The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-03-15
MOSQUITO PESKINESS
SCIENTIFICALLY PROVED

IN \ VERY anc article on tho Recent Ad.
vanucs in Medicine" in ,ho now Issue Of ip.
4 plcton, Annual Cycopacdn (l10l),a comptc-
lcnsitc review is given Of the part played by
| the mesquite in the propagation ot mllatinl and
yellow fever germs After description Of the
various experiments That succeeded in fastening
suspicion Oh the ptstiicruus insect an account is
given uf some interesting tests made for the pur.
pose of completing the chain Of evidence against
them
Some infected mosquitoes were allowed TO bite
a man in Rome, and hc soon developed the ma.
laria parasite in his blood. TIE skcptics how.
ever, insisted that he might have been infected in
some other way or had latent infection in his
blood all the time. Dr. Manson, therefore, wish.
ing to make the proof striking and positive, de-
viscd two crucial tests, which wctc carried out
in the summer OF 1900, and the results have left
the fair.mindcd skcptic detcnselcss.
The first of these consisted Of scnding two
physicians, Drs Sambon and Low, to live in
very malarial district on the Roman Campagna
(Osta) during the most malariots season OF The
year, their only protection from the disease lie.
ing mosquito netting. No quinno or other
rrophylactic taken and they directed
to sleep with the windows and doors open, 30 is
to give any bad night air there might he a
"chancc at them" This they did, living in
house whose only pccuiiarity lay in its being
mosquitoproof. Here they stayed all summer,
anu NIllc lnc WllOlC EullONilllliE popUlal'On ot
natives was down with malaria neither OF the ,ti.
aec'imacd cXncrimcntcrs ever showed a trace of
it. This proved that unacclimatcd people could
live in perfect health in an extremely malari3ns
region, where even the acclimated natives ire
serious sufferers, by simply avoiding mosquito
bites.
For the second experiments some laboratory
mosquitoes were reared frcm eggs in Rome, ras.
turcd ON malarial sufferer. aud sent alive to
tod u n
healthy man whose blood had been examined ard
shown to be free from the malaria germ. DR..
Mangon's son volunteered for the service lie
was bitten freely by the mosquitoes, and in
short time he not only developed in the heart
Of London the clinical symptoms of malaria, but
his blood found to be swarinng with typical
parasites.
Along somewhat similar lines experiments have
been conducted that complete the against
the mosquito with regard to yellow fever. Some
brave volunteers from the United States army
gave themselves freely for the experiments, which
made under the direction of the Yellow
Fever commission in Cuba. Camp Lazear. where
the commissions experiments carried on,
about mile from Quemados, Cuba. Three
sets Of tests were carried out First, the attempt
was made to infect non-immune individuals by
exposure to intimate contact with infected cloth
ing and bedding by what are tcchcally known as
fomitcs; second by the direct injection OF blood
from of yellow fever; and third, by the bites
of mosquitoes that had betA pastured on yellow
fever sufferers. The equipment of the camp in
ciuded two frame buildings, of which, known
as the ''irfected mosquito building" was divided
near the middle by permanent wire par
tition, and had Il good ventilation. The other,
known the "infeced clothing building"
purposely constructed to exclude anything
like efficient ventilation. Both houses pro-
vided with wire screen doors, that mosquitoes
could be kept without within the build
ings
The first mosquito infection was obtained On
Dec. s. One of the volunteers, Kissnger by name,
had been bitten by five mosquitoes which had
previously been allowed to bite yellow fever
patient. On the date mentioned he came down
with marked of yellow fever. He had