Sanitation -- Cuba -- Havana; Sanitation -- Panama; Yellow fever -- Cuba -- Havana
That after the non-immune human being had been bitten by the infected
stegomyia mosquito, an incubation period of from three to six days
elapsed before the man began to show symptoms of yellow fever. The
shortest period of incubation in Dr. Reed’s cases was two hours less
than three days, and the longest period, two hours more than six days.
That the blood, taken at the proper time and injected into a
non-immune, would also cause yellow fever; that the disease was
caused by a parasite, and that the parasite was sub-microscopic.
These discoveries have been of enormous benefit to mankind, and upon
them has been based the sanitary work against yellow fever which has
been so successful. At first blush, however, it was not evident to
what extent it would be of practical use to us.
CHAPTER IV
THE SANITARY BOARD OF HAVANA
At this time, February, 1901, I was health officer of the city of
Havana. The efforts of the Department had been concentrated for more
than two years previous upon controlling yellow fever in that city.
Not only had we met with no success, but yellow fever was actually
worse than when we commenced work. Ample funds and power had been
given us by General Wood, the military governor, and we had by far
the best and most efficient sanitary organization of whose existence,
either before or since that time, I have any knowledge.
When the work of the Reed Board began to point to the mosquito as the
conveyor of yellow fever, the Sanitary Department of Havana was at
its wits’ end and was glad to receive this discovery as a means of
possible help. I, as health officer of Havana, had nothing to do with
the work of the Reed Board in any way whatever, except that I was a
very interested spectator and kept in close touch with the work as
it developed. We assisted the Board in every way that we could. All
the hospitals in the city were under our control, so that we were
enabled to furnish them ample clinical material.
Neither the Reed Board nor any of its members had anything to do
with the practical working out of the methods whereby their theory
was demonstrated, and by means of which yellow fever was finally
eliminated from Havana. These methods were first originated and
worked out by the Sanitary Department of Havana during the year 1901.
They have since been copied and successfully applied in many parts of
the world where yellow fever formerly prevailed.
Dr. Finlay, in a reprint from the _Journal of the American Medical
Association_, April 19, 1902, says:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account