The Colorado statesman., 1910-06-18

ter of the insect is fully understood.
All over the world at the present
time experts are studying mosquitoes
in the laboratory and in their native
haunts. They are even going to the
trouble to breed them artificially, in
order to find out everything about
their life history from start to finish.
The most intimate anatomy of the
creatures is being studied out, even
to the structure of the brain and nerv-
GUS system. Some of the most impor-
tant work of this kind is being done at
Khartum, in the Sudan, where only
few years ago the dreaded mahdi
reigned supreme.
The reason for all this activity lies
in the fact that there is an immense
deal yet to be learned about the mos
quito as carrier of diseases. That
one kind of mosquito (Anopheles) is
solely responsible for the existence
and spread of malaria has already
been determined. Likewise, that an
other kind (Stegomyia) is exclusively
accountable for yellow fever. every
body knows. But there is good cause
to suspect that other genera of these
insects are the common carriers of
other and very serious maladies-es-
pecialy those prevailing in the tropics,
which have become of greater interest
to ourselves since our acquisition of
the Philippines and Porto Rico.
Many of our soldiers in the Philip
pines, as well as other Americans who
have gone to live there, are attacked
by a malignant anemia, accompanied
symptoms, which is attributable to a
minute worm that finds its way into
the blood 1t has been definitely as
certained that this disease is conveyed
and spread by mosquitoes.
In our own southern states there is
serious malady commonly called
"break-bone fever" but otherwise
known as "dengue." 1t also prevails
in the tropics quite generally. There
is no question of the fact that this dis
ease owes its spread to species of
mosquito. which science has named
Culex fatigans.
Breakbone fever, in its symptoms.
bears some resemblance to yellow
fever-so much so that the latter has
often been mistaken for the former.
There is at least a likelihood that its
germ is related to that of yellow fe-
yer. But this germ has never been
definitely isolated and identified, prob
ably for the reason that 1t is too small
to be seen even with the aid of a high
power miscroscope.
The same thing, indeed, is true of
the yellow fever germ. That the lat
ter is carried by mosquitoes was
proven ten years ago by the remark
able experiments of DR.. Walter Reed,
United States army, who demonstra-
ted by actual trial that human beings
could not catch yellow fever If pro-
tected against attack by mosquitoes.
even though they slept in beds in
which sufferers from the disease had
recently died. Furthermore, the fact
that there is a specific germ, and that
1t is extremely minute. is shown con-
clusively by the circumstance that
the blood of a yellow fever patient,
after passing through Pasteur filter,
will communicate the malady to a
healthy person inoculated with 1t.
Yellow fever has been almost en-
tirely stamped out in Cuba by destroy
ing the breeding places of the Stego-
myia mosquito. On the isthmus of
Panama, through the adoption of sim
liar means, the dreaded malaria has
been put to rout. In view of which
facts there is obvious reason to hope
that further and more exact knowl-
edge of this dangerous tribe of in
sects may lead to vast improvements
in the healthfulness of many regions.
and may even open up to settlement
certain extensive areas which. owing
to the plaques affecting them. are to-
day practically uninhabitable.
1t is the female mosquito, of course,
that does all the mischief, in as much
as she alone is able to bite. She may
be distinguished from the male. not
only by her lack of the large and
bushy whiskers which are his most
striking ornament, but also by her
very beautiful voice. Her liege lord is
not a vocalist
The song of the lady mosquito is a
real song. The notion that her music
is made by the vibration of her wings
was exploded some time ago. If such
an idea were to be accepted, why
should she be often silent (as undoubt-
edly is the case) when flying about?
But this point was satisfactorily set
tied by an eminent naturalist who
found by experiment that mosquitoes
deprived of their wings could still
make music when alarmed or other
wise excited.