HISTORY
Dr. Lazear goes with Dr. Carroll and Dr. Reed to Cuba in search of the origin of Yellow Jack, a name for yellow fever.
Dr. Carroll allows an anopheles mosquito to bite him and contracts yellow fever. He confirms that the insect’s bite is the likely cause of yellow jack. He is lucky enough to recover from the illness.
Dr. Lazear permits anopheles mosquitoes to bite him. The mosquitoes had previously bitten a yellow fever victim which Lazear set up experimentally. The doctor contracts yellow fever and dies, yet confirms that the mosquitoes are the carrier.
Dr. Reed’s final experiment requires volunteers. He establishes a building in which one side is filled with ephemera from yellow fever victims, yet it is screened against mosquitoes. The other side is clean and well-kept, the food is delicious, yet there is no protection from insects. The volunteers in the clean side develop yellow jack while the ones in the screened side did not. This confirms that infection is not environmental, but spread by mosquitoes. The proof of mosquitoes being the culprit causes the swamps to be drained and the problem of yellow jack solved.
The three men are credited with the creation of the Panama Canal out of the drained swamp area.
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