264 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



tries. It was considered very essential 

 that extraordinary measures be taken for 

 the health protection of this zone. 



The mode of procedure and the oper- 

 ations which have been carried out in the 

 vicinity of Little Rock, Ark., may be 

 considered as fairly exemplifying all of 

 the work, but each of the cantonment 

 zones presents an individual problem. 



WORK AROUND CAMP PIKE, LITTLE ROCK, 

 ARKANSAS 



The site selected for the National 

 Army cantonment at Little Rock, Ark., 

 comprises a tract of some three thousand 

 acres, about four miles north of Little 

 Rock, on the opposite side of the Arkan- 

 sas River. The camp is situated on a 

 plateau about 500 feet above sea-level, 

 and approximately 200 feet above the 

 river plane. About one-half a mile away 

 is the city of Argenta. In addition to the 

 area set aside for the cantonment proper, 

 ten thousand acres to the northward of 

 the cantonment have been designated as a 

 training ground. The surrounding coun- 

 try is rolling, partly open, partly wooded ; 

 the soil consisting of surface soil, clay, 

 and gravel, with some small boulders 

 upon a sandstone bedrock. In places the 

 land is low and marshy. Three civil di- 

 visions are included in the sanitary dis- 

 trict : the city of Little Rock, the city of 

 Argenta, and a portion of Pulaski County. 



A SEVENTY SQUARE-MILE BATTLEFIELD 

 IN A MOSQUITO WAR 



The major sanitary problems in the dis- 

 trict were the eradication of malaria and 

 the effective control of the other com- 

 municable diseases. The former required 

 for its accomplishment the extermination 

 of Anopheles mosquitoes in the whole 

 area, particular attention being paid to 

 mosquito-breeding within the range of 

 mosquito flight from the camp. In addi- 

 tion, it was necessary to supplement these 

 measures with the control of the infected 

 and the infectible civilian population in 

 the district ; in other words, to break the 

 chain of malaria infection by the control 

 of the disease-carrying insect on the one 

 hand, and the killing of the malaria para- 

 site in the infected human being on the 

 other. 



The territory which had to be rendered 

 mosquito - free covered about seventy 

 square miles, in all of which were numer- 

 ous and prolific breeding places for the 

 Anopheles. Though the country was nat- 

 urally well drained by water-courses of 

 ample fall, considerable difficulty was an- 

 ticipated in the proper channeling of these 

 streams by reason of the rocky character 

 of their beds. The great obstacle, how- 

 ever, was the matter of time, since only 

 about two months were to elapse between 

 the beginning of the work and the oc- 

 cupation of the cantonment. The control 

 of the other infectious diseases required 

 close sanitary supervision of the entire 

 area and its population by an efficient 

 health organization. 



Since three civil divisions were in- 

 volved, the question naturally arose as 

 to whether there should be three health 

 bodies or one central, consolidated or- 

 ganization administering the entire sani- 

 tary district. 



Early in June the sanitary survey was 

 completed. The report covered the water 

 supply, the sewage system, the public 

 health administration, the collection of 

 mortality and health statistics, and the 

 prevention of the communicable diseases, 

 not only for the cities of Little Rock and 

 Argenta, but for the surrounding rural 

 area in Pulaski County as well. 



It was necessary to drain mosquito- 

 breeding pools, channel water-courses, 

 and eliminate, by filling or otherwise, 

 many places not capable of such treat- 

 ment, or, if this was not possible, to de- 

 stroy the larva? by careful oiling at 

 least once in every seven days during the 

 mosquito-breeding season. Every case 

 of malarial fever had to be recognized 

 promptly and reported, screened, and 

 treated ; and the general public, by edu- 

 cational measures, had to be induced to 

 screen their houses and porches, and, 

 where necessary, to take quinine in small 

 doses at regular intervals. 



CLEANING OUT DISEASE 



In Little Rock and Argenta the con- 

 demnation of unsafe wells and springs 

 and the substitution of the public water 

 supply was necessary. There were over 

 5.000 open, insanitary privies in the two 



