YELLOW FEVER 



69 



Japanese authors, two epidemics in coal mines have already been 

 prevented by the latter method, combined with removal of inun- 

 dated water. 



Yellow Fever 



Distribution. Yellow fever is a disease which is especially 

 characteristic of the seaport towns of tropical America, although 

 it is also endemic on the west coast of Africa, whence many think 

 it was imported to America with the slaves. Its approximate 

 distribution is shown in Fig. 12. In the past, before the days 

 of the strict quarantine laws now enforced, serious epidemics of 

 this dread disease appeared during the summer in numerous 

 seaports of subtropical and temperate countries. At one time 



FIG. 12. Map showing geographic distribution of the yellow fever mosquito, 

 Aedes calopus (black lines) , and former distribution of yellow fever (red stipple) . 



there was no city on the whole Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the 

 United States which was exempt from yellow fever epidemics, and 

 the disease exerted a serious influence on the economic conditions, 

 especially of our Southern States. In New Orleans there have 

 been epidemics which have cost thousands of lives, the last one 

 occurring in 1905. In temperate cities the epidemics always 

 ended with the coming of frost and destruction of the transmitting 

 mosquitoes. Now the situation is quite different and there is 

 no reason to believe that the world will ever again see such a sight 



