Evening star., 1926-06-17
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

In 1925 there were only three cases
of yellow fever in all Of North. South
q nd Central America. and these three
occurred In northern Brazil. where
In former years. thouss nds of cases
were continually taking victims. Yel
low fever has been exterminated from
the world except in western Africa
among $4,000 600 natives stepped In
superstition and ignora nee and suspi
cion OF the white man.
Malaria, which in the last genera
ton and since the beginning of time
parts OF the world. waited for the in
vention Of the airpia ne before sur
rendering to science. Now. from the
airplane there rains a gentle shower
Of paris green. and mala ria ceas ses to
trouble mankind. for the poison. which
formerly had been used to Kill potato
bugs. now slays the ma ria mosquito.
Ninety nine per cent Of the rain IL
just road dust. which serves as the
vehicle carrying the ! per cent OF
paris green-too weak dose TO in
jure men or animals, even though
they feed upon the crops which prove
fatal TO the larvae of the deadly car
rier of the malaria. At insignifica mt
cost the pest is practically eradicated
wherever the experimental. treatment
has been followed.
These vital facts transpire in the
Advance report of the 1925 work Of
the Rockefeller Foundation. which re-
port has just appeared.
The report further speaks Of how
the Founda tion had co operated with
Is governments in fighting the hook
worm. and I'M preventive measures
aga inst the disea se. by which 500, 600
people were protected.
The Foundation expended last year
more than a million dollars a month
in ma king the world safe for the de-
mOcrscy of good health.
1t is stated by the authority OF the
United states Public Health Service
headed by the surgeon general. that
in the World War more soldiers were
killed by the cootie than by the opera
tions OF the military enemies, although
science had made great progress
against that little pest.
Fifteen years ago typhoid fever In
Washington annually took 35 lives
out OF every 1907 200. and physical ns
boasted OF Washington as ultra -sa nj
tary, for other cities of the United
states showed record Of 100 to 120
fatal cases per 100000 population.
Today the Nations registration area
averages less than S fatal typhoid
cases per geo population.
The United States has had no
cholera since 1873, scarcely any small
times attacked half the popula tion
Of cities and county. Scarlet fever
and diphtheria have been reduced 80
per cent, and pulmonary tuberculosis
50 per cent.
In the registration area the ma stery
Of diseas Sc. a. compared with a aenera
ton ago saves the lives of 400, ,00O
people annually. and an average of
rs years is added to our longevity.
1t may almcst be said today that men
reach the acme Of ability now At the
ase when DR.. Osler Is reported to
have "a Id men had passed their use
fulness CDr. Osler disclaimed ever
having said 40, but he is hest known
among laymen for what perhaps he
never really said)
IL
dates within the lives of hnen yet liv.
ing in active vigor. In 1860 Pasteur
found living bacteria in the air, but 1t
was 10 years later before there was
any systematic effort to study what
the bacteria meant to life. Not until
1871 were bacteria found in water.
and. still later, in milk and other
foods Science was cropping. where
today II works with clear vision Of
cause and effect.
When the water of New York City
was first filtered the curve upon the
chart of vital statistics made a radical
change OF angle. Later. when mi
tation Of milk was first enforced. an
other astounding change of the
curve" upon the chart showed how
lives were being saved by clean and
pasteurized milk.
II is true that a. far back as 1883
Kircher found living orga nisms In
blood, but he had no idea of their
functions. Not until two centuries
had passed-in 1s63-wAs the first dis
covery OF the connection between
bacilli and disease. Ten years later
1s73--the bacillus Of fever was found.
and in 1876 Pasteur isolated that or
malignant odema. Not until 1SS2,
when Koch discovered the tubercie
bacillus, and in 1884. the bacillus OF
cholera. did science recognize fully
the importa nee of bacteriOlOgy as the
foundation of practically all disease.
In our Civii War. IS soldiers out Of
every 900 died. annually. of disease:
even in our Spa nish War, 30 out OF
1000 died Of disease, but in the World
War. even with the terrible epidemic
Of influenza and pneumonia. the NOR
tAlity from disease wss only 1913 per
r ! 900. Out Of the 1000 900 soldiers In
the American Armyson both sides OF
the Atlantic, only 213 died Of typhoid
fever, while in the Spanish War our
force of 107.g73 men lost 1850 by
typhoid. This improvement Is at
tributed to preventive incubation
which was introduced into army prac-
tice In 1909 by Maj. F. f. Russell,
Marine Corps.
The fact that average expectancy"
Of life in America has been extended
is years. compared with that Of half q
century ago, il familiar. TO most read
ers. This extension. however. Is
mainly due tn the saving of children