Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1913-04-22
The Future of the Tropics.

Are the tropics, which were for ages
the seat of powerful civilizations and OF
mighty empires, once more going to be-
come favored and desirable spots for
civilized man? Col. Gorgas thinks they
will. In recent address at Johns Hop
kins University after describing the won
derful reduction In disease under the
sanitary precautions established, Col.
Gorgas speculates on the effect OF this
demonstration on our ideas of the tropics
as a place Of residence. He says that 1t
Is an established fact that always In the
past the Caucasian has wilted and died
In the tropics. he has found It almost
i'm possible to rear bis children under
these conditions, ard when he has sur
vived, degenerate race has resulted.
But here at Panama q force OF 10000
Caucasians has lived for the past six
years In as good health az similar people
1--we In the healthful parts OF the United
States. Not only 10 Panama located In
the most tropical portion Of the tropics,
but it has been the most unhealthful 10
cation in all the tropics for the past four
hundred years. The Caucasian has tried
to live here and use Panama as a cross
ing place; but be has found it impos' ible
to do so. The toll in life bas been very
heavy when he spent 10 the jingle Of the
isthmus even the few days that were
necessary for the crossing; and WHEN he
attempted to stay longer, as with the
French under De Lesseps, the loss was
appalling. What has made the differ
once between invalidism and death in
the one period, aud robus. and vigorous
health in the other period? II is due
solely to the fact that the American M.
thortes have protected the workers
and their families from disease, especial
" from yellow fever and malaria. The
effects of this experiment will be far
reaching. The tropics at present con
tain much the largest and most pro-
ductive portions of the earth's surface
A mans labor in the tropics will bring
him In many times the returns that the
same amount of labor will produce in
the temperate zone. Heretofore he has
been kept out of these regions on &C
count of the health conditions. Panama
has been known as the most unhealthful
place in the world, and also as having
had carried into execution within Its
borders the greatest construction feat
man has ever undertaken. II the whit Q
man can live, work aud rear a famil y
under these conditions at Panama, he
can do 80 in any other part of tho tropics.
The tendency will DO for man to emf
CRATE to those parts Of the world where
he can get the largest return for bis
labor. The great centers Of civilization
will develop in these regions, where
mans labor applied to natural opportu-
mites produces the greatest return.
Our sanitary work at Panama, says
Col. Gorgss. 10 a recent issue of The
Journal of the American Medical Assoc
citation, will be remembered as the event
which demonstrated to the white man
that he could live In perfectly good
health 10 the tropics; that from this
period will be dated the beginning Of the
great white civilizations in these regions;
and that again great tropical empires
will be known, such as existed in the
early history of man-such as Egypt,
Babylon and Nineveh.