Yellow Fever Mosquitos

We lived in Panama for a couple of years and I have had an ongoing interest in the history of the country and the construction of the Panama Canal ever since. One of the major historical themes of the Canal construction was the fight to overcome Yellow Fever. One of my daughters was born in Gorgas Hospital in what was then the Canal Zone. The Hospital was named after William C. Gorgas. Here is a short explanation of his importance from the Wikipedia article, "William C. Gorgas."

William Crawford Gorgas KCMG (October 3, 1854 – July 3, 1920) was a United States Army physician and 22nd Surgeon General of the U.S. Army (1914–1918). He is best known for his work in Florida, Havana and at the Panama Canal in abating the transmission of yellow fever and malaria by controlling the mosquitoes that carry these diseases. At the time, his strategy was greeted with considerable skepticism and opposition to such hygiene measures.

Gorgas' efforts to eradicate Yellow Fever were built on the previous efforts of Walter Reed and a Cuban doctor, Carlos Finlay. During the construction of the Panama Canal, 5,609 workers died from disease and construction accidents.