YELLOW FEVER

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19513, 16 February 1926, Page 11

YELLOW FEVER

ROMANTIC STORY OF CONQUEST ‘ 4 TYPHOID COMMISSION. Twenty-five years ago two 4 4 buck privates” and a few medical officers of the United States Army, under Major Walter Reed, at a camp in Cuba, offered up their lives and were experimented upon in order that yellow fever might be conquered. 4 4 Among the truly great scientists who have blessed the race by putting into man’s hand the means of protection from the most deadly diseases belongs Walter Reed,” said Dr. Victor C. Vaughan, chairman of the Division of Medical Sciences of the National Research Council, in commenting on the anniversary. ‘‘His name is placed along with those of Jenner and Pasteur by the work he did in determining the cause of yellow fever.” Dr. Vaughan is now the sole surviving member of the 4 4 Typhoid Commission ” on which Major Reed served at the close of the Spanish-American war, and which was established to fight the epidemics that raged among American troops. 4 4 Yellow fever is now practically wiped out, except for small areas back of Bahia, in Brazil,” said Dr. Vaughan, ‘•and perhaps for spots in Africa where a mild disease somewhat simiZ-r to yellow fever still occurs, and which some authorities believe is where the disease first originated A commission from the International Health Board of the Rockefeller Foundation went to Western Africa in July for the purpose of studying this disease and determining whether it is truly yellow fever. “Another school of medical thought claims that yellow fever existed in America before Columbus arrived, and that Columbus had the disease himself when he landed the second time. From there it is believed to have been spread to other portions of the earth in the old wooden ships which afforded an ideal hiding place for the mosquitoes that harboured the disease-giving organisms. ’ ’ At the close of the Spanish-Ameri-can war i*n 1898 Cuba became a waul of the United States, and in the following year the dreadful yellow fever broke out among the American troops stationed there. A commission composed of Major Walter Reed, Dr. Janies Carrol, Dr. J. W. Lazcar and Aristides Agramonte were appointed to look into its cause and transmission. Tested on Humans. Like many great discoveries, this one was not made all at once or by one man. Dr. Carlos H. Finley, 20 years before, had advanced the idea that the disease was transmitted by mosquitoes. Major Reed determined to test out this theory, and the only way to do this was to use human being to try it out on, as animals appeared to be immune. Volunteers were called for and the commission offered themselves too. Every man knew he was likely to die. Two young soldiers, Private John R. Kissinger and John J. Moran, offered their services. Dr. Reed talked with them and told them the danger and suffering involved, and said that a money compensation would be made them if the experiment was successful. The soldiers declined the reward, and Major Reed touched his cap and said, 4 ‘Gentlemen, I salute you.” He wrote after in his published account of the experiment:: “In my opinion this exhibition of moral courage has never been surpassed in the annals of the army of the United States. The volunteers permitted themselves to be bitten by mosquitoes that had stung yellow fever patients. Dr. Lazear became ill with fever and died in convulsions. Dr. Carol almost died, and for three days his life hung in the balance. The experiment was tried on eleven other men and nine of them came down with yellow fever. There were some who did not think that this was definite proof. A lonely hut was constructed, far away from habitation, and divided into two parts by wire screens. The entire building was also covered with screens. Two susceptible nien were put into this house, one in each compartment, and were thus subject •»’ to the same conditions. Both lived there a while and remained perfectly healthy, showing there was no infection. The Proof. Then Major Reed let 15 infected mosquitoes fly into one of the compartments The man in the mosquito-in-fected department was bitten 15 times. In four days this man had yellow fever, and the other one separated from him only by a screen remained perfectly well The mosquitoes were removed and sddiers were placed in each compartment They remained well. There were still sceptics who claimed that the infection might yet be by contact. Major Reed devised conditions which absolutely disproved this theory, and showed that only by direct injection of blood from a yellow patient, or oy an infected mosquito bite, which he said was the same thing, could infection take place. Once the cause was known, it was possible to stamp out the disease. The effect of this event on history and world progress has been revolutionary. The Panama Canal became a possobility, and shorter trade routes were open to all ships of the world. Plagueridden parts of Latin America \ cleaned up and large aeras were made hatitablc.

Some archeologists see in yellow fever the cause of the downfall of prehistoric American civilisations. There arc those who sec a new era of progress for Latin America now that the plague of yellow fever has been removed.