Letter from Paul Osterhout, Acting Assistant Surgeon, U.S. Public Health and Marines-Hospital Service, at Bocas del Toro, Panama, to the Surgeon-General, U.S. Public Health and Marine-Hospital Service, Washington, D.C regarding the first Yellow Fever case in the Panamanian port Funding for the creation of this digitized text is provided by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.Osterhout, Paul, 1859-1944 Creation of digital images: Center for Digital Scholarship, Rice University Creation of transcription: Carolyn Adams, Project Coordinator, Humanities Research Center Conversion to TEI-conformant markup: Rice University Parsing and proofing: Humanities Research Center and Fondren Library, Rice University Subject analysis and assignment of taxonomy terms: Alice Rhoades Rice University Houston, Texas 2010-06-07 aa00121

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 Page images of the original document are included. Images exist as archived TIFF files, JPEG versions for general use, and thumbnail GIFs. Letter from Paul Osterhout, Acting Assistant Surgeon, U.S. Public Health and Marines-Hospital Service, at Bocas del Toro, Panama, to the Surgeon-General, U.S. Public Health and Marine-Hospital Service, Washington, D.C regarding the first Yellow Fever case in the Panamanian port Osterhout, Paul, 1859-1944August 16, 1905 Osterhout Family Papers, MS 355, Box 6 folder 21 item 3, Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University. Contact info: woodson@rice.eduA majority of the papers were purchased by Rice University from Mrs. Ora Osterhout Wade in 1958 and a second group of records arrived in October 1962. The collection register of John P. Osterhout was added to the collection in October 1965 as a gift from Herbert Herrick Fletcher. And in November 1992, Harry Yeager donated the book History of the Roberts Family to add to the collection.2 page letter from Osterhout to the Surgeon General describing the medical case of W.B. Dunn, an employee of the United Fruit Company.

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 Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus Library of Congress Subject Headings Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names English Correspondence Yellow fever--PanamaBocas del Toro Channel (Panama)Panama Canal--HistoryDunn, W. B.United Fruit CompanyOrienta (Steamer) Bocas del Toro (inhabited place)Washington (inhabited place)Philadelphia (inhabited place)Colon (inhabited place) U. S. PUBLIC HEALTH AND MARINE-HOSPITAL SERVICE, OFFICE OF MEDICAL OFFICER IN COMMAND. Bocas del Toro, Panama August 16, 1905 Surgeon-General, U. S. Public Health & Marine-Hospital Service, Washington, D. C., Sir:

I have the honor to make the following report of the case of yellow fever reported by cable Aug. 16 15, 1905.

The patient Mr. W. B. Dunn, american, came here about seven months ago from Phila., and employed as a machinist by the United Fruit Co., Was taken sick Saturday night, Aug. 12, 1905, called at my office Sunday about 9 a.m. for treatment. He worked all day Saturday for I saw him at the machine shops Saturday p.m. when they stopped work.

Mr. Dunn has had his rooms screened for some time, and I told him to go home at once and be sure that his room was kept closed and I would call and see him in the afternoon. When he called in the a.m. temp. was 101 1-5, pulse 102; at 6 p.m. temp. 103, pulse 108; headache, backache and a general soreness of the muscles.

Monday, Aug. 14, 1905, I asked Dr. Jumel to see the case and he agreed with me that it was decidedly suspicious. I made examinations of the urine but no albumen appeared until the morning of the 15th..

I believe that the source of infection is traceable to the appearance in this port of a small steamer which came from Colon, I think, July 27, 1905. A fireman on this boat was taken sick during the night of July 28th.; I was called to see him at 9 p.m. the 29th. This vessel (“ORIENTA”) sailed from here to Colon at noon July 30th., and I have learned that the fireman had been taken off with yellow fever on her arrival at that port but this insnot is not official, I heard it about Aug. 3rd.

On the termination of the case I will forward a chart of the case to the Bureau.

As the case is in my private practice I have the house thoroughly screened.

This is the first case that has appeared in this port.

Respectfully, Paul Osterhout Act'g Ass't Surg' P.H. & M-H. Service.