122 3I0SQUIT0ES 



rather strange that his published I3ai3ers did not excite 

 sufficient interest to induce other investigators to under- 

 take any experimental work in the same direction. This 

 fact in itself shows plainly the almost perfect incredu- 

 lity with which they were received. AYhen, however, 

 the beautiful results of the malarial investigators had 

 become generall}^ acce^^ted and it was shown beyond all 

 peradventure that not only do certain mosquitoes carry 

 filiaria, but also that some of them are necessary second- 

 ary hosts of the malarial micro-organisms, then it was 

 that a few people began to think of Dr. Finla}^ and his 

 theory. In the meantime, strong efforts had been made 

 to find the cause of yellow fever. Several micro-organ- 

 isms had been discovered and several investigators 

 announced the probable discovery of the causative germ. 

 Nearly all of these discoveries have been discredited b}^ 

 subsequent observations. The organism which has 

 received the most support has been the Bacillus icteroides 

 of Sanarelli, but down to a ver}^ recent date the insistent 

 claim by the Italian investigator of the value of his dis- 

 covery has been disputed by competent observers. 



The occupation of the island of Cuba by American 

 troops attracted the attention of Dr. Sternberg, Surgeon- 

 General of the Army, more strongly than ever before, to 

 the subject of ^^ellow fever, although he had long been an 

 ardent investigator of the cause of the disease, and, in 

 fact, was one of the Yellow-fever Commission who visited 

 Cuba in 1879, in an effort to investigate scientifically and 

 by modern bacteriological methods the causation of the 

 fever. In this early Cuban residence he became ac- 



