The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1942-07-02

mon in Egypt. So prevalent and
painful was this affection among
The armed forces that two young
men Of Guys Hospital in London,
named Cunningham and Saunders.
began to study it and established
the first hospital in the world for
eye diseases-Moorfield's, in Lon.
don, The study of this tropical dis.
ease was really the beginning Of
our scientific knowledge Of the
speciality diseases of the eye.
1t is so likely that it amounts TO
a certainty, that with the return
Of soldiers from this war we will
have introduced into this country
a number of tropical diseases
which are totally unfamiliar TO
the average medical man. 1t is
probable that they will not stay
here very long because they de-
pend upon climatic conditions, ami
NAL carriers which are Indigenous
to tropical countries, but we are
sure TO hear about them and for
that reason book just published
called Ambassadors in White: The
Story Of American Tropical Medi-
cine by Charles Morrow Wilson i,
very timely publication.
Tropical Diseases
The English, who have sent
their soldiers and colonials out to
tropical countries for years, have
had established in London the In
stitute and School of Tropical
Medicine but we have no SINH
lar institution here. | doubt if one
American doctor in a hundred has
ever seen case of kala-azar or
flariasis. Very few have ever seen
any amoebic dysentery or even
malaria. | live in an almost south
ern city and yet ! do not see ma
laria oftener than once or twice a
year and that in imported cases.
The whole aspect of disease in
tropical countries is different from
ours. Among the diseases which
are the ten principal causes of
death IN Latin America today are
malaria, enteritis and typhoid
fever. Malaria has not been an
important cause of death in the
Northern Western Hemisphere for
fifty years and typhoid fever has
not been among the ten principal
causes of death since 1900. The
whole atmosphere and the preva--
lence Of these diseases changes the
entire aspect Of life. In the United
States the average life expectancy
is sixty-fve years, five months;
in Chile it is about thirty-fve
years; in Peru, less than thirty;
in Mexico and Uruguay, well I'M
der forty.
Carelessness and Ignorance
A large part Of this, of course,
is due to the carelessness Of the
inhabitants and ignorance and in
difference TO the causes of the
tropical diseases. A Central Ameri-
can pays no more attention to
mosquito than you would to piece
Of lint that dropped on the skin Of
your hand. | have watched, fasci-
mated, while a mosquito made
miniature balloon Of itself out of
the blood Of native Of Nicaragua
They also drink any kind of
water that happens to be there,
regard screens and even doors and
windows with suspicion and let all
kinds Of animals wander in and
out Of their houses, no matter
whether they are disease carriers
or not.
/ speak Of period that Is
largely In the past. Due TO the
educational work Of sanitary en-
gineers, especially such enlight-
, ened organizations as the United
Fruit Company, the conquest Of
tropical diseases, in our own hemi-
sphere at least, is we'll on its way.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
B. F.:-Can man Of 81 be sue
cessfully operated on for varieose
veins?
Answer: Yes. They usually oe-
cur in people past middle age.
The Nazis are s1spicious of hin,