The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1921-01-29
Doctors Unable to Discover the
Source of Most Battling and
Fatal of Diseases.
WHITE POPULATION immune
A;lment That Kills 10000 Natives
Every Year Starts in the Feet
and Spreads Upward, the
Body Becoming Swollen.

Port-au-Prince, ,Haiti.-The Amerl-
can occupation of Haiti has served to,
direct medical research into one OIL tne
most battling and perhaps fatal maia-
dies known to modern medicine.
Haiti is a land of 100000 people.
The most conservative estimate, Daseo
con TYlan months of historical research
into Haitis mysterious disease, Is
that a million Haitians have sue
cumbed to the malady in the last on
wears. Here where native productiv-
ity is truly synonymous with eAtraVa-
giant tropical verdure, death rate OF
10000 a year, or nearly LOO a month";
has not served to worry the nationals.
i For the last five years American
medical officers have noticed mat
lower caste Haitians, sent to prison.
develop an alarming condition there
and die at a rate OF from 5O to W per
cent of those affected.
Only during the last II months nave
the causes and effects Of these alarm
ing deaths been studied and recog-
nized as separate disease. The dis
covery was made a year ago by Ut. W..
l.. Mann. surgeon of the United States
navy, a native of Austin, Tex, whose
naval rank is that of lieutenant COM
mander, supervising the entire medl-
cal department of the American-con-
trolled Gendarmerie d'Haiti.
i; DR.. Mann is a graduate OF Harvard
J medical school, holder Of several col
lege degrees and has spent the major
part of his time in tropical and SUD-
tropical countries. His writings on
preventive medicine and tropical dis
ease and long experience equipped MIN
TO point out this mysterious disease
soon after his arrival in Haiti.
Cause Undetermined.
Aided by the medical officers OF
the gendarmerie in an intensive re
search, DR.. Mann told the New Yort
Tribune correspondent here tina
nothing has developed which may den
jnite,y determine the cause of the dis
ease. which If ascertained and meas
ures taken to combat would result II
the saving of possibly more than ~
600 lives annually.
The disease has three manifesto
tons. One Of the most notable syml
toms is swelling Of certain parts o
the body. The flesh becomes water
I ! logged or sdropsical." 1t usually DC
| gins in the feet and spreads upward
3 Another form is the dry or emac
, ated type. The patient shows marke
| emaciation and dwindles almost I
3 skin and bones. Often dropsics
a changes to dry and vice versa. 1t
not unusual to see patient almos
: living skeleton, then develop a W.
e condition, and with the retention
t fluid in the body gain 20 or 80 pound
r in few days and become SO swolle
y I'D that recognition of his features
8 difficult.
f One of the mysteries Of the disea:
Ia that women seldom. If ever, co
d tract it. One medical. officer in Hal
n has observed more than 1000 cas-
l. without finding a single case amor
r females. At one time during Doct
le Mann's investigations women we
Is supposed to be entirely immun
y Finally three cases among women d
r. yeloped at the same dwelling plat
lie This combination Of circumstanc
s. suggested disease Of an infectio
se nature.
C. Disease Appears Suddenly.
ie A third manifestation of the mala
is that which suggests plague. Fro
= s to % per cent of the fatalit1
se take place in persons who do I
= complain of any symptoms. A n
(, son will appear In perfect heai'
4