Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1910-06-12
One of Subjects of Health
Officers Association.
PEST CAN BE eRADICATED
Doctors Tell How Germ Carrying
Nuisances Can be Wiped Out in the
Community-Citizens Asked to Co
operate.

The following statement concerning
the object of the recently orsanlzeu
Association of Health Officers OF llde-
water Virginia is made by commit
tee of the association composed oil Dr.
c. p. Wertenbeker, United States
Marine Hospital and Public Health
surgeon at Norfolk, DC. Vernon
Brooks, of Portsmouth, and DR.. /. }.
Pretlow, OF this city:
Object o. Association.
The organizations OF the Association
of Health Officers of Tidewater Nir-
ginia. which was effected few days
ago. has as it's object the improve
ment of health conditions of this sec
ton.
Among the first things to be taken
IN by the members of the association
will be the eradication of mosquitoes
and the suppression of the fly. In
order TO accomplish these objects it
will be necessary TO enlist the co
operation of large corporations, OF
business enterprises and of the in
oividual citizen. 1t is we'll known
fact that mosquitoes can be eXterml-
mated if the proper measures are TAX
en-.
Mosquitoes breed in water. They do
not breed in salt water, but in fresh
or brackish water. The eggs are laid
on the water and after period vary
ing from eight to twelve days the
mosquitoes are developed. The egg
first develops into lavae, which may
be seen rapidly moving in the water.
These are commonly called "wiggle
tails" These continue to grow and at
the end of eight to twelve days de-
yelop into full grown mosquitoes.
No Standing Water.
To prevent the breeding of mos
'ouitoes i'm a given section it is neces-
sary TO have no standing water. This
would seem to be an impossibility in
section like this. were it not for
the fact that mosquitoes have been
entirely eliminated from sections OF
the country where condition were
much worse than here. In New Or
leans in 1905 when yellow fever was
suppressed two months before frost.
,something that had never before
been done in the history of the
world, by preventing the breeding
of mosquitoes, it was rare thing TO
discover a mosquito of any kind. IL
is well known that New Orleans lies
fellow the level of the Mississippi
River, and the natural drainage is ex-
ceedingly bad.
On Staten Island for many years it
was impossible to live on certain parts
of the island during the summer on
account of the mosquitoes. The re-
sorts that were established had to be
broken up because of the mosquitoes.
The Staten Island mosquito was well
known throughout the country.
A few years ago DR.. Doty.s health
officer of the port of New York, under
took to relieve this condition. A
large portion of the South and East
Sides of Staten Island were swamp
lands with standing brackish water.
DR.. Doty had these swamps drained
by bitches about two feet deep,
twelve inches wide and from fifty to
two hundred feet apart. These con-
nected with main drains which singly,
or together, discharged into the sea.
At present what had previously been
unproductive swamp land, and the
breeding place of millions of mosqui-
toes, is now productive ground. and
Staten Island instead of being a mos
quito infested territory now has num-
erous health and pleasure resorts.
In Panama, Cuba, New Jersey and
numerous other places it has been
amply demonstrated that the mosqui-
10 can be eliminated.
No Mosquitoes at Exposition.
The site where the jamestown Ex-
position stands was VIGOROUSLY infest-
ed with mosquitoes. The work of
draining and ditching that section
under the direction of DR.. Rupert
lue, of the Public Health and Marine
Hospital Service resulted, as it is well
known, in the almost total absence
of mosquitoes during the Exposition
II that could be accomplished at the
site of the jamestown Exposition it