The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1906-12-21
Successful Sanitation.

The first great problem to be solved,
upon the solution of which the success of
the rest of the work depended was the
problem OF sanitation. This was from
the outset under the direction of DR..
w. c. Gorgas, who is to be made a full
member OF the commission. 1t must be
remembered that his work was not mere
sanitation as the term is understood in
our ordinary municipal work. Through
out the zone and in the two cities of
Panama and Colon, in addition to the
sanitation work proper he has had to
do all the work that the Marine hospital
service does as regards the nation, that
the health department officers do in the
various states and cities, and that Col.
Warning did in New York when he
cleaned Its streets. The results have
been astounding. The isthmus had been
q byword for deadly unhealthfulness,
Now, after two years of our occupation
the conditions as regards sickness and
the death rate compare favorably with
reasonably healthy localities in the
United States. Especial care has been
devoted to minimizing the risk due to the
presence OF those species of mosquitoes
which, have been found to propagate
malarial and yellow feyers In all the
settlements, the little temporary towns
or cities composed Of the white and black
tehtnpIoyes, wnlch grow up Aere and
tnere In the tropic jungle as the needs
OF the work dictate, the utmost care is
exercised to keep the conditions healthy,
everywhere are to be seen the drama 90
bitches which in removing the water
nave removed the breeding places of the
mosquitoes, while the whole Jungle is
cut away for considerable space around
the habitatiOnS, thus DESTROYING the
places in which the mosquitoes take shell
ter. These drainage bitches and clearings
are IN evidence in every settlement, and
together with the invariable presence of
m0SNIlIn n nd I,,,, -,
OF mosquito doors to the houses, not TO
speak of the careful fumigation that ha 6
gone on in all infected houses, doubtless
explain the extraordinary absence of
mosquitoes. AS matter of fact, hut
a single mosquito, and this not of the
dangerous species, was seen by any
member of our party during my three
days on the isthmuS. Equal care ia
taken by the inspectors of the health de-
partment to secure cleanliness in the
houses and proper hygenic conditions of
every kind. | inspected between 20 and
80 water-closets, both those used by the
white employees and those used bv the
colored laborers. In almost every case I
FOUND the conditions perfect. In but one
case did find them really bad. In this
case, aHectlng settlement of unmar-
REQ white employees. | found them very
pad indeed, but the buildings were ali
inherited from the French company and
were being used temporarily while other
pnlid1ngs were in the course of construc-
ton; and right near the defective water
closet a new and excellent closet with a
GOOD sewer pipe was In process of con-
struction and nearly finished. Neverthe-
less this did not excuse the fact that the
bad condition had been allowed to pre-
vail. Temporary accommodations, even
II only such as soldiers use when camped
In the field, should have been provided.
Orders to this effect were issued. l an.
pend the report of DR., Gorgas on the in
cident. l was struck, however, by the
fact that In this instance. as In almost
every other where complaint was made
which proved to have any justification
whatever. II appeared that steps had al:
rsadx been taken TO remedy the evil