The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-08-20
Continued from yesterday.)

carlos FInIdy OF Havana, Cubas was
of the opinion, as early as 1881, that
this disease was conveyed by this pest
This theory was proved fact by a
commission made in Cuba in 1901. They
proved beyond all doubt that this spe-
cies, Stegomyia fasciata, was a con-
veyor and perhaps the only conveyor
OF this dreaded disease. There is no rec
ord of there ever having been a case
of yellow-fever in these Islands Ger
tainly the quarantine regulations have
not up to this time been responsible for
the immunity from this diease, for it
was not known until 1901 what the pro-
per quarantine against yellow-fever
was. The reason for our immunity is
made clear in a statement by DR. Geo.
M. Sternberg. Surgeon General (re-
tired) of the United States Army. In
an article smithsonian Report. 1900.
p. 670.) on the transmission of yellow
fever by mosquitoes, he says:
THE propagation OF the disease de-
ponds upon the introduction of an in
fected individual to a locality where
this mosquito is found, at a season of
the year when it is active. Owing to
the short period of incubation Give
days or less), the brief duration of the
disease, and especially of the period
during which the infectious agent
GERM is found in the blood (three
days., it is evident that ships sailing
from infected ports, upon which cases
of yellow-fever develop, are not likely
to introduce the disease to distant sea-
ports. The continuance of an epidemic
On ship board as on land, must depend
upon the presence of infected mosque
toes and of non-immune individuals.
Ind a
understand why the disease should not
be carried from the West Indies or
from South America to the Mediterra-
mean, to the east coast of Africa or to
Asiatic seaport cities. On the other
hand, if the disease could be transmit
ted by infected clothing. bedding, etc,
there seems no good reason why it
should not have been carried to these
distant localities long ago."
The safety this country has enjoyed
in the past, due, it is seen, to the
length of time it has taken a vessel to
come here from yellow-fever infected
ports, is removed by the intimate rela-
tions about to be established by a new
line of steamers between here and the
Mexican coast. The possibility of the
completion of the Panama canal in the
near future gives additional cause for
precaution against the Introduction 81
the most dreaded of tropical diseases
The yellow-fever mosquito is we'll
named a town species. 1t breeds al
most exclusively about dwellings. and
authorities state that it is seldom found
far. outside city limits unless in the
vicinity of dwellings. The female Will
invariably choose small collections of
clear water for depositing her eggs. The
1oil CT,
ter and if not on the water may remain
dormant for a long time until wash
ed into the water or, as in the case OF
a rain-barrel, until shower brings the
water to their level. Attention to the
artificial collections of water about
dwellings will be the principal factor
in reducing the numbers of this spe-
cies.
The Forest Mosquito Stegomyia scut-
ellaris.-This species and the yellow
fever mosquito are known locally as
the day mosquitoes. While Stegom-
via scutellaris breeds in such places as
mentioned in connection with the yell
low-fever species, it differs from the
latter in that it is not restricted to such
collections of water. The writer has
often found it breeding in small bodies
of water in the forest. These places
have been sometimes far removed from
habitations and on several occasions
have been discovered where, the writer
ventures to say, not more than one per-
son would visit, on an average, in
years time. These natural breeding
places are such small amounts of water
as may be contained in a hollow stump
of a tree or limb a depression in
stone in the bed of mountain stream
or the leaves of plants.
On February 25 last, the writer coll
lected what he supposed were the eggs
of the yellow-fever mosquito. These
were placed in a breeding jar and
Matched on March 1. On March 9 the
first pupae appeared and by March II
all had transformed to the pupal stage
The first adult issued on March IL and
proved to be scutel1aris. Specimens
continued to leave the water until
March II, when the last one completed
its 1ife-cycle. The life-cycle may be
summed up as follows: the egg state is
five days, the larval from eight to ten
days and the pupal three to six. Mat
ing in this species occurs at any time
during the day. The adult infests for
the most part shady places
NATURAL ENEMIES AND DIS
EASES OF MOSQUITOES. {
The dragon-f1ies or ''mosquito-hawks''
are the most effectual enemies of the
that we have here. The
Odonata, are for the most !
part members of the single genus Agri-
on. The number of aquatic species of
insects is far less in Hawaii than in
other countries. In searching the 1
swampy places about Honolulu for the I
larvae of the mosquito it was not I'M
usual to dip up with the same dipper- {
full of water from the net, the larvae of c
and the nymphs or young |