474 The National Geographic Magazine 



room of each house is carefully in- 

 spected for mosquito larvae in water- 

 containers placed therein. The work 

 of the inspectors is also sufficiently 

 checked, so that we know that the work 

 is being properly and thoroughly done. 



"During July, 1905, 5, 189 house and 

 yard inspections were made, and the 

 mosquito larvae (mostly in the early 

 stages of development) were found in 

 579 of the houses inspected. By means 

 of this continuous inspection at short 

 intervals the mosquito larvae are de- 

 stroyed before they reach the pupal 

 stage. 



' 1 The streets all over the city are 

 being constantly torn up for the installa- 

 tion of the water and sewer systems. 

 The rainy season is at hand, and so we 

 have a collection of pools and water 

 holes all over the city. A brigade of 

 oilers is at work and these water sur- 

 faces are being kept covered with oil. 

 The house-to-house inspection, com- 

 bined with the work of the oil brigade, 

 is giving good results. ' ' 



SPLENDID RESULTS OF VIGILANCE 



A comparison between the conditions 

 that obtained during the first year of 

 canal work under French administration 

 and present conditions shows how suc- 

 cessfully the United States is solving the 

 question of sanitation. In 1881 the 

 French reported an average force of 1928 

 men on the Isthmus, with a death rate 

 of 66. 8 per thousand, while in the Ancon 

 hospital alone the deaths from yellow 

 fever reached the proportion of 23.7 per 

 thousand. In reassuring contrast to that 

 record, the death rate on the canal zone 

 among the 10,000 employes May, June, 

 July (1905), was but 2.6 per thousand. 

 This would make an annual mortality 

 of about 10 per thousand. Of 12,000 

 men at work during August, 301 were 

 constantly sick, or less than 25 per thou- 

 sand. 



, The number of cases of fever, most of 

 which recovered, decreased from 72 in 



June to 28 in July, due to the scientific 

 efforts of the sanitary officers in screen- 

 ing, cleaning, draining, and taking all 

 the other precautions that our Cuban 

 victory over the fever has taught us to 

 employ. It should be kept in mind that 

 since De Lesseps' time science has solved 

 the problem of checking yellow fever. 

 The United States, therefore, has over- 

 come what seemed to be to the French 

 an unsurmountable obstacle. 



PURE- WATER SYSTEM INAUGURATED 



The marked decrease in the number 

 of cases in what may be considered one 

 of the worst months of the year is also 

 due, in part, to the new water supply 

 for the city of Panama that was first 

 turned into the mains on July 4. With 

 half pressure on a 6-inch main, 12 

 streams of water were thrown higher 

 than the Administration Building, and 

 this pure water is now turned in on 

 several mains through the center of the 

 city. Faucets have been attached to the 

 hydrants and the people are now pro- 

 vided with free water. The advantages 

 of this improvement can only be ap- 

 preciated by those who are acquainted 

 with the conditions that formerly ob- 

 tained and can scarcely be overestimated. 

 There was a celebration on the Fourth, 

 and of course a game of baseball. The 

 water supply for Colon and the sewer- 

 age systems of Panama City and Colon 

 are rapidly nearing completion. 



ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE COMFORT 

 OF THE EMPLOYES 



Another important change that will 

 add to the health of the Isthmus is now 

 well under way, and that is the establish- 

 ment of comfortable quarters along the 

 entire line of the canal, and by the end 

 of the present month every non-immune 

 employe can be comfortably lodged out- 

 side of Panama and Colon, which appear 

 to be the only two foci of the diminish- 

 ing fever on the Isthmus. 



Plans are also under consideration 



