Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-13

yet there have been the following epidemlcS
upon which light should be thrown as be-
ing beyond the Stegomyia's limit:
Portsmouth, n. H., in 1903 and 1902; Bos-
ton. Mass. in 1888 1876, 1898. 1902 1919.
1883: Providence. r. l.. in 1894. 1888, 1871.
1850. 1906; New London. Conn, in 1875,
17aS: New York city. in 1902, 1143, 1I45,
17G2, 1871. 1894. 1898. 1898, 1909. 1919. 1922.
1848.. 1853. 1854, 1855 and 1870 (the last. on
Governors Island. directly traced to bed
ding thrown from an infected ship at At
phia. Pa. in 1000. 1741. 1747. 1852, 1898.
1894, 1877. 1903. 1905. 1919. 1920, 1853. 1870.
(See Report on the Etiology and Proven
ton of Yellow Fever" Sternberg from
government printing office. 1S90)
Extracts From Medical Works.
Moreover. those who doubt say the fol-
lowing extracts from standard medical
works cast suspicion the theory:
twentieth Century Practice" volume
XIII page 1888: THE infection is seldom
derived from patients direct, but Is easily
contracted from fomites, in which 1t may
be preserved a long time
Same. volume Xxx, page 400, tells of an
epidemic al Key West which was traced to
infected bedding brought from Havana by
woman. Note the fact that there no
case to infect the mosquito and that the
first was long after the usual time of
incubation.
!,
page 641: These propositions indis-
putably true.
'If the yellow fever fomites are hermeti-
cally inclosed in situations protected from
cold or other agents which are destructive to
their infection, its vitality may be preserved
| for an undetermined length of time, and its
| toxic qualities again made manifest when
unacclimated persons are exposed to 1t.
On the same and the following page an
account IS given by DR.. Shannon of Ocean
Springs. Miss, of Infection from hair cut
from the head of person who died October
IA. 1888. which was sealed up that date
and not opened until November a. 1883.
and after the family had moved from Ocean
| Springs to place where 1t known
| that there was no infection. The two la
| dies who opened the envelope and handled
| its contents We're the only ones attacked.
ThSl1 Gases Were fatal. The absence or
season are against the mosquito theory in
| these cases.
Regarding Other Insects.
| The question Is raised whether aeas. bed
bugs, flies or any of the COO known varieties
of mosquitoes. gnats or other pests may not
assist the stegomyia in conveying infection.
Upon investigating the reports referred to
by DR.. Wyman 1t was shown that the con-
illusions Of the Reed commission had been
reafhrmed by the experimental studies in
yellow fever and malaria at Vera Cruz,
Mexico. Two parties had been sent out by
the government under the management Of
DR.. N. B. Parker and DR.. NJ. ]. BOSNIAN.
The statement that the yellow fever mos
quito has never been found north of Vir-
ginia. according to DR.. Trask Of the marine
hospital service, Is altogether false
There Is no reason" says the doctor
why the stegomyia should not be imported
and live during the summer in Washington,
New York. Lake Superior even Alaska.
The first severe frost would, of course, kill
it. 1t is, however, seldom found north of
Mason and Dixon's line. 1t is significant
that yellow fever quits with the frost. With
the first indication of cold weather the mos
qutoes begin to hibernate.
Geographic Distribution.
DIR. L. o. Howard. in a monograph con-
corning the geographic distribution of the
yellow fever mosquito. says:
The proper consideration of this now all
important species must necessarily divide
itself into two sections; first, the actual
present distribution Of the species; second
the exact limitations of the regions in
which. If accidentally introduced it may
reasonably be expected to propagate and
become perfectly established
In the United States it is common in
most of our southern states. l have seen
specimens from New Orleans and Virginia
Beach. They have been discovered in Bal
timore breeding in fresh water on a fruit
wharf. The exact limitations Of the regions
| introduced. depend upon the moisture as
well as temperature conditions. The steg-
omyia Is domestic, being practically depend
ent upon conditions surrounding human
habltatfons, and is therefore less subject to
normal conditions of moisture than are the
species of the fields and woods 1t will
breed from 80 degrees south to SO degrees
north latitude"
defense of other means of transmission Of
yellow FEVER, DR.. Trask states that the
Twentieth Century Practice and the System
of Medicine by Pepper were both published
before the present investigations upon yell
low fever commenced. They are entirely
out of date.
The burden of proof" he says rests
upon those who object At present from
the reports of the first and second working
parties investigating the etiology OF yellow
fever at Vera Cruz. the conclusions Of the
Reed commission have been reafflrmed.
The bite of the stegomyia fasciata is the
only means of spreading Infection
Danger From Exposure.
AS TO the danger from exposure to yei-
low fever fomites or the bedding linen
clothes, the officials at the Marine Hos
pital service building point to the expe-
rience OF DIR. James Carroll. U. 8. A, the
first non-immune to take yellow fever at
an experimental station in Cuba. At Camp
Lazear. near Havana. a frame building
tightly ceiled was constructed - feet by IA
feet, provided with two small windows
closed with fine wire mesh screens. Every
precaution was taken to prevent the en-
trance of mosquitoes. The lumber used was
tongued and grooved: the walls were bat
tened outside and lined with white cotton
cloth within. The bedding and other ar
ticles admitted to the room were all disin-
fected.
December 81. 1900. fifteen contamina ted
mosquitoes were turned loose In the unoc-
cupied apartment. Then a non-immune en-
tered and lay upon one of the beds with
his chest and limbs exposed for thirty min
utes During this time he was bitten by
several OF the insects. Three exposures
were made. December 25. four days after
his first exposure. the man was taken III