Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-04-01
British Scientists Face
Diseases It Spreads.
Fear It Will Garry Ailments
Into New Sections
When Panama Canal is Opened
Small Fish a Deadly Parasite.


London, March 31.-How scientific de-
tective work traced many diseases TO
the mosquito, what measures We're be-
ing taken against the depredatons of
the wicked insect and the danger of
mosquito ailments spreading through
the civilized world We're told the other
day by Sir Patrick Manson in an ad-
dress before the Authors Club The
we'll known scientist declared that I'M
less precautions were taken in time
the opening of the Panama Canal and
the devo lopment of Africa would result
in a vide extension Of tropical diseases
There is no yellow fever in Asia or
East Africa, and many islands OF the
Pacific as Wei as continental lands,
are free from malaria. Both of these
mosquito-borne diseases are likely to
spread to the regions where they are
now unknown. A representative of the
Geological Gardens in London told of
q novel means of warning on the mos
quito by breeding a fish which devours
the eggs of the insect. This fish is
about an inch long, is short-lived, but
prolific. and its presence in enormous
numbers in Barbados waters accounts
for the freedom of those islands from
buz2in@ pests.
I ElephantiasiS, the most hdeouS of
lEoSquito-borne diseases, was a mystic
~ that interested Sir Patrick Manson
during his residence in Fornosa and
on the coast of China. He came to the
conclusion that it was caused by an or
ganiSm in The blood called filaria-"a
microscopic animalcule, ell shaped and
Enclosed in a loose sac or sheath within
which it WriSgles about in the blood
very actively" Sir Patrick found that
i'm some districts of China the parasites
were present in 10 per cent. of the pop
lllation. While elsewhere so per cent. of
the people We're infected with them
Since the filaria showed no evidence of
growth while in the blood. it was in
ferred to be the young of some other
animal, and at last Sir Patrick proved
this 70 be the case along with other
scientists The parental worm, three
or four inches long and of the thick
ness of fish gut, dWelt in the Emphatic
vessels. 1t did not leave its retreat
where its presence caused the destruc
tive effects Of elephantiaSiS. The queS
tion was how it could pass from one
human being to another. Sir Patrick
argued that some insect which sucked
human h'ocl, ingesting the microscopic
offspring of the iilaria, must be reSpon-
sible for the transmission. The most
likely INSECT in the premises was the
mosquito.
An odd confirmation of this hypothe
sis soon occurred The scientist mad
trained two Chinese medical students
to examine the blood Of 1000 Chinese. 50
as to get reliable data. One student
found it convenient to work at night,
the other in the daytime The night
worker found plenty of filarla in his
specimens, the other very few. These
contrary observations, dictated by pure
chance, suggested that night specimens
of blood had most fiaria because the
mosquitoes We're busy at night. To
clinch the theory, Chinaman was
hired for 4 small amount to let himself
be attacked literally by mosquitoes. He
was put to bed in a netted Compart-
ment in which large number of in
scots had been admitted. In the morn
ing the bloodgorged mosquitoes were
captured for dissection.
Il shall not easily forget the first
mosquito I dissectcd,' said Sir Patrick.
Placing the blood the stomach con-
tanned under the mscroscope, I was
gratitled to ind that, so. far from kill
the hlaria the digestive seemed to have
stimulated 1t to fresh activity. And
now | saw 4 curious thing. The little
sac or bag inclosing the filaria, which
hitherto had muZZlcd it and prevented
it from penetrating the walls of the
blood vessels in the human body, was
broken through and discarded. | ulti-
matcly succeeded in tracing the filara
through the stomach wall into the abb
dorlnal cavity, ard then into the thor
acic muscles of the mosquito. More
than that, / ascnrtained that during
this passage the little parasite increas
ed enormously in size From meaSur
ing about one onc-hundredth Of an
inch in length it grow to about one
sixteenth of an inch. and was now just
visible to the naked eye. 1t developed
a mouth an alimentary canal and other
organs. Manifcctly it was on the road
to a new human host"
Later on microscopic sections Of in
feCted insects made in London CLEARLY
demonstrated tlat the illarla after IL
leaves tn" stomach and reaches the
thoracic muscles of the mosquito, con-
tinues its journey toward the probes
els; that for a time it lies in the head
of the insect; that when it creep down
the laDiun or sheath of the probOsciS,
where in properly prepared sections. it
can be seen lying outStretched and evil
IDENTIFY waiting an opportunity to es-
care. The opportunity doubtless occurs
when the mosquito next proceeds on
the human subject. The sections pre-
pared from the skin when the mosqui-
to actually in stu display the filaria in
the act of passing through the probo
els Of the mosquito. and actually enter
ing the body through the little hole
made by the biting parts of the mos
.luito's proboscis.
Becoming interested afterwards in
the study of the Malaria parasite, and
believing the mosCuito' to be guilty of
transmitting this disease also Sir Pat
rick Manson was unable to carry on a
pc, sonal investigation. and suggested
the subject to Professor Ronald Ross