Evening star., 1911-06-01

AS the Spanish-American war demon
strated to the United States the innpera-
tive necessity of building the Panama
canal. so also 1t taught the lesson that
made possible the construction Of that
great waterway across the isthmus. When.
In q quiet little council chamber. those
three heroic army surgeons, Reed, Carroll
and Lazear. under orders from the gov
ernment to attempt to discover the cause
Of the prevailing epidemic Of yellow fever
In the army Of occupation In Cuba, de-
cided that somebody must offer himself
as a martyr to science to prove the theory
of the transmission Of the disease by
mosquitoes. and all three offered their
own bodies and lives. the success Of the
Panama canal was made possible.
One Of the men who had administrative
charge OF giving effect to the knowledge
learned from those fateful lessons In Ha-
vana was Col. William c. Gorgas. After
ward he was selected as the head OF the
sanitation work In connection with the
digging Of the Panama canal. Here he
has been wonderfully successful. The ex-
periments made In Cuba have been DEM
onstrated on q large scale In Panama, and
a tropical death trap has been converted
into tropical health resort.
The mosquito that carries the yellow
fever germ IL Of the genus Stegomyia. It's
cousins Of the genus Anopheles, In q SINH
lar manner. carry the poison Of malaria.
These two kinds OF mosquitoes drove
the French, defeated, from the Isthmus
Of Panama. but 50 insidous was their
warfare that they were never suspected
Of being the real culprits. The Americans
then attacked the less formidable barrier
of the mountain chain that separated the
Atlantic from the Pacific.
The Canal Zone region was one OF the
best breeding places for mosquitoes to be
found on earth. There are fifty or more
| families Of mosquitoes here, but only the
| yellow fever carrier and the malaria
| transmitfer have bad regulations. How
ever. the methods used to Danish the most
dangerous ones also drove into exile the
| forty y-eight varieties Of less harmful ones
| for even orthodox persons decline to
believe that any mosquito Is entirely
harmless. The entire mosquito army has
| been driven back into the jungle away
days one seldom sees or hears q mos
quito on the Canal Zone.
No people ever have had better provi-
sion made for their health than the peo-
pie Of the zone. The United States gov
sernment spends
Much Money Spent 100000 a year
to Maintain Health. keeping M M out out the he
MOSQUITO and maintaining the health OF
the canal force. Including the cities OF
Panama and Colon. which are embraced In
the sanitary work. there are fewer than
10000 people living in the region OF the
canal II as much money were spent
for public health in the United States as
in the Canal Zone. In proportion to popu-
lation, 1t would amount to 81. 1000. 900
year, or about 2o00o0OO0 more than
Is now spent by the federal government
for all purposes whatsoever.
The area Of the Canal Zone. including
the cities OF Panama and Colon. is less
than 500 square miles. IL the expendi-
ture on account Of public health were as
great In the United States as II In here
In proportion to area, the annual total
would amount to the stupendous sum OF
$12. 600 OO0, ,000 or 20 per cent more than
the value OF al the crops Of the Ameri-
can farms.
These things are sufacient explanation
Of why the Canal Zone has been made
| such Q healthy place. The money has
| been forthcoming TO do Il. In the UnitA0
States men may 60 on being born. living
and dying. with but little relative enect ou
| industry and commerce. But here on the
| isthmus the healthfulness of the country
had to be assured before there could DO
any reasonable possibility Of doing the
work desiened 70 Be done.
/ The work Of the department Of santa
keeping down the mosqutto, keeping ous