Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-03-01
HEALTH BOARD
WAGlN1 VAR ON
THE A0sQUITO

II ii "a q
Dividing. the cityIof Honolulu and
It's vicinity into sixteen districts. With
an inspector for each district turning
in reports three times week and
with a SQUAD of workmen to dig the
necessary drains and fill in pestilient.
HiaI sWafnps, the board of health Is
.waging relentless and effective war
fare for the determination of the mos
quito. 81 claim that as far as yellow
fever is concerned, we have made Ho-
noiulu absolutely mosquito proof,
Chief Sanitary Inspector Charlock,
who is directing the work, said today
E.1t has been the experience in Pana-
ma and elsewhere that a certain num-
her Of the stegomyia callopus or vel
low fever mosquito are necessary to
cause an epidemic of the disease. If
there are fewer mosquitoes in a COM
munity than what we call the yellow
fever average, it seems they are I'M
able to propagate the disease. 1t is \
the purpose of the department to keep
below this average"
Each week Charloek's inspectors
make the rounds of their respective
districts, making sure that the cess
pools are covered with earth and bat
tered down securely, that swamps are
drained or covered with oil and that
ali filth upon which a mosquito could
possibly breed is taken away. Quanti-
ties of mosquitoes are collected in
every district and delivered in bottles
to the office of the chief inspector.
Here they are carefully examined I'M
der a microscope that makes them
assume the proportions of fair-siZed
humming birds. From this inspec
ton, Inspector Charlock determines
whether the specimen collected are
the comparatively harmless culex or
night mosquito, or the deadly callopus, !
the carrier Of the yellow fever germ.
If the yellow fever mosquito is found |
Immediate steps are taken to thor
oughly inspect all possible breeding |
places in the district from which the
specimen was collected. In this way |
the presence of the mosquito to-
gether with his exact location is de- I
tected, and after Charlock has his
name and number recorded the [
callopus is as good as
gone ~.
Sixteen bottles, all filled with water
in which mosquitoes of every age
were swimming about, presented an
interesting spectacle on the shelves
of Charlock's laboratory this morn
ing. Although it is impossible for the
casual observer to distinguish be
tween the different brands, Charlock /
had their pet names on the tip of his
tongue and could tell at glance
which were disease carriers and /
which were not He explained that /
the eggs of the mosquito are laid in (
RATS, each raft containing about 2f0 /
eggs. These eggs develop into what I
are known as wrigglers, resembling
in appearance small pollywoggs and
living in the water. The wriggler /
hangs head down and breathes
through it's tail In due time it grows
into the pupa and then rights itself /
and breathes through two horns in I
the back of its head. After this, the [
attains its majority and
goes forth to sting. 1t takes from /
eight to fourteen days for the egg to
develop into the mature mosquito.
The eggs are laid in the water and 1
water is absolutely necessary for their
development. Inspector Charlock
stated that the onopheles or malariaI
mosquito has never been found T or
about Honolulu.