Ancon Hospital Ward #9 (Spanish), Section C

President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Colonel William Crawford Gorgas as Sanitary Officer for the Panama Canal. Gorgas and his sanitation team focused first on yellow fever, then on malaria in Panama during the construction of the canal. New, screened, well-staffed hospitals were built with isolation quarters and separate wards for each disease. Every train that ran along the canal excavation pulled a hospital car to expedite treatment of ill or injured workers. Hospital care was free to all canal employees. Low mortality rates encouraged employees to receive medical treatment each time they suffered illness or injury, further improving health. Although disease wards were further segregated by race and ethnic origin, most non-white or foreign workers felt they received excellent care.