136 



Insects and Disease 



suffering and death from this dread disease there 

 is most pathetic. Ship-load after ship-load of 

 laborers were sent over, as those who had gone 

 earlier succumbed to the fever. The contractors 

 were responsible for their men while they were 

 sick and in order to avoid having to pay hospital 

 expenses the men were often discharged as soon 

 as they showed signs of sickness. Many of them 

 died along the roadside while endeavoring to 

 reach some place where they could obtain aid. 

 The hospitals were usually filled with yellow fever 

 patients, a very large percentage of whom died. 



Not only the day laborers suffered but many of 

 the engineers, doctors, nurses and others sickened 

 and died of the disease. It is reported that eighteen 

 young French engineers came over on one vessel 

 and in a month after their arrival all but one had 

 died of the yellow fever. Out of thirty-six nurses 

 brought over at one time, twenty-four died of the 

 fever, and during one month nine members of the 

 medical staff of one of the hospitals succumbed. 



One of the first things that the United States 

 Government did in beginning work in the canal 

 zone was to take up the fight against the yellow 

 fever mosquito. In Panama where the water for 

 domestic purposes was kept in cisterns and water- 

 barrels, inspectors were appointed to see that all 



