Durango semi-weekly herald., 1907-04-15

real diseases. The number of deaths
has been 30 small since the present
Intervention that the rate has not been
calculated. 1t would be only a frac-
ton of l per cent.
During the republic the Cubans kept
up the sanitary inspection and the en-
forcement OF the health laws very
well, although they allowed the yell
low fever to come back In 1905. after
1t had been entirely exterminated by
the United States troops in 1901.
There was not single case on the
island in 1902-O3-O4, but in 1905 It was
brought here from New Orleans and
there were seventy cases, of which
thirty-two died. In 1906 there were
seventy-one cases, of which twelve
died. 1t was entirely stamped out
again within a few weeks after the
present Intervention and there have
been no cases since December The
benefit conferred upon Cubans by the
American army in this respect may be
judged by the fact that in 1895 the
first year Of the war of independence
there were 1,025 case of yellow fever
and the first year of the American oc-
cupation, there were 1,244.
The yellow fever is now kept down
by eternal vigilance. 1t having been
decided that this terrible disease is
due entirely to certain mosquito,
known to science as stegomyia faciata,
corps of inspectors under Surgeon
Major ]. r. Kean and Surgeon Captain
James Robb Church of the United
States army are continually going
about the city hunting II down. They
make house toulouse inspections with
an electric dark lantern in one hand
and n can of kerosene oil in the
other, and wherever they find stag
nant water, even in the slightest guam
titles, they remove It and soak the
place with kerosene. At the same
time they fumigate for other diseases.
The kerosene oil kills the larvae and
prevents breeding. The stegomyia
does not go into the fields or large
pools of water, but lives in human
dwellings and breeds In tanks, cess
pools, cisterns. cutters. drains, station
ary washstands and other places
where small quantities of water can
be caught and held. In those places
the inspectors search for them. When
case OF fever is discovered the pa
tient is removed and isolated, the
house is fumigated and thoroughly
cleaned, although dirt has no con
| nection with yellow fever.
Surgeon Kean was telling me the
other day about the work of Surgeon
Walter Reed of the United States
| army in Cuba during the military oc-
cupation, and declared that 1t was one
of the most glorious chapters in the
history of medicine. Although Dr..
| Carlos j. Finley of Havana, who is
| row in charge of the Havana health
office, was the discoverer and original
! exponent of the theory of the mos
quito as the agent in the transmission
Dr. Reed developed and demonstrated
\ it.
He made it forever possible to
prevent the disease and to remove the
causes for it. But he received no
reward" said Surgeon Kean. 1.-THE
| secretary of war recommended his
promotion to colonel in the medical
| corps, but before congress acted upon
| the recommendation he died of ap-
pendicitis November %, 1902, in the
city of Washington. Harvard univer-
sity made him master of arts, the
University of Michigan conferred a
degree upon him, and Mrs. Reed was
| given pension of $125 a month. The
secretary of war recommended $500 a
month. but congress cut down the
amount. The scientific men of the
United States have organized So
ciety called "The Walter Reed Me-
mortal association" of which DR.. Dan
lie C. Gilman, formerly president of
John Hopkins, is chairman, and have
raised the sum of $25.000. of which
the interest is to be paid to Mrs. Reed
during her lifetime, and at her death
the capital is to be used for some per,
manent memorial.
This seems small acknowledg-
ment," continued Major Kean. for the
value of his services to his fellow
men cannot be estimated There have
been ninety yellow fever epidemics in
the United States, causing tens OF
thousands of deaths and costing hun
dreds of millions of dollars. The fl
nancial loss in tho epidemic of 1878
alone is estimated at more than $15,.
100000. Other countries have been
subjected to the same terrors year
after year, and have suffered similar
losses, until Walter Reed taught the
medical profession how to prevent and
escape them"
Reed was a native OF Gloucester
county, Virginia, the son of clergy
man; was born in 1851 and graduated
from the University of Virginia when
he was only II years old. He served
in Bellevue Medical hospital in New
York. in the City hospital on Black
wells island, and in the Brooklyn
City hospital, and before he became of
age he was district physician in that
city. He entered the army OF the
United States as assistant surgeon in
1875. and during the next eighteen