The Brandon news., 1905-08-10
THE MOSQUITO
THEORY PROVED
Army Officers and Privates Risk
Their Lives in the Interest
Of Medical Science.

S0OA WnAocI A66u, y. =. A., ET0Sl
dent of the Cuban Yellow Fever In.
vestigating Board, before the pan.
American Medical Congress at Ha.
vana:
To determine, therefore, whatever
clothing and bedding which have been
contaminated by contact with yellow
fever patients and their discharges car
convey the disease is matter Of the
utmost Importance. Although, the
literature contains many references to
the failure of such contaminated arti-
cles to cause the disease, we have con
sidered it advisable to test by actual
experiment on non immune human
beings the theory of the conveyance
of yellow fever by fomites, since we
know of no other way in which this
question can ever be finally determln-
ed.
For this purpose there was erected
at Camp Lazear small frame house
consisting of one room IA by 20 feet
and known as Building No. L." or
the infected clothing and bedding
building" The cubic capacity of this
house was 1880 feet. It was tightly
ceiled within with tongue and
grooved' boards and was we'll batten-
ed on the out side. It was faced to
the south and was provided with two
small windows, each 20 by "a inches
In size. These windows were both
placed on the south side of the build
ing, the purpose being to prevent, as
much as possible, any thorough circu-
lation of the air within the house
They were closed by permanent wire
screens of 0. nm mesh. In addition
sliding glass sash were provided with.
In and heavy wooden shutters with
out; the latter intended to prevent the
entrance of sunlight into the building
as it was not deemed desirable that
the disinfecting qualities of sunlight,
direct or diffused, should at any time
be exerted on the articles CT clothing
contained within this rooI. Entrance
was effected through small vestibule
3 by 5 feet, also placed on the south
ern side of the house. This vestibule
was protected without by solid door
and was divided in its middle by a
wire screen door, swung on spring
hinges. The inner intrance was al
SO closed by second wire screen door.
In this way the passage of mosquitoes
into this room was effeotually exclud-
ed. During the day and until after
sunset the house was kept securely
closed, while by means of suitable
heating apparatus the temperature
was raisedito 93 degrees to a5 degrees
f. Precaution was taken at the same
time to maintain sufficint humidity
to the atmosphere. The average tenn
perature of this house was thus kept
at 76.2 degreee f. for period Of
sixty three days.
November 8, 1900, the building now
being ready for occupancy, three large
boxes filled with sheets, pillow slips,
blankets, etc., contaminated by con-
tact OF yellow fever and their dis
charges were received and placed
therein. The majority of the articles
had been taken from the beds Of pa
tients sick with yellow fever at Las
Animas Hospital, Havana, or at Col
umbia Barracks. Many Of them had
been purposely soiled with a liberal
quantity of black vomit, urine, and
fecal matter. A dirty comfortable
and much soiled pair of blankets, re-
moved from the bed of patient sick
with yellow fever in the town of
Quemados, were contained in one of
these boxes. The same day at 6 pm.
DR.. r. P. Cook, acting assistant sur
geon, United States Army and two
privates of the hospital crops, all non
immune young Americans, entered
this building and deliberately unpack-
ed these boxes, which had been tightly
closed and locked for a period Of two
weeks. They were careful at the
same time to give each article a
thorough handling and shaking, in
order to disseminate through the air
OF the room the specific agent of yell
low fever, if contained in these fom-
ties. These soiled sheets, pillow cases,
and blankets were used in preparing
the beds in which the members of the
hospital crops slept. Various soiled
articles were hung around the room
and placed about the bed occupied
by DR.. Cooke.
From this until December 10. 1904.
a period of twenty days, this room
was occupied each night by these
three non-immunes. Each morning
the various soiled articles were care.
fully packed in the aforesaid boxes
and at night again unpacked and dis.
tributed aSout the room. During the