Evening star., 1909-04-11
Breeding Places in Stagnant
Pools to Be Eradicated.
HEALTH OFFICE ORDERS
Inspectors to Watch for Danger
Spots and Enforce Remedy.
DRAINING TO BE COMPELLED
Owners Will Be Notified and Made
to Act-Vtews Of DR.. L.
o. Howard.

To keep down the annual summer crop
of mosquitoes in the District. Health OFF,
Ger W. C. Woodward will soon give in
structions to the sanitary inspectors OF
the health department to watch out for
pools of stagnant water and other places
where those insects breed.
| The object of this spring campaign
| against the mosquito is not SO much TO
insure peaceful slumbers for the residents
Of the District who remain here during
the heated term as to prevent malaria,
for the small insect that buzzes in ones
ear at night Is regarded as one of the
most generous distributors of malaria in
| the world.
| Not all kinds of mosquitoes distribute
malaria. But 1t is hard to distinguish
the innocent from the guilty. So the
| health officer has declared war on all
| Of them.
While there is no money available to
| properly treat the swamp lands along the
water front. where many insects breed
still it is believed that small pools of
| water on vacant lots around the city are
dangerous So as fast as the sanitary
inspectors discover such pools they serve
notice en- the owners of the land to drain
| From now on until the end of the sum-
mer the inspectors will devote as much
| of their time as possible to searches for
such danger spots. and to their eradica-
tion.
Health officer Woodward believes that
this work against mosquito breeding
places Is a direct blow to malaria.
Views Of Dir. L. o. Howard.
In that connection he cites a recent
,{4H 0f
| the bureau of entomology. in which the
mosquito is severely arraigned.
1T has been definitely proven and is
now generally accepted that malaria in
its different forms is disseminated among
the individuals Of the human species by
mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles, and
that the malaria organism game entrance
to the human system, so far as known.
only by the bite OF mosquitoes of this
genus"
After discussing the dangerous effects of
bites Of other insects. DR.. Howard con-
tnues:
1.-THE economic loss to the human spe-
cies through these insects is tremendous.
At the same time this loss Is entirely un-
necessary. The diseases In question can
be controlled and the suppression of the
conveying insects. SO absolutely vital with
certain of these diseases and SO impor-
tant in the others. can be brought about.
Entirely aside from the loss occasioned
by MOSQUITOES as carriers of specific dis
eases, their abundance brings about
great monetary loss in other ways.
Losses Caused by Mosquitoes.
Possibly the greatest of these losses is
in the reduced value Of real estate In
mosquito-infested regions. since these in
sects render absolutely uninhabitable
large a1eas Of land available for suburban
homes, for summer resorts, for manu-
featuring purposes and for agricultural
pursuits The money loss becomes most
| apparent in the vicinity of large centers
of population.
"The mosquito breeding areas in the
vicinity of New York. city. for example,
have prevented the growth of paying in
dustries OF various kinds and have hin
dered the proper development of large
regions to an amount which II Is DIM
cult to estimate in dollars and cents, and
which is almost inconceivable.
The same may be said for other large
cities near the seacoast. and even of those
opment Of the whole state of New Jersey
has been held back by the mosquito
plague.
agricultural regions have suffered
from this cause. In portions OF the north
western states 1t has been necessary to
cover the work horses in the field with
sheets during the day. In the gulf region
of Texas. at times the market value of
live stock is greatly reduced by the
abundance of these insects.
"In portions of southern New Jersey
there are lands eminently adapted to the
dairying industry. and the markets Of
New York. Philadelphia and the large
| New Jersey cities are at hand In these
localities herds of cattle have heen re-
peatedly established, but the attacks of
| swarms of mosquitoes have reduced the
| yield of milk to such an extent as to
| make the animals improbable and dairy
ipp hoon ahan1Onad lQSS
| erative occupations.
THE conditions Of the Thoroughbred
| race horses at the great racing center
sheepshead Bay, L. I-were 90 impaired
those Interested to spend many thousands
Of dollars few years ago in an effort
to abate the pest"
Next taking up the relation of ma
Iaria to the mosquito and of its preva-
lence in many sections OF the United
States, DR.. Howard quotes Prof Glenn
w. Herrick OF the College Of Agriculture
Of Mississippi an saying that malaria is
white population Of the south than any
disease to which 1t is now subject.
Prevention Of Malaria
Discussing the means Of preventing ma
iaria, DR.. Howard says:
1.-THE most thorough and most salts
| factory of all measures consists In abel-
tSnlnH tne preceding places Oh tue ma
| iarial mosquitoes. In regions like the
| delta of the Mississippi this involves ex-
tepsive and systematic drainage. But in
very many localities where the breeding
places of the Anapheles mosquitoes can
| be easily eradicated, where they are read
| lily located and are SO circumscribed as
to admit Of easy treatment. 1t is possible
| to rid the section of malaria at a COM
| paratively slight expense.
with a general popular appreciation OF
| the industrial losses. caused primarily by
| the malarial mosquito and secondarily by
| the forms which do not carry malaria II
| is inconceivahle that the comparatively
| inexpensive measures necessary should
| not be undertaken by the general govern
| ment, by the state governments and by
| the boards Of health of communities, Just
as IL is inconceivable that the Individual
| should suffer from malaria and from the
attacks of other mosquitoes when he has
individual preventives and remedies at
| hand.
| 'Large-scale drainage measures by the
general government involving large Sec
| tions of valuable territory have been
! planned and are practically under way:
| certain states, notably New Jersey and
| New York, are beginning to work; COM
munities all over the country through
| boards of health are also beginning to
! take notice. while popular education re-
| garding the danger from mosquitoes and
L to- a.,A e. snn