Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-09-19
Cuban Physician Solved
- the, YELLOW Fever Problem

N much of the literature and discus
sion dealing with the salvation Of
the tropic world from the scourge
Of yellow fever the name Of the man
earliest and intimately identified with
the mosquito theory of infection has
been omitted. 1t was the death of this
may few days ago that brought his
name into prominence. He was DIR.
Carlos Juan Finlay Of Havana. He
was of Scotch descent and was born
at Puerto Principe. Cuba, December 3.
1888. He received his medical educa-
ton in the United States, being grad
uated from the Jefferson Medical COL
lege, Philadelphia, in 1855. His re-
searches into the etiology of yellow
IeVer began soon after his return to
ms native country. In 1881 he was
delegate from Cuba to the information
a. sanitary conference in Washington
from 1907 to 1908 he served as chief
ga sahitary OFFICER of Cuba. and since 1909
ne mad been honorary president of the
Junta Nacional de Sandal Benefi
FCenc1a- He was member of the
havana Academy of Sciences, the COL
iege OF Physicians of Philadelphia and
the American Public Health Associa-
ton, an honorary member of the Amer
Ican society of Tropical Medicine, and
the Societe de Medicine Tropicale of
farls. a corresponding member of the
academic de Medicine of France, and
Medicine and Hygiene of England.
IhouSh the name and fame of this
cuban physician are practically un-
Know, Known to the American public. the
M 1aH owes to him one Of its greatest
depts OF gratitude, for it was he who
nrst propounded the true theory of the
transmission of the yellow fever germ,
ana, however indirectly. made practi-
ca Die the building of the Panama canal
the cleaning up of Havana and other
cities and ultimately the reclamation
OF the tropics from an ancient and per-
sistent disease which has claimed its
vlctlms by the million. and might, per-
maps, nave continued taking it's terrible
man who recently passed away.
Dr. f1nfay entered upon the practice
OF medlcine in Havana soon after his
graduation in: the United States, sixty
years ago. yellow fever in his coun-
try. as in all the countries of tropic
and even subtropic America, was often
epidemic and always endemic MANY
years ago. and after a good many years
OF speculation and investigation. he
evolved theory that a certain snecies
of mosquito. which was shown later to
De Stegomyia calopus, was instru-
mental in the spread of yellow fever.
His hrst paper on this subject was read
by him before the Royal Academy of
10 ana III 1901, ana IN 1880 he DuD-
ilshed in the American Journal of Med
zeal Science another paper dealing with
this Immensely important subject
In that memorable paper occurred
the following paragraph:
so far as my informatio goes, this
disease appears incapable of propaga-
ton wherever tropical mosquitoes do
not or are not likely to exist, ceasing
to be epidemic at the same limit of
temperature and altitude which are in
compatible with the functional activity
of those insects; while, on the other
hand. it spreads readily wherever they
taken in connection with my success
full attempts in producing experimental
yellow fever by means OF the mos
quito's sting. it is to be inferred that
these insects are the habitual agents
of it's transmission"
In another paper, which was pub
lished in the Medical Record in the
spring of 1899. DR.. Finlay wrote:
why should not the houses in yell
low fever countries be provided with
mosquito blinds, such as are used in
the United States as matter of COM
fort, while here it might be a question
of life or death? The mosquito larvae
might be destroyed in swamps, pools,
sinks, street sewers and other stag
nant waters in which they are bred by
methodical use of potassium perman-