Doctors {142} Reed, Carroll and
Kean called at headquarters and stated that they believed the point
had been reached where it was necessary to make a number of
experiments on human beings and that they wanted money to pay those
who were willing to submit themselves to these experiments and they
needed authority to make experiments. They were informed that whatever
money was required would be made available, and that the military
Governor would assume the responsibility for the experiments. They
were cautioned to make these experiments only on sound persons, and
not until they had been made to distinctly understand the purpose of
the same and especially the risk they assumed in submitting themselves
as subjects for these experiments, and to always secure the written
consent of the subjects who offered themselves for this purpose. It
was further stipulated that all subjects should be of full legal age.
With this understanding, the work was undertaken in a careful and
systematic manner. A large number of experiments were made.
"The Stegomyia mosquito was found to be beyond question the means of
transmitting the {143} yellow fever germ. This mosquito, in order to
become infected, must bite a person sick with the yellow fever during
the first five days of the disease. It then requires approximately ten
days for the germs so to develop that the mosquito can transmit the
disease, and all non-immunes who are bitten by a mosquito of the class
mentioned, infected as described, invariably develop a pronounced case
of yellow fever in from three-and-one-half to five days from the time
they are bitten. It was further demonstrated that infection from cases
so produced could be again transmitted by the above described type of
mosquito to another person who would, in turn, become infected with
the fever. It was also proved that yellow fever could be transmitted
by means of introduction into the circulation of blood serum even
after filtering through porcelain filters, which latter experiment
indicates that the organism is exceedingly small, so small, in fact,
that it is probably beyond the power of any microscope at present in
use. It was positively demonstrated that yellow fever could not be
transmitted by clothing, letters, etc., and that, consequently all the
old {144} methods of fumigation and disinfection were only useful so
far as they served to destroy mosquitoes, their young and their eggs."
[Footnote: General Wood's Report on
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