El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-06-26
MUST INVADE
TROPIC LANDS
Physician the Pioneer of the
Future in Tropic Lands,
Says Hutchinson.

San Francisco, Calf, June 26.-Dr.
Woods Hutchinson of New York,
president Of the American Academy Of
Medicine, in an address before the
academy here today said the world
would see still further remarkable
progress in the development OF the
tropics, and that in all colonization
schemes the physician should prepare
the way.
The Physician as a Pioneer was his
subject. in line with the general topic
to which all the sessions of this years
academy meeting are devoted, namely.
Medicine in its relationships to com
merce and transportation
Dr. Hutchinson said, in part:
The real enemy Of the pioneer, the
chief obstacle to the spread Of civiliza-
tion is not indians, or wolves or
rattlesnal1es or even famine or Hood
or winter cold or tropic heat, but IN
sects. Most schemes of colonization
that failed-failed not from famine, or
the attack of enemies. but through dis
ease And more than half of them
from one disea se-malar1a- This IS not
merely the Ag, " Man, but the Age OF
Insects. geOlogically considered, and
the battle is to the death between
them for the possession Of the earth
Insects Get @WhiP Hand
I'm the tropics, the insects get me
whip hand of man and keep him stupid,
short-lived, uncivilized. 1t was the
plague of flies, the bloody tyranny OF
insects that drove man out OF tue
warm. comfortable, fertile tropics into
the chilly, rainswept, half the year
frozen north. Now grown TO IulL
human stature he is coming back 10
invade and reconquer the tropics ana
put to flight the ancient foes OF the
ON an earlier day, the first requisite
OF a new colony, or a pioneering expe-
dition. was g captain, bold and skllIul
fighting man, with muskets for every
grown man in the party, and nlenty
of powder and ball But now. the hrst
and most fundamental requirements OF
a new colony are a dOctor-eng1neer
with microscope and test tubes, spades
and trenching machines, and plenty OF
quinine, kerosene and mosqulto-net-
ting
land company viii be permitted TO take
settlers into their new homes. until
thorough and complete survey shall
have been made Of the region. sanitary,
medical. chronological, expert agrlcul-
turaL And at least a sufficient area
to accommodate in safety the first
group OF settlers shall have been
drained and lzerosened and supplied
with good water, so as TO be protected
against malaria. typhoid, hook-Worm
and water and fly-bOrne diarrhoea and
dysentery.
IN the light Of our present knowl-
edge. il should be regarded as little
short Of manslaughter to permit men,
women and little children who are IN
familiar with the country, unseasoned
to the climate TO enter and face the
dangers Of settlement in a new coun-
try or district without thsi preliminary
survey and protection whether IN their
own land or across the seas 1t would
cost a few thousand or hundreds OF
thousands Of dollars. but not very much
more than the advertising literature,
and would save ten times its cost in
human life and suffering and Fa1lure,
besides being the best possible adver-
tisement for the enterprise"
Bring Their Own Diseases
Generally speaking. new settlers
bring their diseases with them. and a
most effective way OF protecting a new
settlement against not merely insect
borne, but all other communicable dis
examination Of all intending settlers
and their families. A few weeks
isolation or appropriate treatment
with uuinine, salvarsan- thymoi, etc,
would be sufficient in the vast majority
Of cases to clear up all risk such
examinations would be worth twice
their cost to the individuals examined
alone, and, in combination with
proper sanitary survey, would turn
new countries and new colonies into
little health-heavens on earth"
Federal Inspection Cheap.
The fact that the cost Of federal
meat inspection is less than six cents
for each Of the millions Of animals
slaughtered was brought out in a
paper by DR.. George DiteWiE, OF the
Bureau of Animal Industry. of the
United States department OF agricul-
ture. presented today. In citing his
figures, DR.. DiteWig was trying TO
drive home THE economic importance
Of the federal inspection of meats and
meat-food products destined for COM l
which was the suhfect OF his