now
in course Of publication by the gov
ernment and is expected to r as
. basis for future study of the cpl
technology of typhoid fever.
His great work in Cuba, in demon
strsting that yellow fever is trans
mitted by the mosquito is thus briefly
described in . memoir published last
year by the Walter Reed Memorial
Association y. Washington.
THE STUDY OF YELLOW FEVER.
In June, 1900, Major Reed was sent
to Cuba ss president Of . board "a
study the infectious diseases of the
country. but more especially yellow
fever. Associated with him were
Acting Assistant Surgeons james
Carroll, Jesse w. Laxear and A.
Agramonte. At this time the Ameri.
can s'Authorities- in Cuba had for q
year and . halt endeavored to dinin.
ish the disease and mortality Of the
Cuban towns by general sanitary
work, but while the health Of the
population showed distincs improve
ment and the mortality had greatly
diminished, yellow fever. apparently
had been entirely unaffected by thes<
measures. In fact, owing to the largs
number Of nonimmune foreigners, thu
disease was more frequent than usua'
In Havana and In Quemados, near tn,
camp Of American troops, and many
valuable lives of American ofacer,
and soldiers had been lost. ReeS
vas convinced from the irst tina
general sanitary measures alon,
would not check the disease, but tina
it. trsnsmission wss partly due to :,
insect.
CAUSE or MALAMAL FEVER.
The fast that mslarial fever, cause,