New-York tribune., 1901-08-13
DOTY'S WAR EFFECTIVE
MOSQUITOES MATERIALLY REDUCED IN
THE LIMITED DISTRICT TREATED.
HE DECLARES.

HE DECLARES.
DR. Alvah H Doty. Health officer Of the Port
OF New York. yesterday gave out a long state
rnent concerning his experiments with mos"
ouftoes on Staten Island. The report which dem
onstrates his views upon the subject OF no"
rnalariaI germs are transmitted to human beings
by mosquitoes. is given herewith. He declares
that by reason Of the partial warfare which he
has been able to carry on against the mosquitoes
fn a certain district Of Staten Island the num-
bers OF these pestiferous insects have been ma
terialIy reduced. DR.. Doty says:
In 1880 Dr Laveran French army surgeon on
1a,,on ~ be bad them noncded in which he said he
had discovered the specific organism or the as
fhis report was followed by exhaustive bacterio-
fogfeaI rssesrrb on the rart Of other observers who
fully confirmed Laveran's statement and present
ed additional and indisputabe evidence that the
parasite causing malaria had been identified
Subsequent 10 this Drs. Ross, Manson, Koch.
rassi and other investigators in dherent parls OF
the world and working Independently OF 4 one & an
other, proved that the maaral parasite was lralls $
ntted from one person to amotne oy tg Wbtb or
the anopheles species of mosqulto- i I1 oa M
not there other means by which this dlseaSe
can be transmitted IS at present not oeIlll'eiS
Than malarial fever. probably no other disease
IS more widely disseminated throughout the world
is known under a greater variety OF names. II
is recognized under the spechc terms OF n4Ilan
fever. etc, and may appear as a typical form OF
the disease or may present only obscure symptoms
During the last two or three years this subject
has engaged the earnest attention or me Ineqlca @
profession and much valuable information has been
gained. Or Walter Reed, of the United states
experiment in Cuba that mosquitoes transmit vel
low fever. The value Of these discoveries can
hsrGy nd,aa be m ywbicR these diseases can at
least be brought under control
DoTY's OWN EFFORTS
During the last year this subject has been under
investigation at the New York Quarantne La9S
Uting something toward the solution OF the prom
lem now before us. and also demonstrating in our
midst the relation between malaria anu IIit @ ms
quito, well to test the value Of agents salg
the experimental work referred TO IN TINS state
In the beginning Of the investigation. L selected
for the test district known by PHYSICIANS OF ths
psoe Pc acute rg and cbTone form This section
sisting OF a basin or lowlands and less than
square mile in extent, contained not mo5e Ha man
one hundred small wooden houses. some dlsl.tlee ,
auart Within its boundaries were no less than
TWENTY-FIVE stsgnant POOLS NalyIhs ~ III 80 ~ - ~
i've feet in diameter to an acre CT more IN area
m neT cent of the inhabitants Of this section were
suffering with the acute or chrome form OF NJ
Iaria In almost every house or yard were fOuno
tkpeal DreeGs S , Ia '79eed rain barrels cisterns
etassennats or sbandoned recentacIes thrown about
the premises Samples Of water from these as
% We sry gS az fonnd In some instances particularly
IN reeePacles about @ The ,.3 h4Pse ba1 [he water '0
The lary require but few days & to 10 become s6oT
the fun fedged winged insects IL T ca pe sbppIv
ciated that very small receptacle can supply
houses for the purpose Of securing some OF G INC
mosquitoes which infested the neghborhood; ana
among those collected were found the anopheles
e,det n t,,,as coming from small section con
VI e,stng Of a few scattered houses. In one Of the
latter found family OF hFe persons pIssett ptto
form of the disease existed. On two evenings l
secured live mosquitoes from the bedroom IN TINS
house
MANY SAMPLES SECURED.
The first evening five were taken. and all but one
Of yVer of the anODheleS species Oll NliS
second evening twenty-five were collected, ana OF
sect In a house on the opposite corner little
girl seven years old was found sqens glowed 6y
the mother 10 secure drop OF blooo IrSH6 ' Of
This was made IN the laboratory and the parasite
found. -,,., ,o,. ,,,s+ referred 70
We're placed @ ha m sresdg been laid and the transi
iion from these TO the full grown mosquito viii be
carefully studied IN the mean time some ~ sstbe 0i
the presence OF the parasite Nhen coIRITa, % ;n
result of the laboratory work will be pubhsheG IN
detail IN one OF the medical journals -. -.
Many tests have been made In the iapor,atorg 70 70
he destructive the mosquito larvse. This mas IN
cluded experiments with the different graaes qi Pc
OF mercury corrosive sublimate) carbohc acid bro
iIie n was surprise to ind that solution of b
chloride of mercury G-2O5O sufficiently strong TO XIII
al auto arTS soM1 some BEING alive at the x
ts.y tlSg III lived indefinitely
Il would be unsafe under any condition to use use
exposed This may also, be said Of caTbolic acid
snd other agents e5Pembe9tee men VIII rT recaa
fnended for the destruction Of larv produced little
these tests the marked superiority Of petroleum
on soon became manifest.
OIL THE BEST ExTERMINAToR.
There seemed to be no special Advantage ant & Of one I
Which was used in petrolizing the stagnant pools
and rain barrels etc. Is crude petroleum with a
etre Of this added to 800 cubic cenmetres Of
water, containing Larvae. killed them in three or
drop. q OH to gallon q water As "a mstteF nat & Of
Whefher the destructive action Of the oil on the
n saw However, i am inclined TO believe that il
10 the latter. Furthermore. emanation. from the
oil or its odor. both. Is particularly repugnant.
There is no doubt that the best effect Of the oil is
gained by introducing i 70 considerable depth
brought in direct contact with the arvse particu-
This principle carried out in practical
work. The apparatus used consisted OF wooden
work OF small perforated iron pipes, with the
openings on the under surface Insse we're aiS con
containing of under air pressure. In this manner
the oil was forced almost the bottom of the pool
Il undoubtedly was thoroughly mixed with The
surface Il does not descend but collects in differ
spaces e where the larvse may breathe
IN petrolizng the stagnant pools 1t soon became
'ariy In the immediate Vicinity of these places
were the abiding places Of the MOSQUITO during the
spots when myriads Of mosquitoes will appear.
or b5 Pegoy row snd aferWar petroizng the
ground with ordinary sprinkling pot
barrels etc. which we're found IN almost all Of the
premises and which contained lary9 IN enormous
numbers were treated by sprinkling the inside OF
the woodwork and the surface OF the water with oil
RESULTS OF THE INVESTIGATION
The result Of this investigation from scientific