252 The National Geographic Magazine 



Saint Elias range, which, though but a short 

 distance from tide-water, is so inaccessible 

 that little is known of its geography or geol- 

 ogy. A second unexplored area lies adjacent 

 to the Arctic coast and the international bound- 

 ary, and extends southward down into the 

 Yukon Basin, and embraces about 40,000 square 

 miles that are practically unknown. 



A third unexplored area lies in the north- 



western part of the territory west of the 151st 

 meridian and north of the 68th parallel. This 

 also includes about 40,000 square miles and is 

 almost entirely unknown, though Schrader 

 and Howard have traversed its eastern mar- 

 gin. Of little-known areas we have also the 

 Kuskokwim Basin, which probably embraces 

 some 15,000 square miles, less than half of 

 which have been surveyed. 



GEOGRAPHIC 



Anemia in Potto Rico. By Bailey K. 



Ashford. Bureau of Printing, San 



Juan, Porto Rico. 1905. 



Another convincing instance of the 

 great work being done by our govern- 

 ment to help the people in our semi- 

 tropical possessions is given in the 

 recently published report of the com- 

 mission appointed to report on the pos- 

 sibility of suppressing ' ' anemia ' ' in 

 Porto Rico. Anemia has always been 

 more or less active in Porto Rico, but 

 after the hurricane of 1899 it became 

 specially troublesome. People thought 

 that it was the result of poor food, 

 worry, destitution, etc., but Dr Bailey 

 K. Ashford, U. S. Army, identified it 

 as the same disease as tropical anemia, 

 prevalent in Mexico and elsewhere, and 

 caused by a parasitic worm in the in- 

 testines. 



Through the cooperation of Governor 

 Hunt the Porto Rican legislature in 

 the winter of 1904 was induced to ap- 

 propriate $5,000 for the study and treat- 

 ment of the disease. Governor Hunt 

 appointed as members of the commis- 

 sion Captain Ashford, Surgeon W. W. 

 King, and Dr Igaravidez. These gen- 

 tlemen made a tour of the island, ex- 

 amining and treating 500 to 600 persons 

 a day. The patients would begin to 

 arrive early in the morning, in many 

 cases having traveled since the day be- 

 fore, generally on foot ; sometimes they 

 spent several days on the road. Very 

 bad cases were carried in hammocks to 

 the camp. In practically every case the 



LITERATURE 



disease was found to be caused solely 

 by ' ' uncinaria. ' ' Patients were given 

 a prescription which they presented to 

 the apothecary, who delivered the medi- 

 cine with directions as to how it should 

 be taken, the patients, or those accom- 

 panying them, being required to repeat 

 these instructions until they were thor- 

 oughly understood. They were directed 

 to return in one week for reexamina- 

 tion and more medicine, most of them 

 doing so with considerable regularity. 

 The more advanced cases were treated 

 in hospitals hastily constructed of tents. 



In his report on the work of the com- 

 mission Captain Ashford states that 

 probably 90 per cent of the rural popu- 

 lation of Porto Rico suffer from anemia. 

 Such a large percentage of affected must 

 injure the economical power of the coun- 

 try. The parasitic worm usually gains 

 entrance by the penetration of the larvae 

 through the skin. The disease is cura- 

 ble in the great majority of cases and 

 can, believes Captain Ashford, be prac- 

 tically stamped out of the island if hy- 

 gienic laws are enforced. The limited 

 sum at the disposal of the commission 

 enabled them to carry on their work for 

 a few months only. The members re- 

 ceived no salary, and each member pro- 

 vided his own instruments and labora- 

 tory equipment. 



Sweden : Its People and Its Industry. 



Edited by Gustav Sundbarg. Pp. xi + 

 1 143. Illustrated. Stockholm. 1904. 

 This is the third edition, the first 



