The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-07-08
MOSQUITO EXPERTS At WORK.
PARTY SENT OUT BY FEDERAL
HEALTH DEPARTMENT LO.
eating MOSQUITOES.
What They Wish to Accomplish In
Their Investigations Around City
Something of Their Work and Con-
corning the Malarial Mosquito.

Drs. Robert c. Derivaux, d. NJ. Null
10y. H. A. Taylor and Mr.. M. lie
Prince. the party Of health experts
sent out by the surgeon general Of the
United States Public Health Depart
ment Thursday began actively upon
their investigation Of conditions in
and about Sumter insofar as these
conditions were responsible for the
breeding Of the anopheles or malar-
ial mosquito Needless to say, they
found plenty Of the mosquitoes and
in many instances they decided upon
recommendations which will be made
later Of ways in which the breeding
places may be eradicated.
The party will continue their work
until they have made a complete
investigation throughout the city and
it's surroundings and have made rec
concentrations to the city board of
health Of ways and means in which
the mosquitoes may to certain ex-
tent be eradicated. Their work does
not comprise the killing of mosquitoes
in itself, but an investigation of their
breeding places, followed by their
recommendations, as already stated,
Of what steps the city health depart
ment should take to prevent malaria.
DR.. Carter, when seen at the Clare
mont Hotel Thursday, gave full
statement Of their work and why II
was 30 important and the necessity of
Graduating mosquitoes. The party
Is sent out by the United States Health
Bureau and have taken up their work
in four different places in the State,
the work at these places being recon-
mended by the South Carolina State
Health officer, DR.. j. A. .Hayne, be-
cause Of the progressive spirit known
to exist in the places, which he rec
commended, and the probability that
they would carry out to a successful
completion the recommendations OF
tho Investigations. The places rec
commended were Eau Claire and
Ridgewood, suburbs of Columbia,
Greenville, Hartsville and Sumter, SO
Sumter may consider itself fortu-
nate to have been selected as one Of
these places. The places selected arc
Of two types. the hilly places, having
naturally we'll drained surface, and
the lowlands, which do not have q
natural, easy drainage, but are provid-
ed with artificial drainage. Eau Claire
and RidgewoOd and Greenville come
in the first class and Hartsville and
Sumter come within the second class.
Before beginning active investi-
cations DR.. Carter and his party of
| experts were taken over the city and
the territory Immediately contiguous
to it and pointed out by the city health
officer and the city manager the
places where it was thought that ma
larial mosquitoes were breeding. This
Of course will to some extent lessen
their work. as they know what places
to investigate, without having to hunt
for them. The health officer is going
with the investigating party and learn
ing from them many things about the
mosquito and its habits.
The first day was devoted to an in
vestigatiOn Of conditions in Turkey
Creek, the Turkey Creek bottoms,
bitches throughout the land adjacent
to Turkey Creek and the holes at the
brick yard. 1t was found in the low
or part of Turkey Creek there were
few, If any, mosquitoes breeding Be-
low the point at which the waste wa
ter from the gas plant was emptied
into the creek there were no mos
quitoes at all, as the tar in the water
| kept the mosquitoes away. In the
holes at the brick yard there were few
mosquitoes and very little breeding
being done for the reason that there
were fish in all tho holes and some of
Their were muddy and the anophelcs
mosquito will not breed in muddy or
i'll smelling water. In this connection
an incident related by DR.. Carter will
be Of interest.
At one place he found number of
anopheles mosquitoes on the edge of
tn sc holes, but he trampled down
the grass in catching some Of them,
affOrding an entrance from the deep
cr water outside Of the grass. a short
time later upon returning to this same
spot there were no mosquitoes, but
thcrc were a great many little min
nows in the water where he had
trampled the grass down. Invcsti-
cation a few feet further on DR.. Car
ter found mosquitoes in the grass,
which he had not trampled down and
where the little fish could not come.