102
(3) Examination of children living within these compounds has
given evidence of nearly universal malarial infection.
" In view of these facts it would appear advisable to take immediate steps—
(a) to provide covers to any open wells, cisterns or tanks within
these areas;
(b) to drain or fill up depressions in which puddles or pools of
water may lie, affording opportunities for the breeding of mosquitoes;
(c) to destroy the larvae of mosquitoes which may be found
breeding in places that cannot be permanently protected or
obliterated.
" In order that such work may be carried out with certainty and
" especially for the systematic destruction of mosquito larvae, it will be
" necessary to appoint men who have sufficient knowledge of mosquitoes
" and the places where they may be found breeding. Indians may easily
" be trained for such work and in fact the services of men who possess such
" knowledge can be secured by application to the Municipal Commissioner
"who has been furnished with the names of nine men who have received
" training in seeking for mosquito larvae and who are available for immedi-
" ate employment. It is probable that at least one such man will be
" required for Victoria Terminus and Bori Bunder goods yard and another
" for Wadi Bunder. I have not yet had time to investigate the condition
"of affairs at the G. I. P. Workshops and Mazagon Station, but as both
" these Yards are within the malaria-affected zone it is probable that anti-
" mosquito work will be required there also. I shall hope to inspect these
"places at an early date. In addition to the men referred to it will be
" necessary to associate with them at least one other man at each yard to
" assist in the work of mosquito destruction. A sufficient supply of Peste-
" rine or crude kerosine must be provided, and a sprayer of the knapsack
" type filled with a suitable nozzle will be required. The ordinary method
" of applying Pesterine as practised in Bombay is both wasteful and
" inefficient. Lastly, as such work must be carried on with regularity year
" after year through each monsoon and in lessened amount even through
" the dry season, at least for several years, it will be necessary to make
" arrangements for proper and adequate supervision by a responsible man
" whose sole duty this must be. Lack of supervision will mean failure and
" a mere waste of money, and any suggestion to arrange for such work to be
" done in addition to other duties, indicates a failure to appreciate the real
" importance of the question. It is probable that work of this kind will be
" carried out most efficiently by a European such as a trust-worthy time-
" expired soldier with a good knowledge of the vernacular. One such man
" could supervise mosquito destruction on the railway property from
" Victoria Terminus to the Mazagaon Station. It would be quite possible
" to train such a man in h is duties in a very short time and arrangements
" might be made for him to jointly superintend the B. B. & C. I. goods
'"'yard, as well as the G. I. P. Railway property. Further in order that
" mosquito destruction may be carried out systematically from year to year
" it will be necessary to prepare large sized plans of: the railway stations,
" compounds and yards and to indicate upon such plans the situations in
" which mosquitoes have been discovered to breed. A proper register of
" such places must likewise be prepared while a dairy or journal must be
" kept by the inspector in which full particulars must be recorded as to the
" finding of larvae, the teratment and the result. It is all important that
" whoever is appointed to undertake such work should be made clearly to
" understand that his duties consist solely in seeing that no mosquitoes are
" allowed to breed anywhere within the area under his control and any
"neglect of this responsibility should render him liable to dismissal. The
" relation between such a proposed staff and any similar organization initi-
" ated by the Municipality must be determined subsequently. It may be
" pointed out in conclusion that the existence of breeding places for danger-