The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1919-06-16
TO RID ECUADOR
OF YELLOW fever
Gen.. w. C. GorgaS 10 Promote
Improvement of General
Sanitation.
DIFFICULTIES TO OVERCOME
Rockefeller Foundation is Backing
the Work-Eeuadoria Govern
ment-Is Much Interested in
Undertaking.

OiNSi A~N'ids
Chrlstobal, Canal zone.-Gen. VIII
liam c. Gorgas and his stan passed
through Panama recently on their
way TO Gnayaquil, Ecuador, on his
mission for the Rockefeller founda-
ton Of stimulating the elimination Of
yellow fever from that port and Of
promoting the improvement Of gen
eral sanitation there.
The Ecuadoran government has be-
come very much interested in the
matter, In view Of the hopes Of com
aercial ana Industrial activity after
the war. General Gorgas received the
correspondent OF the New York World
very cordially, and from him and
Colonel Wrightson much interesting
information about the work was OBJ
tanned.
The worldwide campaign now being
carried on by the Rockefeller founda
ton against such universal plaques
ms yellow fever, hookworIn, malaria,
bubonic plague and tuberculosis hns
already begun to rcvolutIouize coldi-
tions IN some Of the Countries ia
which the work is being carried on.
Vitality Is Increased.
For example, the reduction of The
incidence Of the hoohworm in Porto
Rico and Panama has resulted in IN
increase OF the vitality OF the popua.
ton and stimulated Industrial activity
to degree that has been clearly re-
flected In increased business activity.
The foundation has employed the
most eminent experts in the world for
it's work. General Gorgas Is perhaps
the most prominent Of them all, hav-
ing eradicnted yellow fever from
Cuba, made sanitation for Panama a
model for the world and carried the
medical mnd surgical work OF the
United States army 70 degree Of cf-
ncleney never Known IN amy army OF
The world before, during the war.
The west coast Of South America
has hccn severely handicapped in its
shipping and commercial business by
the existence Of centcrs OF yellow fe-
yer Infection In number OF Places.
especially at Buennvoniura. the Pa.
eillc port of Colombia, and GBaynqull
the commercial metropolis and port of
Ecuador. A rigid quarantine has had
to be malntairiel al Panama against
al these ports o. western South
America. resulting in much delay 10
paSScnters Who have 10 he held IN
quarantine at Panama until known to
BE- free from Infection; while cargoca
have frequently had 10 be funiisated
against mosquitoes and rats, with
much loss Of time and money AMI OF
casional damage to the cargo.
TWO Difficulties Overcome.
Two difficulties have been in The
way Of eradlcatlng these diseases
from these ports. One has been the
Financial expenses. which Tould be q
heavy charge upon the governments
( OF the countries involved aud the
relative future Of the people at large
to appreciate the necessity OF Inn
proved sanitation.
/ The Rockefeller foundation Is help.
lng TO solve the first OF these difficult
ties. and Is Indirectly also promoting
I The spread of information among the
/ people so as to reduce the Indifference
on the subject The healthfuness OF
I the lsthmus OF Panama has been a
good advertisement for sanitation to
South American travellers, and the
Influence Of the example has been
slowly Penetrating through the masses
( Of the common people,
One Ct the main difficulties in
Hrouslng public sentiment to demand
the ihoroughgolng elimination Of en-
\ lemic discusses has been the fact that
The population Of the ports involved
have become more or less immune
through tue operation Of the natural
method OF immunizatlon produced by
the disease.
But the constant arrival at these
ports Of nonlmmune persons from The
Interior or from other counties keeps
he Infection alive as long as the mos
lulioos which convey the disuase arc
in these ports There is nenrly al
ways sufficient number Of cases OF
yellow fever in existence to infect
these mosquitoes, and when new arri
walls are bitten they are likely TO de.
velop the fever, and so to keep the
epidemic going from one new arrival
to another. The only safe WHY to gel
rid OF the fcver, therefore, IS to get
rid of the mosqutoes