The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1905-09-05

Reid stamped out yellow fever in
Cuba, and fighting malarlaI diseases
on the same principle, reduced the
death rate Of Cuba IS per cent. Six
years Of Immunity from the old
scourge /. flowed t4c:r work Then
the Cuhans. At length free and indie
pendent alike of Spanish governor
generals and American medical au-
thorities found sanitation 4 bore and
yellow jack came back again. IT'S
effort has been d feeble one, however,
and there Is no reason to doubt that
the plague has been definitely con
quered in Cuba. There is reason to
believe. too. that before long Panama
W II also be freed from it and the
greatest obstacle to the monster canal
removed
Associated with Gorgas and Reid
in the war on yellow jack was a
Young graduate of Johns Hopkins uni
versity, Or Laze1" The scientists
had made much progress in their
work Of investigation, but the final
proof which would convince even
against its VIII somewhat skeptical
world Of the mosquitoes pernicious
activity iii spreading the fever was
stll lacking The physicians had so
to speak, fairly cornered the insect at
its work and they themselves had no
doubt of the truth of the theory. It
was necessary. however, To secure alb
solate evidence Of at least one case
where the fever could have been con
traeted through no other agency
Ia this delma, Or. Lazear. after
carefully secluding himself from every
possible source Of infection, put on his
arm a mosquito that had previously
bitten a victim of the plague The
insect BIT La2ear and few days later
the young scientist died of yellow
fever. There is a tablet to his mem
Dry at Johns Hopkins university. but
the government has never recognized
the sacrifice which made possible one
Of he greatest triumphs in the medi-
season is the firsr epidemic on the
soil of the United States to be fougfE
with the knowledge given the world
by Lazear's death. The condolences
with which the people Of the country
from the first anticipated final victory
is in strong contrast to the alarm nn'
casioned by previous outbreaks.
Apart from the benefit to science
az large. which might reasonably be
expected to accrue from the invasti
cations of such a department Of trop
cal medicine as the New York Post
graduate med school and lospita
Is endeavoring TO have endowed. 4
many Of the physician students il
fthe school the work would come close
| home Last winter, for example. there
| Were in attendance at the same time
| one physician from Costa Rca. one
! from Egypt, one from Mexico, tire;
/ from Alabama. which was few weeks
ago threatened with a yellow fever
| invasion from its ne ghbors, and one
| from Siam. AS the personnel Of tht
| classes changes frequently during the
| year. there is some indication Of the
extent to which advanced INSTRUCTION
in tropical maladies would be WELDON
ed in New York An opportunity 70,
personal observation Of sufferers from
tropical diseases could Be secured BY
an arrangement with the quarantine
officials opening to students the dc
tention hospitals--for Of course case,
of contagious diseases such ais vel
low fever, arc not reccircd 10 t'ss crfi
nary city hospitals
AT the present momcnt sir Patrol
Manson the ho1d Of tho rnvlish ycboo
is IL this country delivering d serlc
Iof lectures IN san Francisco on tropi
cal diseases. The Panama canal, h,
has said, presents the biggest medi
cal problem OF the age. Not only Is /
necessary 10 secure the health of th,
aborers employed in the construction
Of the canal. but the heoIth Of tin
whole world demands that the isthmu
be freed from yellow Jack" once 70
all When the canal Is opened thu
commerce Of the world will flow Il
different channels, and Asia will b,
brought into much closer touch will
the West lndias than II ms now. I
yellow fever should once find It's wa,
into theovertrowdedco I
into the overcrowded countries of th'
orient u would meet conditions eS
4 getty N its liking M prevent sucl
4 calamity II recognized BY the medi