Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-08-03
Whole World MenaCed by Dis
eases for Which They
Act as P0rterS.
HAVE OVERCOME CITIES
AND WIPED OUT ARMIES
Their Range Is From Arctic Circle
to the Extreme of South
America.

includes the dreaded leprosy, yellow
fever. breakbone fever and other fevers
besides the ordinary forms of malaria
That the mosquito, therefore, is a tre-
mendous factor, to be given the most
serious consideration in waging the war
of science against disease, is a fact that
cannot be ignored.
Mosquitoes and gnats fall within the
same category. Many persons carelessly
assume that gnats are a small species of
fly, or that the insects are the young
of the ordinary flies. This is not the
case: gnats are gnats, and that is all.
They never grow up into flies of any
kind, and their nearest relatives are the
various members of the mosquito family.
Few flies are capable OF inf1icting bite
on human beings or animals, while all
gnats and all mosquitoes can and do
bite. and in doing so transmit to the vic
tim the seeds of dozen deadly diseases
Carries Many Diseases.
The third article in the series written
for The Star by DR.. Nelson Du Val
Brecht formerly assistant surgeon In
the United States public health service,
discusses the role played by mosquitoes
or gnats in the transmission of disease.
DIR. Du Val Brecht says:
The mosquito or gnat acts as the
conveyor or carrier of the following
communicable diseases: Malaria, yell
low fever or yellow jack, dengue or
break bone fever, hlariasis or elephan-
tiasis, leprosy. relapsing fever, Nashua
fever Malta fever, kala -azar, verruga
and others. AS in the case of the ny,
even though it were not an insect por-
ter of disease, 1t Is sufficiently obnox1-
Gus as a pest and nuisance to warrant
the employment of every known means
for its determination. Thousands OF
acres of land are rendered UNIT Tor
human habitation by the presence OF
rhe mosquito. It's range of geographi-
cal distribution is practically the en-
tire world. For many years 1t made
the building of the Panama canal an
impossibility, while in far northern
Alaska numerous miners and pros
pectors have been stung to death by
the immense swarms or these insects,
that become rampant In the snort sum-
mer season. Malaria, at one time at
eributed to miasmS or noxiouS gases
emanating from swamps and marshes,
is known now to be spread only Dy
mosquitoes. AS the sole agent In the
transmission of yellow fever alone the
mosquito has caused untold suffering,
An appalling loss of life and the loss
Of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Historically the mosquito mas piayed an
important role. Pausanias states that IN
ancient Greece inhabitants were forced
10 abandon cities on account OF scourges
Of mosquitoes. 1t il possible that IN
Iar:a and the resulting anaemia aided
materially in their national decadence.
Kerby and Spence state; In the neiGn-
oorhood Of Crimea the Russian soldiers
are obliged to sleep in sacks in order to
defend themselves from the mosquitoes,
md even this Is not q sufficient security,
Tor several OF them died in consequence
VI modification produced by the bites Oh
these furious bloodsuckers."
The Japanese author, Bakin, in his work
'Kumono Tayema Anna Yo No Tsuki,
lated 1895, states: AS a storm came up
those who lived in substantial abodes
closed the outer shutters tightly, and
suspending mosquito nets, as at night,
crept under them and burnt pine needles
in order TO kill the swarms of insects
hat had sought refuge in their dwellings
rhe poor people did not trouble the mos
iuitoes, nor did the latter annoy them,
they being used to one anothers pres
-nce." Takeyasu says: Il am ready for
cup of tea. which physicians consider a
good thing to strengthen the body against
naiarial trouble bred in the night air.
American Coast Ravaged.
In l6is, yellow jack attacked the in
habitants of st. Kits and in 1865. those
Of Jamaica. Numerous epidemics have
.avaged North and South America, from
Qa,ebec 10 Montevideo. Ten per cent of
the population of Philadelphia was de-
sroyed by this disease in the latter part
II the eighteenth century. On many &C.
casions military expedition have been
brought to defeat by the terrible NOR
atty among the troops from this
scourge.
During the French expedition to Hayti
in ISo2. 22.OO0 out of 25,000 men died
rom IL in one season. Davidson states,
that out of a population of 1900 persons
1t Gibraltar in 1900. only twenty-eight
escaped infection. The several attempts
Dy Spain to conquer Cuba Were practi-
ally frustrated by the mortality from
elbow fever among the troops. In 1878
the financial loss in the Mississippi val
ef. produced by single epidemic,
amounted to over M5,O0OOO0. Up to the
ime OF the Spanish-American war. Ha-
ana. Vera Cruz and most of the gulf
ana South American cities were veritable
iotbeds of yellow fever The last great
outbreak in the United States occurred
II New Orleans in 1906 and was stamped
with very little loss of life BY the
skiIlful application Of antimosquito meth
Ids by Surgeon Gen. Rupert Blue and
surgeon Joseph III. White of the public
health service. Recently 1t has been re-
9orted as epidemic at Rio de Janeiro
Nfter completion of the Isthmian canal
md consequent increased and new lines
II ocean traffic, ii will probably be in
reduced into localities hitherto free
rom IT,
Mosquitoes per Sc should be of interest
. the people of the District OF Columbia
o. several reasons. All of the disease
iropdgatinP species or varieties have Wis
ted il at times, and many OF the other
,inds are permanent residents of our
air city. Several of the diseases spread
~ mosquitoes have occurred in the Dis
riot Thirty years ago. before the drain
age of the swamp and marsh lands and
exclamation of the Potomac flats. Ii was
tated commonly that every inhabitant
II Washington was infected with mala-
ia In some form. and enlarged spleen OF
tgue-cake Ia symptom of malaria) was
EN-. Furthermore, as Washington is a
mecca for tourists and travellers. any OF
he mosquto-borne diseases may be in
reduced at any time, and any of the
hsease-carrying insects may be brought
uto the city by railway trains boats OIL
Jther public conveyances. Even the dis
cases of the tropics not indigenous tc
his latitude may be introduced by SOL
Tiers and civilian government employees
returning from our insular possessions.
Advanced Mosquito Theory.
As long ago as 1882 DIR. A. l.. A. King
! resident OF Washington and professor
n the medical department Of George
Washington University. suggested tina,
nalarial fever was transmitted by mos
,luitoes. The late Maj. Walter Reed and
he late Mai. James Carroll OF the Army
Medical Corps, and professors at Ceorgs
Washington University, were members
bs the United States Army yellow fevel
commission, which proved that the dis
use yellow fever was propagated by
5ply one species OF mosquito tStegomys