The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-08-31
ATNOTSOBAD
 PE1E TROPICS,
 1SDR. HARRIS
ghan Physician s Of Convention Trip To South
bale Harris, who was one of ke physicians in the United States

ealA Harris, who was one of
 ,e nhysicians in the United States
 to narticipate in the Interna-
 kConference on Health Problems
 ,aAAmerican tropics, writes an in
 fling account on some of his ex-
 ences, as well as a discussion or
 aitions in the tropics.
 br. Harris, with Mrs. Harris and
 daughters has just returned from |ss irip. which included tours of nAtanala, Honduras, Costa Rlca, Ja- aica, and Panama. His account tol- bws s Travel south in summer. It IS ac- ually. cooler in the tropics in mid Hummer than it is during any of the hot spells that we have in the States. *Whife we were reading about the terri ble heat wave that has been sweeping fhas. country, with sun strokes in New York ani other eastern cities, the maxi raaaras Temperature in Panama was o2 degrees. Mrs. Harris, my daughter ana I suffered more from the neat Tn travelling from Yellowstone Park to Rochester, Minn., last summer than we
 during our seven weeks m the Tropics. Doctor and Mrs. Banting, who we're in the party said they would have sufferer more from the heat had they remained in Toronto than they did during their visit to the tropics.
 sIn Guatamala City and in San Jose, Costa Rica, both of which are about 5000 feet above sea level, we slept un- da Blankets every night. New Orleans ls khe hottest place we found and Ha- vAfA next, though there is always bre6zs there which makes the heat en- Sllfa6J The International conference on Alth Problems in the American 1foFzes was held in Kingston, Jamaica, wllerss we were for two weeks, and the 1zyfkle Bank hotel there is as attractive zM summer as in winter.
 Thinks Birmingham Best
 eneral Gorgas proved that with the EllnSnation of parasitic diseases like nalNk1a, hookworm and yellow fever, inc white man can live as long, and he & Efficient in the tropics as in tenn nex&A zones... would not exchange the veaH round climate of Birmingham for fffeK of any other city in the world, and tls e is no reason for leaving Birming- hsl any more than New York on ac- ca Int of the heat. We do need a rest a change at, times and my advice
 
 4natamala' and Panama for an inter- esting; comfortable summer trip. There ls~no danger of contracting malaria in any place in the tropics to which the tourist will travel. Yellow fever has almost ceased to exist and since the West Indies and the Central American countries are so near us, and travelling Is so comfortable, why not go there in- @kaaI nf t1 orr fn Canada, if one has been there before !? No country in Europe is more interest ing to the tourist than Guatamala or Panama. We should visit near neigh bor in the tropics. There are wonderful opportunities there for commercial ex- tension; and 1t is worth while for our manufacturers to look to the tropics for future. trade.
 W.. were guests of the United Fruit
 pany, the medical director of which
 ed a group of specialists from a
 n different countries to study health
 iitions and make suggestions for inn
 Eement in the welfare of their more
 100000 employees in the tropics.
 United Fruit company is trying to
 pr. the West Indies and Central
 rica what the United States did for
 Canal Zone. This great company made the conquest of the tropics cSnnercially, and it's owners find that it pays to protect the health and lives of their employees.
 '@The United Fruit company is per haps next to the United States Steel company of the great industries of the world, and, Mr. Preston and Mir. Keith, like Mir. Gary and Mir. Crawford, be- lieve that the welfare of their employees is paramount in their success. The hospital of the fruit company in the West Indies and Central America are as modern and as well equipped as any in the world, and that company is spreading the gospel of health and in- dustry in places that were formerly tropical jungles and death holes. It is perhaps the greatest civilizing agent in the world today"