The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1910-08-25
Victories OF Peace; Or, The
Results Of Sanitary Science.
Peace hath her victories,
No less renowned than war

The thunder OF artillery, the
battle clouds. the gastly wounds,
the crimsoned sod, and the cries
and shrieks of agony make a pic
ture that focuses and holds the
attention paralyzed with horror.
On the other hand, the quiet,
unobserved laboratory worker,
as he wrestles day in and night
out with the forces of Nature
for the knowledge that is power,
attracts no uncommon attention,
until the general educational ef-
fectof time brings the masses
abreast of the advanced position
long since occupied by their, then,
unknown leader.
The leader with battle back
ground createsa profound impress
sion the leader with scientific &C.
umen passes unnoticed, but leaves
animpress as lasting as the truth
of which hislife became apart Ma
poleon is an example of thefirst,
Pasteur of the second. In 1906 a
well-known Paris newspaper
made a poll of the French people
and Pasteur was voted the great
est Frenchman that ever lived. |
Such was not the popular estimate
of Pasteur during his lifetime or
imediately after his death.
We have all heard of HobsOn,
but how few know of the less
ostentatious but greater heroism
of Lazear and Carroll. Fully real
izing what only a few could then
realize. and without the plaudits
of the public. they exposed them
selves to greater danger than
an exploding magazine in order
to test the mosquito origin of
yellow fever. They gave their
lives in the experiment, but, as
a result, 1900 lives are saved an
nually in Cuba and Mexico alone,
the Panama Canal is being dug,
and yellow fever is no longer
disease that strikes terror to the
heart.
It's estimated that the attempt
of the French to dig the Panama
Canal cost them $4,000 lives, most
of them destroyed by yellow
fever and malaria. In 1887, the
death rate in the Canal Zone
amounted to the loss of ! person
out CT 10, or 100 out Of every
1000. per annum. The hospitals
were overcrowded, and it is stat
ed on good authority that the
high death rate was the principal
reason the French abandoned the
undertaking. In 1906, when the
United States began work on the
canal, the death rate per annum
was IS perl 600 OF the population.
In four years Colonel Gorgas, the
distinguished sanitarian in charge
of health conditions there, has
reduced the death rate to rs per
annum perl, 600 of the population,
1t will be seen that 40 lives are
saved in every1, 00G Of the popula-
ton and, as there are l2O, 900 PEG.
pie in the Canal Zone, this means
a saving OF 4, 800 lives annually.
Yellow fever, as has been sale
already, is a conquered disease.
From 1850 to 1900 the city O.
Havana alone averaged75O death.
year from this disease. Since
the discovery of Lazear and Car
roll and the application of thi
discovery there has been an av
erage Of not over 4 deaths pc
year from this disease in Havana
Vera Cruz Province, Mexico
that had never been free of tn
disease in the last fifty years, ma
not had a single case Of the dis
ease in the last four years. AnC
as in Havana and Vera Cruz, S
everywhere else that the yer
simple remedy for the prever
ton Of this disease has been az
piled, it has disappeared.
Malaria is another disease thu
has yielded to man just in pre-
portion to the educational effol
directed against this disease.
Italy, one Of the most malariol
countries in the world, with
very general educational can
palgn against malaria, there h;
been in the last 8 years a Is p'
cent reduction in the malari
death rate. The average annu
death rate from malaria befo
THIS campaign was 16, 200; it
now 1000; $4,000 lives are saw
each year.
A large number of cities al
malarious provinces in 9th
countries have, to varying {
grees of effectiveness, adopt
anti-malarial measures with ]
suits ranging from 33 per &C