The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-12-19

tons ner1ect.
| inspected the large hospitals at
Ancon and Colon, which are excellent
examples Of what tropical hospitals
should be. l also inspected the re-
ceiving hospitals in various settle
ments. l went through a number Of
the wards in which the cOlored men
are treated, a number of those in
which the white men are treated
Americans and Spaniards. Both white
men and black men are treated exact
ly alike and their treatment is as good
as that which could be obtained in
our first class hospitals at home. All
the patients that l saw, with one or
two exceptions, were laborers or other
employees on the canal works and rail-
ways, most of them being colOred men
of the ordinary laborer stamp. Not
only are the men carefully cared for
whenever they apply for care. but so
far as practicable a watch is kept to
see that If they need it they are sent
10 the hospitals, whether they desire
to go or not. From NO responsible
source did any complaint come to me
as to the management of the hospital
service, although occasionally a very
ignorant West India negro when he is
first brought into the hospital becomes
frightened by the ordinary hospital
routine.
Health Showing Remarkable.
Just at present the health showing
on the isthmus is remarkably good
~ .~,.1> <%uo <hro t. vonct cnnt{nnO
of the United States that l do not be-
lieve that it can possibly continue at
quite its present average. Thus, early
in the present year q band Of several
hundred Spaniards were brought to
the isthmus as laborers and additions
to their number have been made from
time to time; yet since their arrival In
February last but one of those Span
iards thus brought yer to work on
the canal has died of disease, and he
of typhoid fever. Two others were
killed, one In a railroad accident and
one by a dynamite explosion. There
has been for the last six months a
we'll nigh steady decline in the death
rate for the population of the zone,
this being largely due to the decrease
in deaths from pneumonia, which has
been the most fatal disease on the
isthmus. In October there were ninety
nine deaths of every kind among the
employees of the isthmus. There were
then on the rolls $500 whites, seven
cights of them being Americans. OF
these whites but two died of disease
and as it happened neither man vas
an American. OF the 5000 white Amer
leans. including some 200 women and
children. not a single death has oc-
Cured in he past three months.
whereas in an average city In the
United States the number of deaths
for a similar number of people in that
time would have been about thirty
from disease. This very remarkable
showing can not Of course permanent
ly obtain. but it certainly goes to prove
that If good care is taken the isthmus
is not a particularly unhealthy place.
In October of the 10000 negroes on the
roll eighty-six died from disease, pneu-
monia being the most destructive dis
ease and malarial fever coming sec
ond. The difficulty of exercising Il
IN cuSh / 'Ao o'S' S'A'' -
laborers is Of course greater than is
the ease among the whites and they
are also less competent to take care
of themselves, which accounts for the
fact that their death rate is SO mucl
higher than that of the whites. in spite
of the fact that they have been used
to similar climatic conditions. Even
among the colored employees it will be
seen that the death rate is not high.
D;minution Of Mosquitoes.
In Panama and Colon the death rate
has also been greatly reduced, this be
ing directly due to the vigorous work
Of the special brigade of employees WhC
have been inspecting houses where the
stCgOmyia mosquito Is to be found ana
destroying its larvae and breedin&
places and doing similar work in eN
terminating the malarial mosquitoes
in short, in performing all kinds OF
.hygienic labor. \ little over Il yeai
ago all kinds of mosquitoes. including
the two tata! species, We're numerous
about the Culebra cut. In this en-
during last October every room y
every house was carefully examined
and only two mosquitoes, neither O
them OF the two fatal species, Wcrf
found. Untaltcring energy i'll insprc
ton II in disinlcctlng and in lh'
work of draining and of clearing brust
are responsible for the change. | ap
pend Or. Gorgas' report on he hca!tt
conditions: also Il letter from Surgeon
General RiNoy to DR.. Gorgas. Tn
surgeon general reported to me tina
the hygienic conditions on the 18TH
mus were about as good as, for in
stance. those in the Norfolk hayward
The sanitation work in the cities o
Panama and Colon has been JUS, a:
important as In the zone itself and il
many respects much more difficult
because it was necessary to deal witt
the already existing population. which
naturally had scant sympathy Will
revolutionary changes, the value o
a. a AN-- 49,, Vn~ -~,