Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-08
The Insect Spreading the Disease.

There is no record as yet or the pres
ence of this insect in Philadelphia, New
York and Boston and numerous other places
north of Virginia and Kentucky In the
United States where severe epidemics have
been reported. The explanation appears to
be that the insect in question does not sur
vive the winters of northern ATTITUDES, but
if it be introduced during warm season
1t may propagate rapidly and become very
numerous We know that the eggs, II DRIED
after they are Matched, retain their vitality
for over three months, and 1t is possible
that they might survive through long
winter.
ut seems strange at this day that the real
cause of the spread of yellow fever was not
sooner surmised. 1t was well known that
the disease prevailed in an epidemic form
in warm, moist climates. Looking back
over the descriptions of the disease ana
conditions under which 1t has long been rec
ognized 1t is clearly shown that these con-
ditions were those under which the conta-
gion could be spread by MOSQUITOES. But
theory after theory was entertained during
a long period of years, but no one or them
included the activities of the insect.
From the fact that as rule the first
cases appeared to originate in the vicinity
of docks, wharves and shipping many or
the best authorities thought that 1t was
generated de novo in the presence of water
and decayed wood vegetable matter,
said DIR. Carroll. Many of the perpleXi-
ties that troubled the physicians years ago
known that the mosquito is responsible for
the spread of the disease. Many physicians
who regarded the disease as contagious
were surprised to notice that in some IN
stances people associated closely with the
yellow fever patients did not contract the
disease while others that carefully secluded
themselves We're taken down with It,
Mosquitoes Garry the incubation.
1t Is now known that these apparent in
constituencies of the disease are explained
on the theory Of the mosquito and its
poisonous bite. 1t has been proved by
thorough investigation and experiments
that the disease Is not contagious except
by incubation, chiefly through the me-
diumship of the particular species of mos
quito that carries the germ of the disease.
For centuries said DR.. Carroll, the
opinion generally prevailed that yellow
fever like malaria, was transmitted in
some mysterious way through the atmos-
phere and medical literature teens with
evidence of the non-contagiousness of the
disease. while at the same time 1t was
Just as certainly apparent that one or more
visits to a. patient in certain localities
usually resulted in infection.
"Opinion has been more equally divided
az TO whether the infectious agent was
transmissible by means of garments or
articles of bedding. Within the last five
years soiled clothing, belonging to
healthy individual, and some innocent
cigarettes, packed beneath false bottoms in
two trunks, have benn accused of injecting
Key West. In the light of present
knowledge of the manner in which the dis
ease is transmitted and of the necessary
period of incubation or development within
the body of the mosquito 1t is quite clear
from the facts reported that the town
infected prior to the arrival of the steamer
which carried the trunks
The Species Of Mosquito.
In August, 1900, 1t was first shown that
yellow fever Is conveyed by the mosquito
stegomyia fasciata. During the following
winter the observations made at that time
were abundantly confirmed, and 1t was also
proved that the bedding, clothing, etc,
from yellow fever patients were innocuous.
1t was shown also that the disease could
be transmitted by blood injection. There
is now no attempt on the part of those en-
gagged in the eradication of the yellow
fever pestilence to disinfect the bed cloth
ing garments discharges of yellow