226 The Control of Mosquitoes 



and quinine. From my visit I concluded the results 

 were mainly from oiling, which was done for practi- 

 cally half a mile on each side of the canal, or at least 

 the inhabited portions of the Zone. The great 

 majority of the population do not live in screened 

 houses and very few take quinine. Drainage is 

 constantly interfered with, and there is no agriculture. 

 Colonel Gorgas had therefore everything against him 

 except the determination to win and money to back 

 him. Depending on oiling the organization has to 

 be, and is, perfect, for failure for a single week would 

 allow mosquitoes to develop. Their position is as if 

 they had a wild beast by the throat, but were not 

 allowed to kill it ; yet if for a moment their grip were 

 to be released, the beast would be on them. No 

 greater sanitary work has been done: I doubt if we 

 will see as great again. It is perfect work, and its 

 organization is the only kind that would have suc- 

 ceeded under the circumstances. Some of the methods 

 I saw are already being put into action in the Fed- 

 erated Malay States on my advice. 



The health officials had no control over the 

 selection of camp sites, yet were expected to main- 

 tain the standard of good health of the laborers. 

 In some cases the camps were placed near prolific 

 Anopheles production areas, and no extra funds 

 provided for their treatment. Similarly difficult 

 problems and conditions were brought about by 

 unnecessary obstructing of natural watercourses 

 and flooding hundreds of acres of jungle near 



