Page:The Scientific Monthly vol. 3.djvu/150

 144 THE SCIENTIFIC MONTHLY

transmitted by this mosquito from man to man. Having demonstrated this hypothesis by induction, he then proceeded to employ his theorem deductively, as applied science, with brilliant success, in the prevention and eradication of malarial fever in West and North Africa.

Colonel Boss kindly gives the following personal reminiscences [sent to Dr. Garrison after (Jeneral Oorgas's departure for South America, June, 1916].

As every one knows, the Americans started their important sanitary work at Panama early in 1904 under the distinguished management of Colonel (now C^neral) Gorgas, TJ. S. Army. He invited me, on behalf of the American gov- ernment, to visit the Canal Zone in order to witness his measures, and as I waa also asked to read a paper at the Congress of Arts and Sciences held in connec- tion with the great Exposition at St. Louis, 19th-25th September, 1904, I de- termined to visit Panama after the Congress was over. At the end of the Con- gress, each of us who had read papers was given the sum of five hundred dollars to pay for our expenses in traveling over to St. Louis and returning, and we pouched this sum in notes with considerable satisfaction. Unfortunately many of us had scientific friends in the states, and I feU into the clutches of Dr. (now Sir William) Osier who swept me off to Baltimore. After a very warm time with him in that city, I fell into the hands of other friends who passed me on from Philadelphia to New York and left me so little leisure to spare from hos- pitality that I could not get my five hundred dollars banked or converted into an exchange note. I was then rushed on board ship where I met Colonel Gorgas himself (who was not going to Panama with me) and was duly photographed and speeded on my journey with the good wishes of my many friends. A week later, after a delightful voyage, I arrived in Colon with my five hundred dollar notes stiU in my pouch. We were immediately sent across the Isthmus and ar- rived at Panama the same evening. The weather was extremely hot, with the usual result on my nervous system that I became very sleepy and lasy. On ar- rival at Panama, I was ushered into the Medical Officers' Hess. Now this was a teetotal mess, and I am not a teetotaller by profession, though, I hox>e, always very moderate in my devotion to god Bacchus. They gave us beef -steak and iced water for dinner, and I became so extremely sleepy after this diet that when I went to my sleeping quarters in a house near the hospital, occupied by Captain Lyster, United States Army, I determined to go to bed at once (within my mosquito netting) and sleep off my fatigue. Lyster did the same thing and we slept beautifully aU night. Unfortunately I was so overcome with the beaf -steak and the iced water that I left my pocket book containing my five hundred dollars on the table at the foot of my bed, though fortunately I kept my watch in the pocket of my sleeping jacket. There was a considerable wind all night which kept the doors slamming or creaking, and I was too indifferent to the world to care what happened. When we woke in the morning we were entirely refreshed and as strong as lions in consequence of the beef -steak; but Lyster ran in to my room with alarm written on his face. Sure enough my clothes had been thrown about the room in a terrible manner and my cigar case was found empty in the bathroom. He said that his best suit of blue serge clothes had unaccountably disappeared. We presently heard wailings from aU round, and Dr. Balsch, the Health Officer of Panama rushed in from the next house to say that his valuable gold watch had gone. Then I bethought me of my five hundred dollars and as- certained that my pocket book had also disappeared entirely. The fact was that aU our houses had been raided that night by an expert gang of house-breakers, who had taken my money and the nimierous valuables from my friends.

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