Mosquitoes as carriers of disease

In this letter from Walter Reed to James Carroll, Reed expresses sadness at the death of Jesse Lazear. He states "I cannot begin to express my sorrow over this unhappy termination of our colleague's work!" Reed asks Carroll to secure Lazear's notes "that he had taken in each case bitten by mosquitos," and reiterates that he will arrive in Cuba on October 3rd. Additionally, Reed indicates the Commission must publish a preliminary note about the results of Carroll's and Lazear's work.

In this letter from James Carroll to his wife Jennie Carroll sent from Las Animas Hospital in Havana, Cuba, where he is stationed for the United States Yellow Fever Commission, Carroll discusses the current experiments that involved having three volunteers being bitten by mosquitoes. He also discusses four photographs that he had enclosed with the letter along with a check. He informs her that he must leave by November 1, as there will be no further extensions. In conclusion he discusses the local mosquitoes and the local weather conditions.

In this letter from Walter Reed to James Carroll, Reed acknowledges the receipt of the Berkefeld filter and valve attachments that Carroll sent to him. Reed is thankful that Carroll's patient is doing better and is hopeful that Carroll can preserve the infected mosquitoes. Additionally, Reed is worried that Carroll may not have a better opportunity to use the filtrate before Carroll returns to the U.S. Reed discusses that classes at the Columbian Exposition will begin soon and he hopes a new laboratory will be outfitted for larger classes. In conclusion Reed asks Carroll if he had heard that the Marine Hospital Service started "A Yellow Fever Institute" with the goal of studying yellow fever.
Included is a transcript of the letter.

In this typescript piece, Richard J. Behles, Historical Collections librarian for the Health Sciences and Human Services Library at the time this was written, describes the James Carroll, Yellow Fever Commission Letters collection housed in the Historical Collections. These letters have been digitized and transcribed and a collection has been created for them in the UMB Digital Archive.

The Dr. James Carroll, Yellow Fever Commission Letters contain original letters to Janetta “Jennie” Carroll, Dr. Carroll’s wife as well as letters from Dr. Walter Reed, head of the United States Army Yellow Fever Commission in Cuba in 1900 and 1901. The research and experimentation completed by the Commission found that Yellow Fever was carried by Mosquitos and transmitted through their bites. The letters in this collection shed light on the research and experimentation process as well as the living conditions in Cuba during the Commission’s work. The letters provide a personal insight into the men who discovered the cause of Yellow Fever.