Panama disease leaves and progresses to younger leaves until the entire plant dies. Gros Michel was the only type of banana eaten in the United States from the late 19th century until after World War II. From the beginning, however, a serious disease was present in the banana plantations of Central America. The problem was first diagnosed in Panama after which it was named. Over several decades, the fungus spread from Panama to neighboring countries, moving north through Costa Rica to Guatemala and south into Colombia and Ecuador. The banana industry was in a serious crisis, so a new banana thought to
Panama Canal Railway the Caribbean islands, and also included some African slaves. Many of these workers had come to Panama to seek their fortune and had arrived with little or no identification. Many died with no known next of kin, nor permanent address, nor even a known surname. Disease and exhaustion took a heavy toll on workers. The medical community did not learn about the connection between mosquitoes and malaria for another 40 years, and had no effective ways to prevent transmission of the disease. The Panama Canal Railroad Company sold the corpses of workers to medical schools abroad, using the income to