The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-15
FATAL MOSQUITO BITES.
The Insect Beginning to be Regarded
as "A Menace to Life.
New York Herald.

The dangerous Illness of Miss Dorothy
Dodworth of No. 103 East One-hundred-
and-twenty-fifth street, due to the bite of
a mosquito, as described in yesterday !
Herald, has directed renewed attention to
a danger which has been treated hitherto
as imaginative. That this little pest, which
has been regarded merely as one of sum-
merS inconvenience, can infiict wound
which may result ip disablement or death
is now well proven. 1t was feared for a
time that Miss Dodworth would die as the
result of her wound, but her sister, who
has returned from Elmhurst, l.. l., where
the afflicted girl is visiting, brings word
that she has passed the danger point and Is
now conValescent
Deaths from mosquito bites have been re-
ported as far back as 1889. In March Of that
year John j. Collins, an insane patient, es-
capped from the asylum at Snake Hill, n. j.,
and wandered for several days in the Hack
enSack meadows. When found he had been
terribly bitten by mosquitoes and he died In
spite of medical care. Charles Mingard, Of
Hohoken N. j., died from a similar cause
in September, 1889. A more recent case was
that of Carl Head, of st. Louis, who died
in September last from the effects of a
single bite.
j. r. Flynn, a private in the Thirteenth
Infantry, stationed at Governors island,
was bitten on the neck on July "A, as was
told in the Herald, and only prompt medi-
cal attendance prevented serious compllca-
tons The insect punctured an arterial vein
and Flynn lost great amount of blood.
Two cases besides Miss DodWorths have
been reported within a few days. Richard
Wolff, of No. 1884 Second avenue, was Bit
ten on the arm on w 6uneSQay. W1tnln a
few hours the arm was swollen to nearly
twice it's ordinary size and doctor was
called to relieve the mans intense suffer-
ing. The patient is still in a serious condi-
ton.
Thomas McGrath, an inspector in the GUS
tom house. was bitten on the right hand
several days ago. He thought the wound
trivial, but symptoms of blood poisoning
developed and on Friday he asked to be re-
lieved from duty A doctor Is attending
him.
Cases less serious than these are reported
every day. and there are unnumbered in
stances in which temporary disagreement,
accompanied by great pain, has been caused
by the bite of this insect.
This record fragmentary as 1t is, convicts
the mosquito OF being menace to life and
health Physicians so regard it. DR.. Frank
l.. Miller. of No 68 West Thirty-seventh
street, said yesterday: The mosquito UNI
doubtedly is capable of infiicting a fatal
wound. The insect is bred and fOstered in
decayed matter and it is the transfer of
the germs of this fetid substance to the
blood of the victim that causes the COM
plications. The poison is injected into the
blood and then circulated throughout the
system The most fatal spot to be attacked
is just behind the ear. A person bitten on
one of the veins there by a mosquito in
oculated with the poison of putrid matter
would be in imminent danger of death, for
the poison would reach the heart and brain
within a few minutes. The puncture of a
large vein also would be highly dangerous
The constitution of the victim has much
to do with the effect of the bite. A person
whose blood was thin or diseased would be
much more liable to serious injury than one
who was strong and healthy A patient
he had been bitten, yet already his arm
was swollen to almost thrice its natural
size. He had be, been bitten over = large
from mosquito bites just now is due to the
humidity of the season, which has produced
large quantities of decayed matter, upon
which the insects thrive, and from which
they derive the fatal poison"
An interesting, though not comforting
fact concerning the mosquito is that 1t can
communicate the disease known as anthrax,
believed to be identical with the plague of
olden times. James T. Whitaker in the
American Text Book of Medicine, is author
ity for this statement. Anthrax is the direct
result of incubation from diseased animal
matter. The symptoms Will be recognized by
those who have suffered from mosquito
bites. The period Of incubation varies from
one to several days. The symptoms may
show themselves. within an hour of inocula-
ton; they may be delayed as late as four
days A slight itching, prickling sensation
is first perceived at the site of incubation.
Very soon there appears a central yesicle,
the rupture of which discharges bloody
contents, to be converted into a dark, red
brown or black crust, the anthrax.
Innurnerable remedies have been put forth
for relief from the bite of the mosquito The
application of oil of pennyroyal is recon-
mended by many physicians as the most
liquid ammonia or a solution of bicarbonate
of soda or of potash, is also of benefit. Lint
soaked in chloroform and laid on the bite
gives great TelleI, anu lpecdCuald dpplieu
externally is said to be beneficial. When
serious results are threatened the patient
should be stimulated with brandy, ammonia
or ether, to counteract the symptoms of
syncope or coma. such as appeared in the
case of Miss DOdworth.
To rid a district Of a plague of mosqui-
toes the liberal use of crude petroleum has
been recommended. Ar experiment made on
Friday at Staten island seemed to show the
efficacy of the scheme The company con-
trolling Midland Beach, a summer resort,
took extraordinary measures TO combat a
plague of mosquitoes A large salt marsh
near the place which had been prolific
breeding ground for the insects, was the
scene Of operations. A large area of the
ground was saturated with crude petroleum,
sprayed from force pumps with ball nozzle
attachments. The experiment was a sue
cess, for on Friday night the plague had
almost disappeared, and since then has been
hardly noticeable.