The Washington herald., 1909-05-16
STUDYING THE MOSQUITO.
By FREDERIC J. HASKIN.
By FREDERIC ]. HASKTN.

Since the famous yellow fever COM
mission. headed BY Dr. Walter Reed.
succeeded in laying at the door OF the
mosquito the responsibility for the spread
Of yellow fever, that saucy little insect
has had its home and its habits pried
| Into or every hand. and in ten years the
world has learned more about Il than
IN all the generation before. And still
the scientist is not satisfied with what
he has learned Of it, but Is studying with
more determination than ever. few
decades ago men knew that there were
only a few species, or tribes Of mosquitoes.
Now they know 40 species. and the end
is not yet.
One OF the most interesting additions
to our knowledge Of the mosquito IS
that Just given out by the Smithsonian
Institution, which Is the result Of the
investigations made by August Busck Of
the mosquito life along the Panama ca
nal By patient search, covering the end
OF one dry season and the beginning Of
the following rainy season, he was able
10 get together ninety different kinds OF
them Some OF them were good, others
we're bad. and a few were Indifferent The
I q
eating the young Of the bad ones. while
the Indifferent ones did no more harm
than 20 bite whenever opportunity Of
fered- Thirty OF the species he found
were entirely new 70 science. and IL
is his opinion that continued search
would reveal still others. But even the
present knowledge Of the isthmian NOS
quito shows more different species in
/ that territory than in any other territory
OF equal size in the world
There are three kinds o. mosquitoes
which are most familiar to the layman.
just as the Smith, Brown, and Jones
families are said 20 be the most numer-
Gus in the English-speaking world The
most familiar OF the mosquito families
Is the Culex. There are dozens OF differ
ent branches Of this family. but the kin
ship Is not 81 remote but that the ento-
nOiOgist can trace the likeness. This
Culex family OF mosquitoes Is a very
reputable one. OF course II bites, and
IS very bothersome at times. but yet it
has never been convicted Of any high
crimes and mlsdemeanors, such. for in
stance, as the spread Of disease
Next TO the Culexss are the Ano-
pheles- There IL but little to be said IN
their behalf, though they are able TO
put Up a pretty good defense. They are
The carriers OF the malaria germ
Science has net made out a good case
against the whole family. and IL aD-
pears that there are some OF them which
90 not deserve the opprobriun that the
sufferer from chills and Fever hurls at
the whole tribe. But most OF them DO
spread malaria They. however. take a
different VieE OF the situation. From
their standpoint K is man that gives
them malaria, and they only return 4
with interest
II happens this way. Here IS a splendid
looking specimen OF the mosquito kind
q female always She happens 10 meet
with q person on her travels. and she
concludes 70 suck a little bISod- She
never heard OF such q thing as malaria,
and the person does not advise her OF
the fact that he has t. The result is q
sick mosquito, suffering from malaria
She losfs around awhile, nursing herself
back 10 health. and when she gets well
enough 70 travel about again. she gets
thirst for human gore once more, and
bites some other person She has a
little saw and spear with which she at
tacks him, and in order 10 aid in the
extraction or the blood she puts a little
saliva into the wound she makes. u
so happens that IN this saliva Is he germ
that she caught from biting the other
person. and in this way the second per
son gets Il When this germ lands N
the second human body IL attacks the
red eorpuscIes in the blood The germ
multipl;es with lightning rapidly, ana
the chiIIs and fever follow the breaking
OF the corpuscles asunder n great num-
bers.
The third family, known 10 the lsymaG,
is the Stegomyia- This Is the family that
IS responsible for the spread OF yellow
fever. Some OF the members are prob
ably innocent. but the whole family has
been put under the ban This family
constitutes the aristOcracy OF the mos
quito world These mosquitoes wish no
mud puddles for their homes no dwelling
places IN swamps They want fashion,
able quarters. near human beings They
want clean quarters. too. These quarters
must be rain barrels, vases. Idle water
buckets. and such places. They do not
care 10 90 out in the sun or fly around
II the wind. They ike 10 live in peoples
houses. and 70 adjust their habits 20 those
OF the household while the Anopheles
family insist on coming around after
Ledtime.
The health OF each member of the
Stegomyis IA niIy is always good Until
one happete TO bite some person who has
yellow fever, Through drinking this sick