20 MIASM, TKADITION AND PREJUDICE 



diseases like malaria and yellow fever. Could they do 

 so we would naturally expect yellow fever and malaria 

 in colder climes where there are certainly marshes and 

 offensive smells, hut where, nevertheless, there is no 

 malaria nor yellow fever. 



At the present time the world is seeing the spectacle 

 of the refutation of the miasm nightmare in the 

 Isthmus of Panama. Here there are some 48,000 

 workmen employed digging the canal in what was 

 formerly a notorious yellow-fever and malarial country. 

 Notwithstanding this and the fact that the graves of 

 the 50,000 workmen wlio perished of these very 

 diseases in the time of De Lesseps must have been 

 turned up over and over again, no cases of yellow 

 fever have occurred there during the last three years, 

 and malaria has been reduced to a very low figure, 

 so that the total death rate compares favourably with 

 any town in Europe. Surely mankind does not want 

 stronger proof. Yes, certain indi\iduals do. I know 

 of more than one learned medical man, judge, and 

 prosperous merchant who still argue in favour of the 

 nightmare — miasm. 



With the knowledge which we possess to-day we 

 can of course understand why the marsh should ha^'e 

 been regarded with dread. It is, however, not on 

 account of any miasm, but because disease-carrying 

 mosquitos bred there, — two \ery different things. 

 Experiments were already made, as we shall see when 

 we deal with tlie subject of yellow fever, to ascertain 

 by inoculation whetlier tlie soil of graveis in which 

 patients who had died of yellow fe\er had been buried 



