The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-09-21
STAMPING OUT SWAMP
FEVER IN THE COLONIES
The First Effort Will Be to Rid the Infected
Spots of Mosquitoes and Their
Breeding Places.

''malarial coefficient'' of the villages.
The truth is easily to be seen. At
Freetown the results are uniform: at
500 metres, nothing to fear: moreover,
at Freetown again, it has been proved
that mosquitoes and malaria exist only
in certain quarters; in others they are
lacking altogether. AT Ostia also, it
has been shown that the distribution
of mosquitoes is quite local. At Blan-
tyre a house forty metres from
swamp is infested: another at 200 me-
tres is immune: and the hospital, at
400 metres, knows nothing Of mosquI-
toes. At Accra, not a mosquito within
800 metres of the nearest swamp. AMI
SO it goes. To sum it all up; the mos
quito is sedentary; he never travels
more than 500 metres, on an average
from mis- native swamp. (But ne can
be accidentally carried by the railroad
in hay or straw: this must not be for
gotten.) Hence by destroying the
metres in every direction, we shall pro-
tect ourselves.
Nevertheless it has been proved that
malaria and mosquitoes exist in posts
and villages where no ponds exist. How
comes this? Simply, we have not car
ried on our observations long enough.
At the moment we are passing by,
there were no swamps: but three
months later there were some, formed
by the rain; they lasted a fortnight, a
month; and this was enough to farbor
the winged tribe. The exception is
only apparent.
So much for the first fact. We
have reached the conclusion that if we
destroy all the neighboring swamps OF
establish ourselves at a respectful dis
lance from them we shall he safe.
Mosquitoes living five hundred metres
or kilometre away won't come near
us.
And now for the second fact-thougn
the mosquito is the principal foe TO
civilized humanity in such country,
he is not by any means the only one.
There is another quite as redoubtable.
And this is the native-black yellow
or red, or of whatever color you WILL
the native, unwilling accomplice of the
mosquito. This also is perfectly clear.
Let me explain.
I have said that the mosquito needs
stagnant pools in which to breed. Ma
ture provides such pools, in part. But
where Dame Nature has neglected to
do so, the native comes to the rescu.
and lends the mosquito helping hand
-unintentionally, of course. And this
he does in very simple fashion; the
observations made at Freetown show
how. A native wants to build a hut .
He digs up the earth to get clay for
the walls of his dwelling, and holes are
left which at the first rain become
pools. He needs supply of water?
Immediately some sort Of receptacle
under his caves, and there a stagnart
puddle. He lives in a fairly civilized
district? Then he uses bottles, pots,
etc, and all around his house lies an
accumulation of broken bottles, empty
sardine and cracker boxes, open tin
, cans, to say nothing of numberless bits
of crockery. And at the first shower
all these receptacles serve as breeding
places for mosquitoes; we find them
there in shocking numbers, so that
even in localities healthful in them
selves and remote from swamps we en-
counter the insect, and consequently
malaria.
Nor is this all. The mosquito has
a prediction for the native and for
the natives dwelling. What civilized
habitation offers him as many corners
as the native provides? Where else
should he find such huts and such
ramshackle cabins, full of hiding
places; such dirty, dark barracks,
black with smoke and filth-a perfect
paradise for him? Only the native
provides such shelter. The European
wants broad, high, open, well-built and
well-lighted houses; for all such things
the mosquito has a deep-seated dislike
Make a black spot on a white board;
all the mosquitoes will settle down on
that black spot, as if they perfectly
understood how almost invisible it
makes them.
And then we understand many sur
prising things, and at the same time
perceive in what way we must pro-
coed in our warfare against the dead
ly insects. We know that the travel
Ter should always camp at good dis
lance from a village. We know that
mosquitoes are singing in villages
where there is not a swamp within
radius of one thousand or fifteen hun
dred meters. They owe their existence
to man: to his open water tanks: to