The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-08-16

the flesh that which inocuNates the person
against the germs of malaria. The fact
that the mosquito Is most abundant In
madarial regions Is brought up to sup
port this theory, and also the fact that the
itching that follows the bite Of one Of the
Insects Is very similar to that which ac-
companies tho Injection of smallpox
germs into the arm in vaccination The
same misguided theorist goes on TO state
that the mosquito in this act IL purely
philanthropic and does not suck blood at
all. lie swells UP, to be sure, but this Is
merely the expansion of the Emphatic
fluids in his own body due to the muscular
exercise which he Is undergoing. In sup
rort of this theory the theorist states that
the proboscis of the insect is so shaped
that 1t cannot suck blood. DIR. Dimmcck
doubts the truth of the malarlal part OF
the theory and says that Emphatic juice
supposition is absurd, for he has seen
through the microscope that the Insects
proboscis is hollow and has also
traced the existence OF a pump
ing machine back in the tnsects
head, whereby he sucks the blood up
precisely as a syringe draws water. AS 10
the malarlal theory he will not make any
definite assertion. 1t may or may not
be true. The fact that a mosquito bite
swells up on some people, while on 9TH
ers It has no effect whatever, those the
orists claim, Is due to the fact that the
former are malarially inclined and this,
they say, supports their theory. But DR..
Dimmock will not accept this. for he him
self is one of those who are grievously
affected by the bites, but is not In the
least subject to malaria. And yet there
is no doubt, he says, that the mosquito
does carry disease germs. In Havana DR..
Findlay has found that yellow fever is
carried by the mosquitoes. They Will
bite a patient who Is sick with the dis
4. ~ 81. xrstf Il a
germs, bite another person. If the germs
thus carried are few, the second person
is made only partly sick and is thus
really inocuated, but more cases than
one have been recorded of the spread of
yellow fever being due entirely to the dis
semination of the disease by the mos
quito.
To get rid of these companions of man
has long occupied the minds of scientists
as well as housekeepers, and word from
them will prove a boon to suffering hui
manity just now. The simplest and prob
ably the most eflicacious method Of bill'
ing them is to pour kerosene oil on the
surface of the ponds where the larvae
are developing. very small quantity is
sufficient to disturb their breathing ap'
| paratus, and they very soon drown. DR.
| Dimmock tried this last spring. He
| poured two drops of crude petroleum ir
| a tub of water which was fairly alive
| with the wrigglers, and in a very shor
time afterward nearly every one wa:
dead. This remedy has been tried tC
| some extent in the Catskill Mountain re
| gion, where the presence of mosquitoe.
| has done serious harm to the summer
| hotels, and it has proved successful. Tn,
| smudge of smoke has been found tn,
| best thing by campers to rid them o.
| the pest, though this Is not always sure
| Fishermen and those frequenting swamp!
| have found that a very useful way Il
| to cover the face and hands with aro
| matte ointments, one of the best beins
made out of mutton tallow mixed will
| camphor and oil of pennyroyal. A simpl
| mixture of tar and pennyroyal is alst
| advantageous to those who are fond o
tar bathing. Nature has provided SOM
| enemies to the insects in the shape o
DEVILS darning needles, or dragon flies
and some thrifty scientists have tried t
propagate these artifcially for famil,
use; but the dragon flies are cannibals
| and colonies soon meet the sad fate o
the Kilkenny cats, so that the create
part of our mosquitoes must meet al
untimely death by the violent applica
tion of the human hand applied judicious
ly to the human neck, or wherever tn
need occurs.