Los Angeles herald., 1907-08-31
FIGHT MOSQUITOES
TO CHECK FEVER
OFFICERS IN CUBA HOPE TolPRE-
VENT ITS SPREAD
Infection Thought to Have Started
from Undecided Hospital Case
at cIenfuegos-serseant
Metcalf Dies

WASHINGTON, d. c., Aug. 30.-Vigor-
GUS measures to prevent the extension Of
yellow fever to the troops of the Ameri-
can camp at Cienfuegos, Cuba, are being
taken by the health authorities, under
command of Major Henry p. Birming-
ham, u. S. A.; Lieutenant Colonel BAR
d. Taylor, chief surgeon of the army, and
Dr. Aristides Agramonte, the Cuban yell
low fever expert.
All the soldiers stricken so far belong
to the hospital corps and are in the hos
pital Officials of the medical depart
ment of the army advise that no pains
be spared to protect the camp OF the
cavalry. The last dispatches from Cien-
fueRos are reassuring, stating that no
new cases have appeared. Sergeant Wes-
ley E. Metcalf died at nine O'Clock
Monday morning. This report was re-
ceived at the war department from Chief
Surgeon Taylor, U. s. A., Tuesday:
major Henry p Birmingham wires
that there are only nine cases of yellow
fever at Cienfuegos. We occupy part OF
the civil hospital and 1t is believed that
infection came from an unrecognized case
in the civil end of the hospital. The cases
are light and the patients doing well. No
new cases are expected. Patients have
been removed to tents and to buildings to
be rented for hospital.
Case Starts In Hospital
At the surgeon-gen office 1t
was said that from the latest advices
received the infection among the hos
pital troops might be traced to an un-
detected case in the civil ward OF the
hospital. The soldiers being non-im-
munes showed signs of the disease
shortly after what was believed TO
have been a case of malarial fever had
developed in the civil hospital, of which
they occupied q part. An active cam
paign against the domestic yellow fever
mosquitoes in the vicinity of the in
lection has begun. Fumigatlon anu
other precautionary means are used TO
stamp out the disease-breeding mos
ouitoes which will check further spread
of the disease.
Sergeant Wesley E. Metcalf, who
died, is the nephew of William H. Met
calf of Todd. Ohio. He enlisted July
10. 1905, at GAINESVILLE. Ohio, and was
made a private in the first-class hos
pital corps December rs, 1905. He
Joined Company A, Fifteenth cavalry
at the washington barracks and ar
rived in Cuba with the troop OCTOBER
FL. 1906. He was appointed sergeant
of the hospital corps February l, 1907,
and was sent to Cienfuegos April Z.
Cold Wave Kills the Germ
Surgeon General Walter Wyman OF
the public health and marine hospital
service today received from Havana
despatch stating that the medical de-
partment of the provisional govern
ment is proceeding vigorously in Glen
fuegos Sixty workers have been sent
from Havana to Cienfuegos.
In a letter addressed to the provis-
ional governor OF Cuba on June 70
concerning the origin of a case of fever
that occurred at Nueva Paz. in the
southeast corner of Havana province,
on March 81 last, DR.. Carlos ]. Fin
lay chief sanitary officer, repeats his
opinion that in Havana a daily mean
temperature below 23 degrees cent?
grade does not permit the stegomyia
MOSQUITO to bite and suck blood. A
mosquito of that species infected In
December from the preceding, case at
Nueva Paz would in all probability
survive until the end of March, and,
after having bitten three or four i'm
munes between the twelfth and the
twenty third Of that month may well
have inoculated the patient, who was
attacked on the thirty-first, since only
once, on January 26, between December
IS and March IL. was the daily mean
temperature in Havana as high as %
degrees centigrade.