Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-03-21
Surgeon General Gorgas De-
scribes the Beneficial e.
feCts of Sanitation.
WAR MADE ON MOSQUITO
WHICH CARRIED FEVER
In Address Before Mississippi So.
ciety Cites Two Greatest Dis
coveries of the Age.

Sanitation at Panama" was the sub
iect of an address delivered by Maj.
Gen. William C. Gorgas. surgeon gen
eral of the army, before the NJ ssis-
sippi Society of Washington at Confed-
crate Memorial Hall last night. The
surgeon general explained in detail the
manner in which. the Walter Reeo
board of American physicians had de-
termined that yellow fever was trans
snitted through mosquitoes and how the
particular species of mosquito winch
carried the disease could be eNterml-
mated.
Surgeon General Gorgas declared
that two of the greatest discoveries OF
the age were the discovery oF tne
American physicians that yellow IeVer
was transmitted through mosquitoes,
and the discovery by Sir Robert Ross,
all Engiishman. that malaria was
transmitted also through mosquitoes,
though by different species than the
yellow fever bearing kind These Two
discoveries. he said, made it posslbie
to make the Isthmus of Panama m
struct the Panama canal. He pointed
out that the French had failed in their
efforts to build the canal twenty years
before the United States took hold be-
cause of the yellow fever and malaria.
Eradication of Disease.
I'VE went into the isthmus in 1901"
said Surgeon General Gorgas. and the
last case of yellow fever on the 18TH
mus was in 1905. Since then there
has been no yellow fever there. Ma
1aria also has been mastered. for when
operations were begun there about 500
out OF every 900 men who went to the
isthmus were laid up during the year
with malariai fever This has been re-
tiuced to Sc in every 1000. So say
that the malarial situation has been
mastered
Surgeon General Gorgas pointed out
that the stegomyia, the mosquito which
carries yellow fever, breeds about
towns. on stagnant water, and that
this mosquito does not fly far, usually
staying about the house near which IT
breeds. The mosquito which carries
malaria. on the other hand. breeds on
fresh water and flies longer distances
For that reason. he said, it had been
possible to extermina.e the yehoW-
fever-bearing mosquitoes more easily
than the misunderstanding kind. BY
covering water with netting and with
petroleum it had been possible to pre-
vent the spread of the yellow fever
mosquito
Experiments at Havana.
The experiments which demonstrated
from human being to human being
through the agency of the mosquito
were made at Havana. Cuba. he said.
He described how it had been learned
/. that the female stegoyia. after biting
q man suffering from yellow fever, did
: not transmit the disease to another
man until about two weeks later He
also told how a hause covered with
wire netting had been constructed and
one room screened off from another.
In one room were placed some of the
mosquitoes that had bitten yellow
fever patients. Men willing to be eX-
perimented upon were placed in both
rooms. Those in the room with the
mosquitoes got the disease. while
those in the room free of the insects
did not.
Besides the address of Surgeon Cen
eral Gorgas. the program ,of entertain
nent included songs by Miss Hernia
Guyon, piano solos by Mrs. Whitaker
and reading by Mrs. J. H. Brinker.
Charlton NJ Clark, president of the So
: ciety. presided.