Evening star., 1927-10-23
SMUGGLING RuSE-G ONERNMENT AGENTS
ON TAE MEXICAN BORDER CONTEND WITH
DAILY ALLIGATOR PEARS ENCLOSED IN BRAD

ago, the scientists were wired to
hasten to Brownsville to do research
work with a particularly violent and
widespread form of the dengue fever.
Armed with sundry pieces of scientific
apparatus and guinea pigs with which
to conduct experiments, the men ar.
rived at their destination.
All went well-for a few hours.
They carefully got their apparatus in
working shape, then ate a hearty
breakfast The meal over, one doctor
told his confrere he had a headache,
to which the latter laughingly replied:
You're contracting dengue fever.
Better let me take your temperature. Z"
Sure enough, he had it. But the
really impressive fact to the scientists
was that no sooner was the one tenn
perature taken than the fellow con.
sulting physician likewise got the dis.
ease.
Thenceforth there was but one pro.
cedure--to attempt to comfort each
other. The task was difficult, because
each had a hearty dose of the dis
agreeable fever, with its characteristic
pains and uncomfortable eruptions.
BY the time they were sufficiently re.
covered to start their research work
the epidemic was thing of the past!
Similar occurrences are all too
common in research work. BY no
means is pure gold mined always.
There are perhaps scores of wild
goose chases and failures to one sue.
cess.
Take the experience of one promi.
nent health investigator. A physician
In a Southern town wired him to
come at once to advise him In re-
gard to proper treatment Of a bad
case Of lushmaniasis. a mysterious
Oriental disease, little known in
America. Upon arriving at his des-
tination, weighed down with guinea
pigs land elaborate laboratory equip
ment, it took him but a short time
to cure the disease" 1t seems that
the patient was a dope fiend who
had contracted a series of boils from
the practice of shooting" himself
with a dirty hypodermic.
\
Out on the Navajo Indian reserva.
ton in New Mexico the Gov.
ernment health inspectors get an
abundant portion of their laughs,
along with some thrills that fortu.
nateiy don't get into print. Health
conditions there aren't what they
No~A
secret to tell of the frolicsome times
Of yesteryear, when the good red men
characteristically were covered with
wee crawling things which the white
folks term lice.
Believe 1t or not. the major task
OF the Government doctors was to
convince the redskins that the lice
really were bad for them, for they
had been in constant company with
the crawlers all their life, there being
little water obtainable for bathing.
Argument, humor, invective-almost
every means of persuasion was tried,
but the Indians We're adamant. Final.
ly, however, a clever ruse was hit
upon. The medicine men were told
that the Indians were infected by a
Mexican louise. and, since the Mexi-
cans are not particularly beloved in
those parts, the plan worked to per.
fection.
Another difficulty was that the Gov.
ernment officials wishes had to be
translated ordinarily through the
medicine men, who naturally were
not very anxious to cooperate. They
knew full well the white men would
frown on many of their native treat.
ments." One recalcitrant medicine
man declared point blank that the
officials were wasting time trying to
convince him that lice could be any
thing but harmless. Somewhat out
OF patience, an inspector resorted to
his wits. Very WE'LL" he decla red.
"Ill make bargain with you. mt
these lice down your neck. II u
die. I'm right. II you live. e
right" Need 1t be said that the M II.
cine man was convinced?
Another old medicine man, whose
body had never felt the rough con-
tamination Of soap. finally was per-
suaded to receive his initial, and pos
sibly final, ablutions. His comment
was terse and to the point. Said he: