Volume 1

Report to the Government of British Honduras upon the outbreak of yellow fever in that colony in 1905, together with an account of the distribution of the Stegomyia fasciata in Belize, and the measures necessary to stamp out or prevent the recurrence of yellow fever / by Rubert Boyce.

  • Boyce, Rubert W. (Rubert William), Sir, 1863-1911.
Date:
1906
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report to the Government of British Honduras upon the outbreak of yellow fever in that colony in 1905, together with an account of the distribution of the Stegomyia fasciata in Belize, and the measures necessary to stamp out or prevent the recurrence of yellow fever / by Rubert Boyce. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    It contains some 2,500 inhabitants, including a small number of North Americans engaged in business. The port is the terminus of the proposed Interoceanic Railroad, about a third of which has been constructed. Thanks to the railroad, to the depth of water in the bay, and to the fact that the steamers can come alongside the railway wharf, there is a very large traffic in bananas brought from the interior, both Puerto Barrios and Puerto Cortes on these accounts far outstripping British Honduras. The coasting trade is principally with Belize, Barrios and Livingston in Guatemala, and occasionally with Cuba. There does not appear to be trade with Panama. The town is similar to the other coast towns ; the houses of the principal traders are congregated toward one end of the town, but small native houses are mixed up with them, and there is no effective segregation. There is a British and an American Consul, the former issuing the Bills of Health, for ships destined for British ports. There is a Honduranian Government Medical Officer,, a local Spanish doctor, and two American medical men, one of whom represents the United States Marine Hospital Service. Both these doctors took the principal share in preventing the spread of the recent epidemic in Puerto Cortes, the Honduranian Government first followed their good advice and helped them to carry out fumigation, screening and oiling, but their support did not last long. The water supply consists of rain water stored in the usual large wooden vats in the case of the larger houses, and in numerous barrels in the poorer lots, the receptacles are unscreened, and I found Stegomyia larvae very abundant here as in other places. The houses are arranged in a row on each side of the line, on one side they project into the sea, on the other they are bounded by swamp. The town ought to be healthy, and with efficient sanitary control, recurrences of Yellow fever could be prevented. At the present time the place has an unkempt appearance, and there is no effective sanitary board. The first notification of Yellow fever in Cortes was made May 25th, but there had been a very suspicious case May 22nd. Up to September the total number of cases reached 146 with 50 deaths. These figures must be taken with reserve, as it is not evident that all cases were reported, notably those amongst the soldiers. The disease first made itself manifest amongst the new arrivals, that is the non-immune white population, it then passed through the native non-immunes. Before the announcement of Yellow fever there had been very little sickness. From Puerto Cortes it is supposed that the disease spread up the line, for there is the history of a woman who carried the infection to San Pedro, where the first secondary infection occurred. The fever started at this place on the 18th June, and the total recorded number of cases to December was 621, with 153 deaths. San Pedro is a large city of 10,000 inhabitants, some 30 miles up the line. The medical authorities, both American (Drs. Austin and Carter) and local, have worked upon modern lines to clean up the town and limit the disease. Close to San Pedro on the line, two cases occurred at Rio Blanco. The next town farther up on the line to become badly infected 9