Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1905-09-07

II dln not deter the men to whom it
was intrusted.
The work was not ACCOMPLISHED
Without tremendous loss, however.
Colonel George Waring. who as the
head OF the street cleaning depart
ment. had transformed the appear
anee Ct this city, went to Hava.:a to
repeat his achievements there. Much
had been done and much had to be
be done when he returned on sick
leave to his home here and a few davs
later died of yellow fever brought
with him from Havana.
The work of Colonel Waring, Cen
eral Wood. General Ludlow. General
Brooke and the other representatives
of the United States rested on the re-
suit of medical investigations begun
as soon as the Spanish flag was hauled
down.
1eiloW fever was discovered to be
spread By mosquitoes. without whose
intermediary assistance it is, as one
physician expressed it, "as communi.
cable as a broken leg" Acting on this
kne Wedge Colonel Gorgas and Major
Reid stamped yellow fever out of Gu
ba7 and, fighting malarial diseases en-
Tue same principle. reduced he death
rate Of Cuba IS per cent.
Six years of immunity from the old
sconraSe followed their work Then
The Cubans. at length free and indie
endent alike ef Spanish governor
generals and American medical au-
'horilies, found sanitation bore. and
yellow jack came lack again. It's
effort had been feeble one. however
and there is no reason to doubt that
the plague has been definitely cen
quered in Cuba There is reason to
believe, too, that before long Panama
also will be freed from it and the
greatest obstacle to the monster canal
removed
A Fatal Discovery.
Associated with Gorgas and Reid in
the war on ''yelloW jack" was a young
graduate Of Johns Hopkins University,
Doctor LaZear The scientists had
made much progress in their work
of investigation. but even the final
proof which would convince even
against its will somewhat skepticai
world OF the mosquitoes pernicious
activity in spreading the fever was
still lacking. The physicians had. so
to speak, fairly cornered the insect at
his work and they themselves had no
doubt of the truth of the theory. 1t
was necessary, however, to secure alb
solute evidence of at least one cast:
where the fever could have been con
tracted through no other agency.
In this dilema Doctor Lazear, after
carefully secludine himself from every
possible source of infection, put on
his arm mosquito that had previous
~ bitten victim Of the plague The
insect bit LaZear. and few days later
the young scientist died OF yellow
fever. There is tablet to his mem.
DRY at Johns Hopkins but the govern
ment has never recognized tie sacri-
flee which made possible one of the
greatest triumphs in medical history
The outbreak of this season is the
first epidemic on the soil of the United
States to be fought with the knowl-
edge given the world by Lazear's
death. The confidence with which
the people of the country from the
first anticipated final victory is in
strong contrast to the alarm CccasiOned
by previous outbreaks.
The success which attended the cam
paign against "yellow Jack" in Cuba
has strengthened The determination.
cf the medical pr 'snssion to srapplc
Systematically with the great prob
.ems still to be solved in the tropics.
The Spanish war, turning over as
one of it's chief results the greater
part of the West Indies and much in
the far east to the dominating infiu-
ence of vigorous northern people,
the Boer war and the steady expan-
sion of European power in other parts
of the Dark Continent have brought
home to the civilized world the i'm
portance of healthier conditions in
their new possessions, anG at tbe same
time have made this improvement pos
sibl1,
No Systematic instruction.
1t is, however. remarkable that de-
spite the great results accomplished
Ev sporadic conmiesions and inlivil-
ual workers there has hitherto been
no systematic, thorough instruction ia
ironifal dicaaco