Thomas Holmes, age 12, of Wilkes Barre, Penn. for his question:

WHO WAS WALTER REED?

In Washington D.C. you'll find the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. It is the hospital where many presidents have been examined and treated. It is a great medical center where many members of the United States armed forces receive care and treatment.

The hospital in Washington was named for Walter Reed, a medical officer in the U.S. Army who helped show how to control typhoid fever and yellow fever. During the Spanish American War in 1898, Reed headed a commission that studied the origin and spread of the diseases in military camps.

Experiments conducted by Reed and his associates showed that flies were the most important carriers of the infection and that dust and uncleanliness helped spread it.

Because of work conducted by Reed, typhoid fever and yellow fever were controlled.