New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-05-02
MOSQUITOES IN THE sPRNG7IuE.

campaign against the mosquito has been
initiated in Breslau, Germany, that is charac-
terized by what seem to be unique features.
There is nothing original in the idea of having
such warfare waged under municipal auspices,
nor IN the practice Of filling up pools that may
become breeding places. What makes the pro-
cedure of Breslau noteworthy is the attention
being paid to those mosquitoes which have sur
vived the winter and which will be the first
to lay eggs this year Several generations of
insects are possible in one season. Under IA
vorable circum stances the progeny Of a single
mosquito between May. and November might
amount to many bildonsI No other kind of eff
fort promises to be attended with such rewards,
therefore, the discovery and humiliation Of
the few specimens that have remained in a
state of suspended animation during the last
few months and that would betray activity
when mild weather became tablished Those
are to be found in cellars and Easements in
close proximity to parks and vacant lots.
Though born out of doors, they were forced by
the chill Of autumn to seek shelter in adjacent
human habitatiOns
In America, and perhaps in Europe the i'm
portance of hunting for and killing alternating
insects has been recognized before. The medi-
cal papers print warnings every year which
arc addressed almost exclusively to physicians.
Boards Of health may have discussed the mat
Ter III DuueJlu5 lQleuueu lOI pOpulaT pSTuBal.
though we do not recall an instance of their
having done So Still, the individual house
holder has hitherto been left to take the initla-
tive in the crusade. Probably not one man in
a thousand has been made to see that he
owes q duty to himself and his neighbors and
a much smaller proportion of residents has been
spurred TO action by this sort of talk. Now.
the great beauty OF the Breslau programme is
that nothing is left to the initiative Of the in
been selected for operations, notices are sent
to the occupants of dwellings under suspicion,
and the request Is made that admission will be
given to experts designated to conduct the
search. The agents themselves are provided
with Identification cards, and they appear TO
have been trained and nominated by the hy-
gienic institute of BresIau. The Common
Council has authorized the whole procedure,
and # may be inferred from that fact that the
city pays the men for their labor. With what
degree of favor the people regard the move
ment is not revealed by the consular report
which describes it, but the scheme is highly
commendabe. It provides practical way for
carrying into effect a happy but hitherto futile
suggestion.
Another phase Of the war on mosquitoes is
discussed In THE New-YOrk Medical Journal
by Captain H A Ebere, who has had some
experience as an army surgeon In the Philip
pines While he was stauohed at Jolo he was
long mystiied by the myrlads of these Great
ures which infested the CITY, although no APP
parent breeding place for them could be de-
tected At length he observed that water &C
cumuated in holes in tree trunks. and also in
hollows at the bases of the branches OF banana
and other fruit trees. Examination of the ma
terial removed from a number Of these cavi-
ties showed that they afforded the necessary
environment for the multiplication of several
species of MOSQUITO and that the facilities were
being extensively utilized. Without sacrificing
the principal fruit crop of the island on which
the city of JoIo is situated 1t would be i'm.
possible to deprive the mosquito Of the nurs-
cries here mentioned. Hence Captain Ebere
despalrs of DISCRIMINATING mosquitoes complete
ly in that locality The same conditions. doubt
less, exist in many other regions in the tropics
and the work of suppressing maladies which,
are spread by the anopheles and the stegyomia
fasciata (ma1arial and yellow fevers) Is thus