3
Referring specially to the results of the special work against malaria Gorgas says:
"It has reduced the deaths from malaria in the total population from a
maximum of 1621 per 1,000 in July 1906 to 258 per 1,000 in December 1909.
Among employees it has reduced the deaths from malaria from a maximum of
1159 per 1,000 in November 1906 to 123 per 1,000 in December 1909. The
admission rate among employees has fallen from a maximum of 1263 per 1,000
in July 1906 to 191 per 1,000 in December 1909. The admission rate per thousand
among employees has been as follows:-1904-125; 1905-514; 1906-821;
1907-424; 1908-282; 1909-215."
Mr. J. A. LePrince, C.E.A.M., Chief Sanitary Inspector, Panama Canal Zone, states
that:-
"From the 31st October 1909 to 1st January 1910 during the period of
heaviest rainfall, only 326 per cent. of the force (labourers) were hospital malaria
cases."
441. Wilhelmshaven.-It is recorded that in 1896 during the construction of the
harbour at Wilhelmshaven, a fearful epidemic of malaria occurred, which affected both the
workmen, the crews belonging to the shipping and the residents in the vicinity. At this
time little was known of the possibility of preventing malaria. But during the recent
enlargement of the harbour works, special precautions were adopted from the commence-
ment and as a result there has been no outbreak of the disease.
442. The result of the preventive work that has been carried out at Panama and
Wilhelmshaven shows that even among aggregations of labourers engaged upon construc-
tion work in malarious areas, the adoption of adequate precautions is sufficient to neutralize
the risk of epidemic outbreaks of malaria, to which these temporary collections of labourers
are specially liable.