Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-11-07

at the end Of the year the annual rental
/ Is not promptly paid in advance, the
bones are taken up and thrown into
| large pit built for that purpose In one
corner OF the graveyard, and the grave
| is rented to somebody else.
! Prevalence Of Disease.
| AS a general rule, there is a great
! deal of dysentery and typhoid fever in
| Vera Cruz from May to August Of
| each year Knowing this, the medical
| officers of the United States Army took
| the necessary steps, Immediately after
the occupation. to prevent epidemics of
these diseases among the American
| forces. The first step in this direc-
for smallpox of everybody, both native
and foreign, within the American lines,
as well Of all people entering Vera
| Cruz from the outside. After the
American forces had been in Vera Cruz
one month there We're only two cases Of
smallpox within the American lines
and these had come in from outside
| places.
The water supplies. both public and
/ private, We're carefully investigated,
and all water used for drinking pur-
! poses was thoroughly tested by sani-
tary officers of the United States Army.
| Wells containing impure water were
either sealed or filled up, and the
greatest precaution was taken to pre-
vent the use of unpotable water. Stag
nant pools or puddles were drained off
and filled up and damp patches Of
ground, whether inside of houses or
| outside, were given a heavy coating Of
dry earth and gravel People We're in :
structed not to use cows milk unless
| it had been boiled.
Plentiful Supply of Quinine.
| The American forces were given a
plentiful supply of quinine and practi-
| cally everybody that appeared at the
Red Cross headquarters was dosed
| with it it he showed any malarial
| tendencies whatever. With puddles
| and pools of stagnant water obliterat-
ed, and low places which might COL
lect water also filled, there was no
place for malaria mosquitoes to breed
and therefore malaria disappeared
from Vera Cruz as if by magic.
Perhaps the most noteworthy feat
performed by the United States mill
! tary officers in the way of houseclean-
ing, was that Of cleaning the ancient
and notorious fortress prison of San
Juan de uIloa. in the harbor of Vera
Cruz. 1t was evident that the fort
! ress had never been cleaned in it's en-
tire history of several centuries, and
the filth was indescribahl
Notable Mexican Prison.
| AS an illustration, there was one
| large room in the interior of the prison
! with very thick stone walls and stone
roof, the only light and ventilation Of
| which came through a few small Sits
in the walls not over six inches wide.
The room was as dark as night and
had no sanitary arrangements of any
sort. l had personally visited this
| prison in the summer of 1913. At that
time there were 500 prisoners confined
| i'll that one room. l stepped to the
door. as it was opened a. few inches by
| the guard, but was not at all enthu-
siastice about entering, because of the
| terrible stencil and maniacal outcries
| of the prisoners. The conditions were
| certainly no better in April. 1914. Tons
| of sulphur and other disinfectants,
large quantities of soap. much steam
and many days of hard labor were re-
CURED on the part of the American
/ soldiers and the native laborers be-
! fore the army sanitary officers gave,
their approval of the prison.
| All prisoners who We're found to be
| unjustly incarcerated or confined on
merely political charges We're released
at once and only criminals, who had
| been justly sentenced and who had not
| finished their terms were detained.
| The prison was then turned into bar
racks for detachment of America n
soldiers and marines.
City Infested With Flies.
| Previous to the arrival of the ,meri-
/ can forces Vera cruz was sorely afflicted
with flies which s.varned by thousands
| i'll restaurants and cafes and kitchens
and for blocks around the market places
| " nf had
cumulated for years behind ranges and
ON the walls and floors, We're removed
from some of the best patronized cafes,
| Another important factor in the clean
Illness of the city was the placing of
galvanized iron garbage cans with COW
| ers all over the city, and the regular
collection three times each day of all
garbage deposited in suci cans.
| The tuberculosis problem in Vera Cruz
| is an especially serious one, because Of
the very congested living conditions in
poorer quarters and the inherent un-
! cleanliness Of the people.
Soon after the Red Cross established
headquarters in Vera Cruz the United
States Army sanitary office requested the
Red Cross to assist it in its anti-tuber-
culosis campaign by employing nurses
to visit all persons known to be suffer
| Ing from tuberculosis. and to instruct
them in the necessary steps to prevent
the spread of the disease and in the first
elements of home hygiene.
/ Appalling Conditions.
| The nurses encountered really appall-
ing conditions. From eight to fifteen
people, including those afflicted with
tuberculosis, lived in one room not over
twelve feet square without sanitary
appliances of any kind. the only means
| of light and ventilation being the one
door which. opened, a rule, on an in
| terror patio or courtyard.
| Owing to the fact that there was no
| certainty as to the stay of the Ameri-
can troops in Vera Cruz, it was realized
that only small permanent relief in this
line could be afforded. but it was con-
sidered worth while to take every pos
sible precaution to prevent the spread
of tuberculosis in Vera Cruz while the
American soldiers, bluejackets and ma
rines were stationed there.
Lecture on Forest Ranger.
/ Mrs. Lydia Adams Williams of the
forestry service is to deliver an illus
trated lecture on THE Life of the
Forest Ranger" Tuesday evening in
the ballroom Of the Cairo, on the occa-
sion of a meeting Of the Women's
National Democratic Lea More