Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1917-01-05
SURGEON GENERAL GoRGAs Is
TO UNDERTAKE ANNlHILA-
TON YELLOW FEVER.
BRAZIL AND ECUADOR AGREE
GuayaquiI and Other Strongh lids of the
Dreaded Disease Are to BE Cleaned
Up and Poison-carrying Mosquitoes
Exterminated.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

of the United States army, has made
a report to the Rockefeller Foundation
to the effect that the governments OF
Brazil and Ecuador have consented
that American physicians shall under
take the stamping out of yellow fever
from the places in their countries
where it exists, an operation which.
when completed. will mean Yellow
Jack is dead.
Unquestionably, within short time,
under the auspices of the Rockefeller
Foundation, General Gorgas with q
staff of American physicians will pro-
coed to Guayaquil, Ecuador, and to
several localities in northern Brazil,
there to undertake work of the kind
which in Havana and on the ISthmus
of Panama made the American sol
dier-dOctor'S fame secure.
Naturally the surgeon general does
not say that he will be the man chosen
by the Rockefeller Foundation to un-
dertake the grapple with yellow fever
in its greatest strongholds, but the UNI
United States government will be
asked to loan his services to the
Foundation and that before long with
his fellow physicians and scientists he
will undertake the dangerous mission.
Learned What Is Necessary.
From General Gorgas have learned
some of the details of his recent jour-
ney to South America. He was re-
ceived with consideration by the au-
<horities of the countries which he
visited, and was given promises of help
In the work which is to come. While
In Ecuador and in Brazil the general
made close study of conditions. He
learned enough to know thoroughly
Just what must be done in order to
make successful the effort, to get rid
Of yellow fever for all time.
Yellow fever exists today in Guaya-
quill, which is the chief port of Ecua-
dor, town of $4,000 people. The gov
eminent is spending money to improve
the sewerage system and the water
supply OF the town. Improvements
have been made to an extent that will
be helpful in the work Of overcoming
Yellow Jack. The fever mosquito
breeds largely near human habitations
in cisterns, small pools, and even in
small vessels of water which are al
lowed to stand. Certain conditions pre-
cedent to driving out Yellow Jack must
be met before the finishing work is
done.
One thing will make the work of
overcoming the disease difficult, but
not too difficult to make success at all
problematical. There are places in
northern Brazil which are isolated and
in which it is suspected that yellow
fever turks. Moreover, there are fire.
Quently cases of the disease which are
so diagnosed, the illness of the pa
tent being of such a light character
that proper diagnosis by the local at
tendants is not always possible.
Will Exterminate Mosquito.
The American physicians must trace
down every suspected case and make
certain that the work is complete. The
yellow fever mosquito will be exter-
minated in the immediate neighbor-
hoods of the places where the fever
exists. This will be done after the
manner of the work in Havana and in
Panama. Then all the known cases of
yellow fever must be taken in charge,
and it must be made certain that every
one of the sick has been reached.
The experiments conducted by
American medical officers have shown
that it is possible for the mosquito to
retain the poison from yellow fever
patient for 55 days. When it is known
finally that for two months time there
has been no patient from whom it is
possible for the mosquito to get a sup
ply of poison, all danger of the spread
of the disease or of it's springing anew
is passed, and dreaded Yellow Jack
finally will be put into his grave.
National Zoo Needs Money.
Congress is to be asked to increase
the appropriation for the National
Geological park located in Rock Greek
park in the national capital.
The Smithsonian institution with it's
record of seventy years of usefulness
behind it is in charge of the zoologi-
cal exhibits in Washington and it is
the desire of the scientists to have
the Washington zoo rank with those of
other cities of the country, and if pos
sible, to exceed them in the value of
it's natural history treasures.
Congress never has paid much at
tention to this educational institution
in Washington. Year after year the
appropriation which has made has new
er varied from the fixed sum of $780,
600, and this amount has been appro-
priated regardless of what men who
knew said were the urgent necessi-
ties in the case" The Washington
zoo is one of the most beautiful and
most popular resorts for tourists in
the District of Columbia.
The park receives many specimens