Evening star., 1941-08-16
16U.5. Health Expert,
To Help China Build
New Burma Road
Unit Will Supervise
Malaria Control in
Infected Region

The United States will allocate
$1,l50 900 of lease-lend funds and
send is Americans to China to
guard the health of 250000 Chinese
workmen building railroad to
parallel the Burma road through
300 malaria infested miles, it was
learned today.
This Government was asked orig
inally to supervise malaria control
in what is considered the most
highly infected malaria region in
the world.
The project, however, has pro-
gresscd to the point where the To-
man unit will supervise the entire
medical, public health and santa
ton program. The work will be
limited to the stretch along the
roadbed, involving mosquito con-
troll and drug prophylaxis.
DIR. Haas Heads Unit.
The unit was formed by Surgeon
General Thomas Parran. jr.. of the
United States Public Health Service
at the request of the Chinese gov
ernment and will be headed by D-.
Victor S. Haas. passed assistant sur
geon of the Public Health Service.
Stationed at Memphis. Tenn, DR..
Haas IS now in Washington to con-
fer with State Department officials.
The Public Health Service and
the Rockefeller Foundation will pay
the salaries of their men on the
project and this Government will
furnish sl50,000 for expenses of the
unit outside of their salaries, as
well as s1,000.000 for medical sup
plies. The Chinese government will
contribute sl50,000 toward the SAL
aries of its own personnel, includ-
ing nurses and technicians.
Military protection for the unit
has been guaranteed by the Chi
nese government.
Hospital units will be erected
along along the line of the con-
struction camps and the doctors and
engineers will be responsible for
sanitation in the camps.
DR.. Haas and D. E. Wright
Rockefeller Foundation sanitary
engineer. will leave for China by
clipper from San Francisco August
% to put the project in operation
A few days later, DR.. Marshall
Balfour of the Rockefeller Founda-
ton International Health Board will
join the expedition.
Others assigned to the project are
DR.. T. H. Tomlinson of the Dis
trict. passed assistant surgeon, Pub
lie Health Service; DR.. w. L. Jelli-
son, an entomologist now stationed
at the Public Health Service
Laboratory in Hamilton, Mont;
Fred w. Thomas and Edward r
Lacey. sanitary engineers loaned by
the Tennessee Valley Authority
DR.. Gordon Smith, entomologist
loaned by the Tennessee Valley
Authority; DR.. F. P. Manget, Meth
odist missionary with long expert
ence in China, who will supervise
medical care of the labor, and DR.
Paul Stevenson of the Rockefeller
Foundation, who has been working
with medical centers and hospitals
in China for 20 years.
The railway, when completed, will
be more than TOO miles long, includ-
ing the 100-mile Burma section
from Lashio to the border at Kun
long. 1t would connect with the
railway from Rangoon to Lashio
giving China a 1,300-mile supply
line to Running from the sea.
The 3O0-mile sector along which
the American unit will work follows
the Burma road over tortuous
mountain sectors subject to fire.
quent washouts. The railroad would
handle many times the amount OF
traffic of the Burma road and would
reduce the strain and length of haul
on the Burma road where shortage
of fuel and trucks Is serious
problem. The railroads major i'm
portance, however, is as a wartime
supply route.