The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1899-08-04
me ssTzlsrInr Fsur,, 500.

sObriquet Of "The kissing Bug Plague"
In the parlance Of yellow journalism,
the kissing bug" which they would
lead their readers to believe is an en-
tirely new creature, presumably dis
covered by some enterprising reporter,
is none other than the we'll known
MelsnOlestes picipes, Of the sub-family
Piratina. Perhaps an occasional read
er Of these sensational accounts Of
serious illness and even Of death from
the "bite" Of this insect has stopped to
wonder how it has come that this spec
les, with its death-dealiDg powers, has
suddenly sprung into notoriety. If the
mere puncture from its powerful pro-
.bosCis is capable of such results, and
the fondness for puncturiDg the human
I lips, from which it derives its news
paper name, is one Of its principal
I characteristics, how does it come that,
I although known to science for nearly a
century, its terrors have been left for
this last year Of the 18th century to
disclose?
The kissing bug is no cOmmoner
this year than usual; of the genus Ne
lanoiestes, the two not uncommon spe-
cies, NJ picipes, with black, piceous
! legs, and NJ. abdominaIis, with the sides
and sometimes the whole upper surface
Of the abdomen red, are to be observed
by the entomologist around electric
I lights in our parks, or in decayed mat
ter, or under stones in our woods, with
about the same frequency as always be-
fore. They are active, blood thirsty
insects, and inf1ict a severe wound upon
/ the hand Of the incaUtious collector"
has been said of them; although to de-
! scribe them as "blood-thirsty'' gives a
false idea Of a creature which, prob
ably, never uses its probOscis on man
for anypurpose other than self defense.
! There is no proof whatever that they
I are blOOd-thirsty, in the sense that
that term may be applied to the mos
quito. have handled scores Of both
| species, and have been bitten but once:
and then only because I carelessly
pinched picipes too tightly between
thumb and finger, in lifting it from the
ground TO my killing jar. The wound
made in my thumb was excessively
painful, because my powerful little
antagonist had no difficulty in piercing
to the bone; but there was no more
poison about it than about the pune
ture Of a clean knife blade. For Ne
IanOlestes is not possessed Of any virus
or poison-seereting apparatus what
ever; the occasional poisonous effects
observed as following a wound from
its prObOsCis are entirely due to the
food or the environment it is lately
from.
It's present reputation depends on
the fact that an attache Of our agricuI-
tural department in Washington, and a
gentleman in Wilmington, Del, both
captured specimens Of NJ. picipes, in
the very act Of biting, and, in one Of
these cases, a slight degree Of poison
ing followed. The specimens captured |
were identified by United States Ento- /
molOgist L. o. Howard and-the news /
papers did the restl
Since this took place in early June. /
the leading papers have reported about
40 cases, so far as 1 have been able to 1
find by recourse to a careful clipping
service. In only three Of these cases
has MelanOlestes been an undoubted
offender; and in every one Of these the
pain Of the puncture and a slight
Of poisoning in two cases is all
there was Of it. In five cases mosuui-
toes seem to have been suspected, and
IN four ''an ordinary fly was claimed
to be at the bottom Of the trouble. It
IS worth remarking, in passing, as e
sample Of newspaper disregard for
anything approaching accuracy, that
IN several cases where the text refers
1nly to a fly or q mosquito, the editor
al headlines, or scare heads as they
ire technically called with unconscious
lumoF, allUde TO the work OF the kiss
ng bug" the "dread Melanolestes,"
although there is no warrant whatever
or such 8 charge. Z
There are certain facts mentioned in
many other Of the news items that
'lesrly indicate to the pathologist the
york Of "a common fly It is we'll
Known, Of course, to all students Of in
ectss thRtOur common house hy, Musca
lOmsstica, is incapable Of puncturing /
he human skin, and that its proboscis. 2
fiabby, weak structure. is only adapt g
d to sucking up juices, the human Q
respiration being, unfortunately for
ar comfort q choice tidbis in the
lUscine menu y
There IS. however. q second oousin Of Z