Book 3, Chapter 15 Summary and Analysis

"The Imperturbable Dr. Gorgas" opens Books 3, "The Builders, 1904-1914." Gorgas is the only Roosevelt appointee who sees the work through to the finish, in the face of opposition from bureaucrats unwilling to accept the biggest challenge is conquering yellow fever and malaria. Chapter 15 also fills out details on how science in 1904 understands and treats these diseases.

A first-hand New York Time's story depicts Colun in the weeks leading up to the U.S. takeover and asks how this vile region can be made safe for White people? Recalling his own experience in Cuba in 1898, watching tropical disease claim 13 times the number of U.S. lives lost in battle, Roosevelt gives sanitation and hygiene higher priority than engineering. The President keeps Walker in the chair of the commission required by the Spooner Act. It specifies two military officers and four...