New-York tribune., 1901-08-05
FOR HEALTH AND COMFORT.

DIR. Blggs Of NewYork University. the hac-
teriologist of the Health Department of this
city. has prepared. and the Health Department
is circulating. brief, comprehensive and prac-
tica statement concerning the causation and
prevention Of malara fever. II follows the
trend of recent scientific research in attrihuting
the transmission of the disease 10 the perniciouS
activity of certain kind of mosquito and rec
ommends the oIviouS and logical prOphYlactic
measures OF using mosquito MEETINGS. destroying
the breeding places of the insects and where
the latter is not possible destroying their eggs
and larvT The statement and recommends
tlons were prepared account of the recent
talk about malaria in Central Park, but they
are entirely practical and pertinent in every
place where malaria prevails.
The theory of the anophelc origin of malaria
IS Il comparatively new one but II is more
strongly supported 10y aScprtained facts than
many other generally accepted theories of much
older age. Some details Of Il may still be open
to debate. The general principle may safely be
accepted aS correct and may he acted upon by
profe Ssional man and laymen with entire conf
dcnce ia the value of such action. il is true
tho average layman cannot distinguish between
the plague hearing anOpheeS and the mere
blood sucking mosquito. But IL is not necessary
that he should. Both are nuisances Both are
legitimate objects of eXterminatory warfare
The rule Is. wherever you find mosquito kill
him without waiting for any meteorological
examination of his domestic economy in quest
of malarial germs.
There are few creatures more widely dis
tributed over fhc surface Of the earth than the
mosquito. 1t Is the curse OF equatorial Africa
and also of arctic Alaska In some respects
too II is difficult thing 10 destroy. You may
freeze one of the larvc. or "wigglcrs." in the
heart Of a block of ice. and keep II in cold
storage for months. and then thaw the Ice and
he will come out as lively ever. Neverthe-
less the mosquito is at all stages Of the game
easy 10 destroy II YOU go about the job I'm the
right way. Both pupr and larvT are the favor
ite food Of various kinds Of fish, the larvn are
readily destroyed through the application Of oil
to the water IN which they live and the image
itself is mutitudnously destroyed by bats and
by whippOorwills and other birds wherever men
are sensible enough TO protect and encourage
those innocent and benetccnt creatures
Dr. BiggS urges sanitary warfare against
the mosquito for the sake of health That Is
well. and eminently desirable. 1t would also he
well and desirable to wage such warfare for
the mere sake of comfort, were there no Such
thing as malarial infection I'm the account 1t
may be that the mosquito plays a beneficent
part in the economy of creation by destroying
some lesser organisms which with It's disappear
ance will come into offensive prominence At
present we have no ntination OF such "A fact
The mosquito seems so far rs present knowl
edge goes. to be an unmitigated nuisance
always annoying, generally irritating and FIRE
quently mOrbific. 1t will be we'll until further
adviccs, TO wage remOrSeless and universal war
against it. ns an enemy of the human race. with
all the rC sources nj our command