Omaha daily bee., 1914-02-08
worry nuts

wonderfully contagious, although it can be
transmitted only by fleas and rats.
Nevertheless, it ragged throughout Europe
again and again in the years between
the sixth and eighteenth centuries, and
it is said to have caused more deaths
than any other epidemic that has popu-
lated human graveyards. II was this
pest that Daniel DE Foe described in his
story of the great black plague in Lon
con OF 1865 and 1866, and it is the same
as that which ravaged Europe during the
fourteenth century. Those two plaques
are said to have come from China. The
plague in Guayaquil was not known un-
til about 1908, when it was brought in,
some claim, from Paita, Peru, and others
by certain Asiatic ships that called here.
The people were warned of their danger
by Dr. j. b. Lloyd. the American health
officer, who was then stationed in Ecua-
dor. and for time he was allowed Ito
try to control it. Later on he was re-
pudiated by the Ecuadorian government
and Dr. w. NJ. Wightman was sent in
his place. DIR. Wightman took the yellow
fever and 6ied here That was in 1909.
At that time Colonel Gorgas was much
alarmed at the danger of the pest getting
foothold on the isthmus. and in order
to keep it out of Colon he had more than
half million dollars worth of small
houses, that were said to be infested
with rats burned to the ground.
yellow Fever PeriIOus.
The danger of yellow fever getting into
Panama through Guayaquil is serious
one. and this disease, also. Will have to
be wiped out before Americans will be
safe in allowing our ships to come here
or for travellers to go through the canal
after leaving Ecuador. Already several
Americans have died in Guayaquil and
! there are new cases now every day. 1t
is not safe for any American to settle in
Guayaquil to do business in its present
| condition You will remember that
Thomas Mast the famous cartoonist, WAS
| appointed consul here and how he came
| to his grave. He died of yellow fever
have spoken of the death of Dr. Wight
man. He was supposed to be a yellow
fever immune. A third prominent case
is that of Major John A. Harman, the
engineer who built the railway over the
Andes from Guayaquil to Quito, and a
fourth is that of Commander Bertolette
of our gunboat Yorktown, who died only
a short time ago.
Transmitted by Mosquitoes.
L
| The, yellow fever comes from a kind
of a mosquito that can carry 1t only
after biting a yellow fever patient
After the mosquito bites a human be-
ing afflicted with the fever IL gets the
yellow fever itself; and it can then in
ject the yellow fever bacilll into your
system IL it bites you. / had a good
chance to study this disease during the
aV.fd of. Dnu 10,
That epidemic came from Guayaquil,
and 1t killed some Of the officials who
were working on the canal / was at
Panama aeveral weeks during its
height. and l frequently sat down to
dinner with a man, only TO hear a few
days later that he had been bitten and
perhaps a week later, that he was dead.
One of the most pathetic cases was that
of a young architect named Johnson,
who had charge OF all the building then
going on in preparation for our army
OF workmen. Mr. Johnson was a young
man of about 25, of great ability and
of very lovable nature. He was en-
gagged to a girl in Chicago and wrote TO
her daily. During my stay we frequently
went out riding on horseback together,
along in the evening. through the region
known as the savannas. and he told me
how he expected. to go home in May
and bring back young wife to the
isthmus. That was in March. I left
Panama in April. and before the end OF
, the month | received the news OF young
Johnson's death.
Malaria is Another Danger.
Another danger at Guayaquil is from
malarial fever. similar to that which
, caused so maay deaths on the isthmus
at the time of the building Of the Pan
, anna railroad. This, the EcuadoranI
! call perniciosa and II Is known to the
I Panamans as the Chagres fever.
;. had a severe attack OF II when 1 las
5 visited Guayaquil Perniclosa comes from
the bite Of the anophele mosquito, which
is very different from that OF the stego
myia. which carries the yellow fever. anC
r the stegomyia does not carry malaria
, The former will breed in almost any We