Show POSSIBLE SPREAD OF YELLOW FEVER experts foresee danger from airplanes A new aviation peril said to be sensational in its possibilities came up for discussion at the annual conference of the british medical edical Al association cia tion sir malcolm watson called balled attention to the likelihood almost the certainty of aircraft carrying yellow fever from west to est east africa if that happened he be claimed there was nothing to prevent ent it from spreading to asia from completely paralyzing itself other physicians at the conference undertook to show how airplanes might be the means of propagating plague cholera smallpox and typhus and sir george buchanan Du chanan stated that as there was a possibility of aircraft introducing new types of influenza and cerebrospinal meningitis into england the subject was engaging the attention of both the air ministry and the ministry of health for himself he rega regarded raed it as an important matter requiring measures in the yellow fever zones to prevent the spread of the disease almost simultaneously with these deliver ances though without any sort of connection with them came an article in the he london times setting forth facts regarding the transmission of cholera over the world after its appearance at calcutta in 1817 and asserting that by 1831 it had become certain that no country was secure against the inroads of the disease appearing at bombay and madras adras Al it reached ceylon in 1810 and spread thence and from india over eastern asia and the islands of the indian ocean by 1823 syria was reached and europe threatened it disappeared froan turkey but began to push north and west again after ravaging persia and the lands south of the caucasus in russia more than human beings died as the result in cairo and alexandria were swept away in 24 days and tile tiie alarm alarin in great britain increased enormously in june 1831 when londoners Lon doners received the news that the cholera had reached riga where or sail of english vessels loaded chiefly with hemp and flax 11 were waiting to come to england it was then after an order had been issued for the quarantining of MI all ships from the baltic that the plague established itself in england for the first time yet all through that period beginning with 1817 there were none of our modern airplanes in III existence and no possibility of the cholera being carried by them are they in any way specially fitted for ar the conveyance of contagious diseases diseased for stimulating to special precautions and for thus alarming thle the world must tt it not be assumed that there Is a like risk in the to and fro trips of our ocean steamers and sailing balling vessels that have been so long connecting tile continents the latter for many centuries past introduced i disease whether imported by airplane or steamer Is da dangerous in any case the call Is to prevent such importation por port tation atlon so far as that can be done but especially to continue the fight against disease in all the countries which are affected or serve as its breeding ground so that there will be as little as possible of it to export and this is the ta task sk at which the scientists and the physicians are working in n their campaign against that enemy of man the poison microbe |