Those who are willing to adopt the simple precautions which experience has shown to be necessary may enjoy the large degree of immunity from it which Americans now have.
The chief cause of amoebic dysentery in the Philippines has undoubtedly been infected drinking water.

From time immemorial the people have been obtaining their water for drinking purposes from flowing streams, open springs or shallow surface wells.
The wells were especially dangerous, as it was the common custom to wash clothing around them so that water containing disease germs frequently seeped into wells used by whole villages.

The results of such conditions during a cholera epidemic can readily be imagined.
The drinking supplies of many provincial towns have now been radically improved by the sinking of 853 successful artesian wells.
In many places there has been a resulting reduction of more than fifty per cent in the annual death rate.

Large sums are spent yearly by the government in drilling additional wells,--a policy which is warmly approved by the common people.

The recent appropriations for this purpose have been $255,000 for the fiscal year 1912, $60,000 for 1913 and $200,000 for 1914.
When we came to the islands, malaria was killing as many persons as was smallpox.