1903 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 27 



It was a source of great gratification and thankfulness that the remedy had at last been 

 found, and that there need be no further fear of an epidemic of Yellow Fever in the future. It 

 had been proved beyond doubt that this fell disease was only transmitted by a mosquito, and 

 that by warding off the attacks of the insect it could be kept under complete control. There is 

 now no further need of costly and vexatious quarantine arrangements ; cargoes of perishable 

 fruits from suspected ports will no longer be detained while the fruit is rotting, and comr.erce 

 in those southern seas will be freed from the restiictions formerly imposed upon it. 



Dr. Howard then related the various onward steps which had been taken in order that the 

 important discovery might be verified and all doubts as to its truth be removed. For a long 

 time it was supposed that the fever was either carried by the air or conveyed in clothing or 

 other articles which had come in contact with cue suffering from the disease. When at length 

 science had discovered that micro-organi.sms were the cause of many infectious diseases, the 

 search for the yellow fever baccillus was soon undertaken and many investigators laid claim to 

 its discovery. Dr. Sanarelli, in 1897, published an account of a germ that he named Bacillus 

 ideroides and which he believed to be the true cause of the fever. As this was subsequently 

 reported to have been discovered by two surgeons of the U.S. Marine Hospital Service in 

 thirteen out of fourteen cases of yellow fever in Havana, it was then by some accepted as the 

 obnoxious bacillus. 



The next stage in the investigation was the mode of transmission of the noxious organism 

 from the sick to the well which caused the wide and rapid spread of the disease. Dr. Carlos 

 Finlay, of Havana, was the first to put forth the theory that a mosquito was the agent, and in 

 1881, he stated his belief that this insect was the species known as Culex (now Ste(iomyki) fusciata. 

 He failed, however, to prove the absolute correctness of his theory as the experiments he made 

 were not eniirely under his control and there was in consequence great room for doubt. It wss 

 not until so recent a date as the year 1900 that a full and convincing demonstration was made 

 of the truth of this theory. An official board of United States Army surgeons under the 

 leadership:) of Dr. Walter Reed, of the United States Army, was appointed to investigite the 

 infectious diseases prevailing in Cuba, and they arrived at Quemado on June 25th, 1900. One 

 of their first proceec^gs was to make experiments with Dr. Finlay's mosquito. Jileven persons 

 allowed themselves to be bitten by contaminated mosquitoes. In two cases only did yellow 

 fever result ; one of these was Dr. Lazar, a member of the board, who cliel in consequence 

 and thus laid down his life as a noble martyr to the cause of scientific work for the benefit of 

 suftering humanity. 



In the November following the board resumed its work and built two experiment houses a 

 'mile from the town of Quemado. In one of these, volu(jteers allowed themselves to be bitten 

 by infected niosquitoes,and in the other volunteers, quite as brave, submitted to live and sleep in 

 badly ventilated rooms with soiled bedding and clothing brought directly from yellow fever 

 patients in the hospitals. Both cottages were screened to prevent the ingress of any mosquitoes 

 from outside. The result of the experiments was that out of thirteen of those bitten by 

 infected mi squitoes, ten contracted the disease, while the volunteers who spent many nights 

 in contact with infected clothing entirely escaped. The utmost care was taken to preclude any 

 possibility of mistake, and the results have been accepted by medical investigators who visited 

 the station as absolutely conclusive. 



Dr. Howard paid a high tribute to these men who so bravely risked the loss of their lives 

 by a loathsome disease without any prospect of pecuniary reward, in order that by doing so 

 they might help to save thousands of their fellow-creatures in the future from disease and 

 death. Courage such as this, exhibited by American soldiers and hospital attendants, should 

 rank as high in the annals of heroism as the bravest deeds done on the battle- field or in stress 

 of storm or fight at sea. 



