New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-09-21
When There Are No Non-Immune Persons
It Cannot Exist.
Edltor Id - Tribune.

To the Editor Of The Tribune
Sir. Your issue OF August Is contains letter
from s P Belcher upon yellow fever and MS ex-
uerience at Santiago. I agree entirely with your
80, n Mr. r-Icher's letter As Mr. Belchsr says.
Santiago was well and creditably cleaned and saen
cleaning should never be omitted in yellow fever
sanitation Old bottles. tin cans and other Ieluss
of this kind are good containers FOR ram Wa--eF'
are prolific breeders Of mosquitoes anu aiV
distressed Of BY such a course Of cleaning as san
loco v-arr through but alone this would not
avail The great element in the Kidding OF Salll-
ago from yellow fever was the taxing OUT u 1H9
city of all non-inmunes. people VINO haa not -
yellow fever General Wood ordered all the troops
out and also collected all the non-inmune civil
nonuIatiou and took them out into camp tbs.
YOU see has the same effect as mosquito cestrue-
ton
Il makes no difference how many infected female
stegonyia mosquitoes you have II you nave 70
non-irnrnUnes whom they can bite you VIII ceAss
10 have yellow fever (the natives OF a constantly
infected place are not liable TO yellow feVer) Bur
outside OF these considerations, yellow 1sVsr nAS
many times disappeared from Santiago and Fan
ana and other small places OF its own accord
ard with no sanitary measures taken for It's ex-
termination The reason is obvious when Sor
come TO think OF IT.
AT the beginning Of the twentieth century there
were probably only two endemic foci for yellow
fever that is points where yellow fever had ex-
listed for indefinite number Of years Tnsse
points were Havana. in the island OF Cuba, and
Rio Janeiro in the republic OF Brazil These two
cities had a large non-inmune immigration coming
in every year, who furnished fresh cases and kept
up the Infection In Santiago and Panama,
the other hand. under ordinary conditions We have
a small non-immune population. In Santiago and
Panama probably 100 15O nOn-immunes would
cover the number II yellow fever Is introduced,
in the course Of two or three these 15o non
inrnunes have the disease, and there being
fuel for it feed upon. the disease dies out
In the course OF years another collection OF non
immUnes takes place. yellow fever IS again intro
duced from some other point and the same proc
is gone through This has been the history
of all smaller cities IN the tropics. Exception
Cured at Panama all during the French Occupa-
ton, because every year and every month enough
nOn-iunnlunes were brought in to keep up the dis
ease The same thing occurred whenever they had
a revolution and brought in non-immune troops
from the interior. and the thing viii occur
with during the digging Of the canal unless
sanitary measures prevent Il.
But merely wrote this letter to point out tho
particular cause Of the disappearance OF yellow
fever from Santiago during occupation. you
seemed nonpIused a to It's explanation Yellow
fever disappeared from all the smaller towns in
Cuba in which did little cleaning up and
mosquito work VI c GROGANS,
Chief Sanitary Officer.
Ancon, Canal Zone Aug. 80. 1908.