296 MOSQUITOES OF NORTH AMERICA 
ance during the time they were occupied in pushing civilization into the then 
newly discovered continent. 
“In Cuba yellow fever was probably known as the Pest or Epidemic of 
Havana as early as 1620. The first authentic description of the black vomit in 
Havana was furnished by Dr. Thomas Romay in the year 1761. 
“In the beginning of the eighteenth century the disease, from its appearance 
in various parts of Spanish America under the name of vomito prieto, attracted 
much attention, and it is particularly referred to by the historian Ulloa, who 
resided for some years in that country. The word prieto appears to be the Portu- 
guese or nearly obsolete Spanish term for black. In Spanish the word negro 
is now universally substituted. A small pamphlet of sixty-two pages by a Dr. 
Gastelbondo, written at Carthagena (S. A.) in 1753 and printed at Madrid in 
1755, was probably the first work ex professo on the black vomit as it appeared 
in South America. He gives his experience of the disease during forty years. 
He says on the title page that he is about to write about a disease of frequent oc- 
currence in that part of the world, mentions change of climate and mode of living 
among some of the causes of the disease in new-comers, and says that the natives 
of Carthagena, Vera Cruz, etc., were not subject to attacks of the true black 
vomit fever, though liable to the ‘ Chapetonada,’ a disease resembling it in some 
respects.” 
It has been claimed by some that yellow fever is of African origin and was 
imported into America through the slave trade. The most comprehensive argu- 
ment in favor of the African origin of the yellow-fever mosquito is given by 
Goeldi and on that account we give it here in full. 
“Tam well acquainted with the arguments of those authors who claim that 
stegomyia is of American origin. They are based chiefly on the story of the 
voyage of Christopher Columbus. Without disputing whether the disease which 
killed a part of the crew of the caravels of the conquerors was indeed identical 
with yellow fever, does this in itself amount to a positive proof that this dis- 
ease did not previously exist on the coast of Africa? Most certainly not. At 
most it might be objected that no historical documents exist relating to the 
existence of stegomyia in Africa before Columbus. Further, from the absence 
of any historic document about any given fact there never can be deduced the 
non-existence of this fact. There are evidently many things which happened in 
this sublunary world of which no human historian has left us a story and which 
nevertheless are most certainly true. 
“ Let us examine this question a little more closely. Stegomyia fasciata is, 
as we know, a mosquito which affects great cities, populous centers of the shore 
and neighboring regions. Now, I ask where were these great cities which the 
European invaders should have found along the Atlantic coast from the Antilles 
even down to the Rio dela Plata? Where are those points where the indigenous 
Americans were found in populous permanent residences? There were none, 
and this in no wise surprises us, considering the habits and customs of the 
Indians. The indigenous American was at all times that which he is today ; 
endowed with the love of liberty, he never had the habit or even the tendency 
to group and concentrate himself in really considerable collective residences. 
His village consisted of a few dozen houses—in most cases not even one hundred 
being found in a limited area. They were peasants rather than townspeople; 
as with ants and bees, an increase of numbers always produced for them as a 
consequence migration of groups, dismemberment—a new village was formed, 
half a day, a day, or two days further up the river, further down the river, 
further in the forest, and this in turn became disintegrated in view of the rest- 
