New-York tribune., 1908-08-10
RICHMOND RID OF PESTS
DR. DOTYS GREAT FIGHT.
Health Officer Says Staten Island Is
Nosc Mosquitoless.

| port the pests TO the quarantine station SO inst
he can go with his tests When seen Ses'er-
day at Quarantine he said:
Yes it is true that 1 shall have TO send 10
places other than Staten Island for the lnsects
and their Larvae carry on my experimental
work OF course, 1 knew the mosquito was falling
rapidly before onslaushts, but was not
aware that the determination had been so effec-
tive until 1 went out to get specimens for my
The draining of the marshes was
thorough but 1 thought 1 could surely get some
Larvae of the sollicitans (salt water mosquitoes
along the fringe of the one-time marsh lands OF
Princes Bay.
II sent my out. but they returned and re-
ported that they could get neither larva nor mos
quitoes at any of the places. where three years
ago person would be eaten alive with the pests
went out myself and found their reports were
correct. I gave up the search for the son1c'tans
and hunted for the anopheles the mosquito tha'
transmits malaria 1 knew this breed had oeen
combated effectively, practically to the point OF
complete determination. but I fancied might
get a larva pocket in some remote place spent
several days looking for the anopheles ana hao
to give up the hunt without getting them Ihey
were not be had.
"A few days later 1 made a search for the
cuIex essentially house mosquito which as far
as science knows. transmits disease whatso-
ever This hunt took through the residential
sections, where l found that many OF the dwell
ings had discarded their screens. This was an
agreeable surprise for 1t showed that the people
had really found that there was no need of keep
screens
listed At every home l visited on the island l
was told that there no mosquitoes about
had no idea that the work Of determination which
we began in 1904 would be complete l was
always confident that would wipe out the mos
quito on Staten Island in time. but did not know
that the would about effectively in
four years"
When asked If the number of malarial cases had
decreased proportionately with the determination
of the anopheles. DR.. Doty replied that it had,
rfad he n
crusade continued, no records of .nalarfal
cases were kept in the Borough of Richmond
When the work of determination began an order
issued for physicians to report all cases Of
malaria. The for 1904 shows los cases The
preliminary work of determination in the first
year did any great decrease in the
prevalence OF malaria, for we had nnetyone cases
reported in 1905 This drop of only seventeen
but it showed that the decrease slight
response to the work Of determination.
I'VE began the work of draining in 1905, and
pushed ii along vigorously, and IL indeed
gratifying hnd the total number of malarial
cases for 1906 down as low sixtyeight The
force of at work determination in
creased in 1907. and earnest appeal for the CO.
operation the people Of Staten Island to assist
in the many small ways at their command was
made. Every means Of determination that could
be concentrated against the three breeds Of mos
quitoss employed and the statistics for that
year showed only five cases of malaria, two cases
of which reported the Marine Hospital,
and were brought there from incoming ships. The
actual number OF malarial then contracted
on Staten Island for the year 1907 only three.
This year only three Of malaria were re-
corded two of these being from off shore to the
Marine Hospital. Whether the remaining case was
contracted Staten Island is in doubt. so that
the statistics show practically all malaria has
been eliminated with the mosquito the Borough
of Richmond
Although his mosquito light has been successful
TO the degree OF complete determination. DR.. Doty
has by relinquished his attack on the
pests. He maintains that neglect will undo what
has been accomplished and that 1t is as essential
prevent mosquito breeding as 1t Is to combat |
them when they already in control of the |
situation.
While the mosquitoes eliminated now" said |
the health officer. neglect would only be means
of getting them back again. The bitches with |
which drained the salt marshes must be kept |
In repair to keep the land firm and dry that the
tidewater will have no opportunity OF developing
the larvee. The soicitans is the only variety of
mosquito that hibernates in egg form throughout |
the winter and a neglected and congested ditch |
could easily become the breeding place of millions
of solcitans. Then the people must not become |
neglectfui about their premises. easy to al |
low receptacles to accumulate in hidden spots
about the grounds and it is a simple TO let
the drop off the rain barrel. When one |
realizes that small tomato or an old coffee |
pot filled with rain water will harbor and develop !
thousands of mosquitoes within few weeks it is |
must not stop when the mosquitoes have disap- |
peared
Now that have the situation under control |
we will fill up ponds and smaller water pockets
that were BILE to for while the more inn
portant work under way. The flling-in method
will take the place of oil spraying. and with care
full resistive measures in force continually, the
island will become fortified against mosquito IN
cubation that only ordinary precautions will be
necessary the future
About hundred yards from his home at Tomp-
kinsville Dr. Doty has built a screen house about
90 feet by 20 feet and 10 feet high 1t is in this
house that mosquitoes bred under all sorts of
conditions The house is large enough to exclude |
the theory that mosquitoes do act the same in |
captivity they do when liberty. The house
is provided with a tree, section of shade grass
Of lengths and small tubs containing every
sort OF water mosquito might need for propaga-
ton The experiments in this house gave Dr. Doty
his first idea for the successful determination Of
the solcitans. After months of careful observa- |
could be developed only in salt water BY further
examinations about the island, he found that the
sollicitans the only real migratory mosquitoes
and that ii they. and not the culex which were
annoying the people the heights and in inland
sections where every preceution had been taken TO
eliminate the breeding places of the culex He also
found that il the solcitans that swarmed five
miles out and made life miserable for the
pilots.
DR.. Doty is work on a series OF experi. |
ments with the culex and the socitans 10 find out
if they the direct indirect agents of dis
ease.
1T is hard 10 say what results are likely to
from my work said DR.. Doty. We NAV
determine in time that the cuex and the solici- |
tans under certain conditions transmit some form
of disease. The ordinary experiments have shown
thus far that their injury TO human beings is linn