Gorgas had been appointed Chief Sanitary  Officer of Havana in February 1900. He was working to control yellow fever in a number of ways: improving the sanitation of the city and enforcing the use of window screens, so that mosquitoes would not spread infection; draining or pouring oil on wet areas where mosquitoes would breed; and, most importantly, setting up an inoculation experiment at Las Animas Hospital, under the direction of Dr. John Guiteras--- in the hope that a controlled infection by the bite of an infected mosquito would produce a controllable case of yellow fever, followed by immunity.
Clara was appointed to work with yellow fever patients at Las Animas. Her career had always been one of helping others. The inoculation experiment gave her a chance to help advance medical science. Being immune would also help in her work with those who suffered from the disease.
Clara was one of 19 participants---and the only woman, as well as the only American---exposed on several occasions to mosquitoes that were believe to be infected. She received bites seven time during March, May, June and August of 1901.
Until August, among all the participants, only one contracted a mild case of the disease. In August, however, there were seven cases of yellow fever. When Clara was bitten for the last time, on August 14, it was determined that the same mosquitoes had already caused two cases of yellow fever. She became ill on August 18 and died on August 24, 1901.
The major New York City newspapers carried the story of her death, noting that the $100 fee she received for participating in the experiment was forwarded to her mother to help out with finances at home.
The experiment demonstrated that the bit of infected mosquitoes could not be used as a safe way to provide immunity. This was an important finding for medical science's understanding of the disease. The vaccine employed against yellow fever today uses a weakened strain of the virus. Victory over the disease in Cuba and Panama would come from control of the mosquito populations. The experiment also confirmed conclusively the earlier findings regarding transmission by mosquitoes.
Clara was buried quickly in Havana. A year later, her lead casket was disinterred and returned to the United States. She was reburied in Fairmont Cemetery in Newark. There was originally a small Army stone on the grave, but it was replaced in May 1930 after a fundraising campaign led by Leopoldine Guinther, superintendent of Newark Memorial Hospital (formerly Newark German Hospital). Guinther, more than any other person, was responsible for keeping alive the memory of Clara Maass.
In 1918, Newark German Hospital was renamed Newark Memorial Hospital. It later became Lutheran Memorial Hospital. In 1952 the name was changed to Clara Maass Memorial Hospital, and is today known as Clara Maass Medical Center.
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