Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1906-04-28
MOSQUITO BRIEF.
The Attention Of Scientists Is Being
Turned TO the Pest.

| many IelloW VINO mas Datteu at an
elusive mosquito has been guilty of
expressions not proper in polite so.
ciety. For all the vengeanee declared
in the centuries passed the pest still
endures and is as great a nuisance as
ever. In spite of all efforts he, or it,
has fourished.
OF late years we have heard much
of the mosquito as breeding dessim
inator of disease. Various medical
authorities agree, so we are told, in
holding the insect responsible for the
spread of the disease. In order to
show that serious thought is centered
on the mosquito, We reprint the fol
lowing from one of the greatest per
iodicals in the world. the Scientific
American:
This is another name for the pre-
vention of mosquito breeding by OBJ.
literating the primary conditions req
uisite for their wholesome production
On the 11th inst, the third annual
conference of the American Mosquito
determination society was held in this
cit at the New York Aquarium, and
supplemented in the evening by din
ner given at the Union League club
by the president, Mr.. William J. Math.
erson, in honor of several guests and
health board officials.
At the convention it was shown
that much progress had been made to
ward the abatement of the mosquito
nuisance by a greater enlightenment of
public sentiment in its favor, as evi
denced through the recent legislative
enactments
In the state of New Jersey, for ex.
ample, where only few years ago the
suggestion of eliminating the mos
quito met with ridicule, now, as a re.
suit of a more universal education and
extension of information on the sub
ject, it is reported that the state legis.
lature has passed almost unanimously
an appropriation of $350,000 to be ex.
pended at the rate of $4,000 per year
for the diking and ditching of the
great salt marshes lying adjacent to
the city of Newark and about Hack.
ensack river. Legislation is also in
| progr IS IL the New York legislature
to the samo end for the benefit of New
York city
The convention adopted what is
termed, "Mosquito Brief stating in
simple language the number of species
of mosquitoes that inhabit marsh lands
and cesspcols of the United States
that they can nply breed in water
that one mosquito can lay on the av-
erage three hundred eggs a day; that
the life of one mosquito is about a
month Tne most dangerous of south.
crn mosquitoes is the Stegomyia fas
ciata, the natural carrier of yellow
:evor germs.
a; the evening dinner, General Fed
d. Grant of Governor island, U s.
army post, gave some interesting rem.
inisecncts on mosquitoes and their eff.
feet on the health of the army. He
related how he had protected a divi.
sion Of the army located on one side
of the Rio Grande river, in a'southern
section of the country, from the spread
of yellow fever, which had broken out
in town situated on the opposite
bank. He secured funds from Wash
ington TO carry out an effective sys
TEN of scheening, and said as a result
that not one of his men was taken with
! the fever. On Governor island mum.
erous relies In the shape Of 10 inch
gun shells were inverted, so as TO
shed water instead Of holding t.
which had the effect of relieving local
ly the generation of the insects. Even
upright rifle barrels were filed with
sand to avoid the. collection of water.
Paul d. Cavath related an interest.
ing record concerning the relation Of
the mosquito TO malaria. On the north
side Of Lon Island, about 80 miles from
New York, there were certain valleys
and bays where the mosquito was no.
tOriously evident. The areas were 10.
Gated on a map Another record was
made as to the extent Of malaria over
this section, from physicians and 9th.
ers, and these areas were placed upon
second duplicate map. This medical
map was superimpOsed over the first
map, and It was found that the area
in both eases pretty evenly matched
each other.
This record is Of special interest to
all boards Of health, and proves most