Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-17
he is first brought into the hospital becomes
frightened by the ordinary hospital routine
Health Showing Remarkably Good.


Just al present the health showing on the
isthmus is remarkably good-so much bet
ter than in most sections of the United
States that l do not believe that it can
possibly continue at quite its present aver
age. Thus, early in the present year band
of several hundred Spaniards We're brought
to the iSthmuS s. laborers. and additions
to their number have been made from time
to time. yet, since their arrival in FEBRUARY
last but one of those SpaniardS thus brought
over to work on the canal has died of dis
ease and he of typhoid fever Two others
were killed. one in a railroad accident and
one by dynamite explosion. There has
been for the last six months a Well-nigh
steady decline in the death rate for the
population of the zone, this being largely
due to the decrease in deaths from pneu-
mcnia. which has been TIE most fatal dis
etse on TIE isthmus. In October there were
nnety-nile deaths of every kind among the
employees of the isthmus. There We're then
Gu the rolls 800 whites. Seven-eiShts OF
them being Americans. OF these whites but
two died of disease, and as 1t happened
either man was an American. OF the 5000
white Americans, including some 200 wom-
en- and children, not a single death has oc-
Cured in the past three months, whereas
in an average city in the United States the
number Of deaths for similar number of
people in that time would have been about
thirty from disease. This very remarkable
showing cannot of course permanently ODD
tain. but it certainly goes to prove that III
good care is taken the isthmus is not par
ticularly unhealthy place. In OclopeI, VI
the 10 eco negroes on the roll SO died from
disease; pneumonia being the most deStruc-
tive disease and malarial fever coming sec
ond. The difficulty of exercising thorough
supervision over the colored laborers is OF
course greater than is the case among the
whites. and they also less competent 10
take care of themselves, which accounts TOT
the fact that their death rate is so mucn
higher than that of the whites in spite OF
the fact that they have been used to SINH
lar climatic conditions. Even among the
colored employees it will be seen that the
death rate is not high.
Diminution of Mosquitoes.
In Panama and Colon the death rate
has also been greatly reduced, TINS pelns
directly due to the vigorous work OF the
special brigade of employees who nave
been inspecting houses where the stesonyla
mosquito is to be found, and destroying lts
larvae and breeding PAGES, and doing SINH
lar work in extermn ng the malarial
mosquitoes - in short. in performing all
kinds of hygienic labor. tile over a
year ago all kinds of mosquitoes, including
the two fatal species, Were numerous ABOUT
the Culebra cut. In this cut during last
October every room of every house was
careful " examined. and only two mosIui-
toes neither of them Of the two fatal
species We're found. Uataltering energy in
inspection and in disin:ecting and in the
work of Arafning and of clearing brush are
respons e for the change. l append Dr.
Gorga's report on the health cond tons;
also a lett from Surgeon General RiXey
TO DR. Gorgas The surgeon general re-
ported to me that the hygienic conditions
on the isthmus were about coed as, for
instance those in the Norfolk navy Yard.
Corozll some four mi es from La Boca,
was formerly one of the most insanitary
places on the isthmus. PROBABLY the most
nsa nitary. There was a marsh with a pond
in the mi3d @. Dr. Gcrgas had both the
marsh and pond drlned and the brush
cleared off. 50 that now, wien / went over
the grou i'd il appeared ike a smooth mea-
dow int sected by ORA mage d.tches. The
breeding places and she!tering spots OF the