The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-05-22
YELLOW FEVER MENACE.

Reports of the appearance of five
tJses of yellow fever at Colon serve
To- direct attention TO the real problem
that coHfroHts the government in the
construction OF the canal The test will
rot be- jHc engineering feat Of digging
a waterway but the success in pTeseTv-
ig- the health of the men employed i'm
the WORK The operations by the French
company were attended by a fTightful
loss o. life. much of it due to the raw
aSes of yellow fever. at that time but
hmTerfectIy understood Sanitary con
ditious that are naturally of the worst
Character along the canal zone aided i'm
causing the death of thousands Of per-
sons.
But Ia the light Of recent discoveries
by American doctors we are not in
cliued 90 share the alarm manifested
1r Minister john Barrett over the ap-
Fearauce Of a few gases of yellow fe-
Yer at Colon Il is probably true that
The existence Of the cases viii cause
some disqu.et among the Iaborers en-
T!oyed ou the canal but their physical
we.l-nciu- will be better safeguarded
now than it would have been ian DeLes-
seps' day.
This is particularly true i'm reference
to yellow fever. II required long and
patient study ana more than one heroic
sacrifice OF life for the American doc
tors To conquer yellow fever i'm Havana.
but It was conquered and the man who
directed the fight against il is the man
who Is now in charge of the sanitation
OF the canal zone. Dr.. Georges uuques-
Uonably the greatest yellow fever ex-
pert now living
All former theories concerning the
transmission of yellow fever were upset
by the American doctors i'm cuba They
proved that the disease is transmitted.
not by contact. of persons or by means
of food or drink. but Ivy mosquito. the
female OF a certain species Incidental
To the proof several doctors and trained
nurses gave up their lives by permitting
the mosquito TO inoculate them after
visiting "a fever patient But they
solved the secret Of the spread of yell
low fever.
As a result OF this discovery effective
preventive measures are possible. Now.
instead of driving yellow fever patients
to pest houses iu remote places, there
to Iie exposed 10 the attacks Of the
mosquito and thus spread the disease,
the doctors isolate the patient by means
of wire screens that keep off the mos
quiJoes. Prompt reports Of cases and
immediate isolation from mosquito bites
now make II possible TO control the
fever
The health authorities on the canal
zone are bUsiIy engaged in the work of
Improving sanitary conditions. Filth.
of course. is a factor in the spread Of
yellow fever because 1t makes the sys-
TEN more liable TO infection. But pro-
lection against the mosquito is the
chief aim To this end efforts are
under way To- drain the swamps and
thus destroy the breeding places. while
arrangements are being made 10 keep
the men under screens as much as pos
sibIe particularly at night. All sleeping
places are to be inclosed by wire net
ting and the men are being cautioned
To keep constantly on the alert TO avoid
the mosquitoes.
Naturally, all these plans cannot be
worked out Immediately. Meanwhile
the fever may spread TO some extent.
but there is every reason to believe the
American doctors VIII succeed in limit
ing II closely and there is good ground
for a belief that before long they viii
have it absolutely under control They
have the Cuban experience 10 draw
upon and have the assurance Of the
heartiest cooperation from all quarters.
because Of the general recognition Of
the gravity Of their problem. The
country's great triumph VIII be the
mastery Of conditions that in the past
have appalled, the world.