Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-08-24
'FIRST-ATD" ADVICE
TO MOSQUITO VICTIMS
OFFERED BY THE CITY
Various Remedies and Prevent
ives Prescribed by Health
Department to Residents
of Afflicted Sections
TO ASK COUNCILS HELP

Eliminate everything which exposes
moisture or garbage to the open air. Ap-
ply oil or cltronella to the face. hands
, and ankles. Burn Chinese punk or some
other effective smudge. II bitten I eat
the wound with an aIkan. such as am
monia or borax II the wound becomes
infected treat with a disinfectant and
| consult a physician"
This advice is given by Director s..
Lewis Ziegler of the Bureau of Health,
TO the mosquito bitten residents OF South
and West Philadelphia. He regrets that
| the mosquito nuisance has not been
abated in those sections, and asserts that
the health authorities have done their
utmost to exterminate the pests with the
money at their disposal
Sufferers from the Jersey nightingale
nuisance find no fault with the Bureau
OF Health, however. Following the dis
| covery that the department did not re-
| ceive one cent of money from Councils
/ this year 70 fight the pests, and that the
| equipment for the purpose In the hands OF
| the Division of Sanitation Is valued at
| SSsS2. there has been criticism for only
| one body-Councils.
Residents Of the afflicted sections assert
that they now have a single aim-namely
! to see that an appropriation Of $4,000 IL
| maze III the annual Ouuktl u Nlit AtiNistOn
| of Sanitation for the purpose of eliminate
| ing swamps, ponds and other mosquito-
| breeding places from the city. The an
nual sum of $4,000 was recently named by
| James f. McCrudden, acting assistant
chief of the division. as necessary to sue
cessfully combat the evil.
| Director Ziegler said today that he had
asked Councils repeatedly for appropria-
tions to be used in the mosquito cam
| paign, but had been without success, al
though he was given assurance that he
would receive such money-in the future.
He now proposes to renew his efforts
when Councils reconvene in September.
and IL successful, will begin Immediately
to eradicate notwithstanding conditions
in order that start may be made to-
ward abating the nuisance next year.
In the meantime the Director asserts
that much may be done by residents of
South and West Philadelphia in eliminate
ing such conditions on their own property
and on that of neighbors who may be
away from home. He points out that de-
pressions in pavements, neglected cups,
buckets, barrels, chicken pans, watering
troughs. bottles, broken china, tin cans,
flower pots. defective plumbing and a host
of other things seldom thought of as
mountaineering places. may serve for
the laying Of the hundreds of eggs which
a female mosquito will lay at one time.
They WILL he points out, breed indoors as
well as outside, the only requirement
being that the water is stagnant
When asked his opinion on the proposal
that the city insert clauses In all con-
tracts involving excavation to the effect
that dirt must be deposited at the discre-
ton of the health authorities in swamps
and ponds, Director Ziegler agreed that
It would be a feasible proposition. but
thought that there might be some did,
Guilty in obtaining the cooperation OF
other daDartments at City Hall,
AT one time he said. II offered tn,
proper authorities all the ashes tha
come from the Philadelphia Hospital
, thinking that they might be taken q
, South Philadelphia and used I'm filling the
swamps and ponds in that section. but
the OFFER was rejected because of the
cost of hauling"
Others interested in the mosquito war
fare say that IL the contracts for the
removal of ashes awarded each year COM
tanned the mosquito elimination clause
the filling of these swamps could pc real
ized at "a ridiculously small figure"