Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-07-13
New Discovery In the Parasite
World Is of the Greatest
Importance
70 PROTECT THE PUBLIC HEALTH
The Credit of the Discovery Is Due to
Dr. Charles WardcIl Stiles, of the
Public Health and Marine Hospital
Service, Who Discovered the Hook
Worm, or Germ of Laziness."

Washington, July 13.-Dr Charles
| Wardeil Stiles, of the public health and
marine hospital service. discoverer of
the parasite uncinaria Americana, gen.
orally known as the hook worm, or
germ of laziness," and who In his adj
dress last December before the sanitary
conference of American republics, told
of the effects of the ravages Of the hook
worm disease upon social Industrial,
and economic conditions in the South
ern states. has made another discovery
in the parasite world which is con-
sidered by government scientists as of
the greatest Importance and the effects
of which may be far reaching. This
is the discovery and isolation of what
DR.. Stiles has named the agamomermis
culicis, otherwise known as 1.-THE mo-
squito destroyer parasite which
kills millions of mosquitoes each year
and which it is believed. under arti-
fetal propagation will prove far super
ding infested communities of these
pests. Scientists in Washington who
have been made acquainted with the
discovery say it's Importance cannot be
overestimated.
Parasite Discovered.
The discovery was not the result of
accident or of haphazard methods.
Some time ago the officials of the pub
lie health and marine hospital conceived
the idea that at the present time. when
mosquitoes are being subjected to such
careful study because of the important
relations they bear to public health es-
pecially in malaria, yellow fever. and
diseases of a like nature--the mosquito
having been recognized as a carrier of.
fever germs--it was of the greatest in
terest to determine by what parasites
they were naturally infested.
At the time this determination was
made the officials were convinced, al
tho without the backing of data, that
the matter had a scientific value. for
1t was considered that it would make
possible the elimination of certain nom
pathogenic organisms certain stages of
which were already known to exist in
mosquitoes 1t had further practical
bearing In that 1t was believed that
parasites of mosquitoes might multiply
to such an extent as to become import
ant factors in their determination.
The experiments by Dr. Stiles, which
followed this decision, have resulted in
entire success. The parasite has been
discovered and is isolated. The right
OF the parasite to its common title of
mosquito destroyer" has been estab-
lished. All that now remains to be
done by DR.. Stiles and his associates
is to discover a rapid and inexpensive
manner of propogating the parasites in
sufficient number for general use in
marshes ponds, and localities infested
with mosquitoes The mosquito de-
stroyer'' will do the rest.
1t is admitted by DR.. Stiles and other
government scientists that considerable
more difficulty will be experienced in
propogating the parasites in sufficient
numbers for general use than was in
volved in distributing the parasite OF
1.-The grasshopper plague" turnout the
farming sections of the west.