Antiseptic Vegetation for Cuba 



Tin- word antiseptic is applied to vegetation planted for the 

 purposes of killing germs, either in the ground or air, and com- 

 bating the ravages of fever and disease. The late Baron Ferdi- 

 nand von Mueller first made use of this word which so aptly 

 describes the various genera of Myrtaceous vegetation now 

 recognized as one of nature's great gifts to mankind. For over 

 forty years he devoted his life to the classification of the flora of 

 Australia, at that time almost unknown to the world, and he 

 himself attributed the salubrity of the coast climate of Western 

 Australia largely to the prevalence of Myrtaceous trees and 

 shrubs. As yet it has hardly been definitely settled how this is 

 accomplished; hut recognizing the presence in these plants of 

 volatile oil. the purification of the soil and air is probably accom- 

 plished partly by drying up unhealthy swamps, and possibly the 

 roots directly feeding on the destructive germs contained in the 

 soil, and partly by the diffusion of an antiseptic ether, deadly to 

 these germs; partly also by the direct absorption and deodorizing 

 action of the leaves. It is not. however, my intention here to 

 enter into the chemistry of the oils of the .Melaleucas or Euca- 

 lyptus, as little is at present known as to the former: and as 

 regards the latter, much yet remains to he investigated, and 

 also it is not yet definitely settled how this vegetation favorably 

 affects climates. 



Before proceeding directly to discuss the various plants rec- 

 ommended for trial, we would like to suggesl the conditions we 

 would have to meet in Cuba. The United States Governmenl has 

 already been making some inquiries, and I think it is especially 

 timely for I he Academy of Science of Southern California to collect 

 and classify the information we have, especially as our President. 

 Mr. Abbot Kinney, has written what is now the standard work 

 on the successful introduction of the Eucalyptus (one greal 

 venus of antiseptic vegetation), and. with Mr. Elwood Cooper 

 and other pioneers, has so widely distributed the various species 

 that they now form one of the chief features of our Southern 



