The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-01-26
NAVY IT. WHIPS
 GNAT PROBLEM
 ATPACIFIC BASE

Hu nVAB " &AtVH
 U. g. Air Base, Central Pacific CUP)-The tent was broiling hot and sweat rolled down the neck of the slim young man squinting into a microscope perched on a soap box.
 There, I think you can see it now, sir" he said. He got up from the camp stool and stepped back a pace on the sand floor.
 Brig. Gen. Harold D. (Spud Campbell, Island Commander, sat down and peered into the micro scope. He saw on the slide below several small, legless, wormlike creatures, with small brown head and 12 body segments.
 Where did you get these fel- lows?" the general asked.
 Tn the moist layers of decaying vegetable matter down in the mangrove swampS."
 Pest Mystery Ended
 The mystery of the breeding place of the islands worst pest had been solved. Control measures now could be started against the vicious little gnat of the family Ceratopogonidae m m n y known as biting midges, punkies, no-see-ums and sand flies.
 The man who solved the problem was It. Carl Dorsey of (437 Wood lawn avenue, Webster Groves) St. Louis, Mo. and his associate was It. J. P. Jones of Richmond, Va. Both are alta ched to the U. s. Navy epidemiology unit stationed on this island.
 The gnat does not carry diseases, but an intense itching develops in the area of its bite and a large veal soon is raised. A secondary infection usually sets in and the skin assumes an ulcerous appear ance.
 While the victims have not had to be hospitalized, the loss of sleep and constant harassment from the tiny pest menaced the efficiency of aircraft pilots and other person. nel of the base. Dorsey began 9 survey that lasted more than two months before he found the breed- ing place.
 Corpsmen Guinea Pigs
 He searched the beaches, the fresh water areas, the swamps, the odd ponds. The survey included the use of human guinea pigs, corpsmen of the epidemiology unit, who stood stripped to the waist and allowed gnats to settle on them while Worsey and Jones made observations.
 The human guinea pigs were observed at specific times and places about the island. They were exposed by day and by night, and the night experiments included standing in a beam of light for five minutes to determine whether light attracted the pests.
 Dorsey correlated the rise and fall of the gnat population with the action of the tide and found that there was definite relation ship Twice monthly when thet ides WerO at their lowest ebb, the insect emerged from it's breeding places in tremendously increased numbers. And life on the island would be- come almost unbearable during theee periods.
 It was not, however, until the day he notified Gen. Campbell that he identified the breeding place of the gnat. Earlier in the morning of that day he was searching through mangrove swamp when he happened to look back and noticed that his footprint had filled with water.
 Finds Larvae in Water
 Dorsey returned and scooped up some of the water in a dipper he carried to gather specimens. In the dirty, brackish water he found several of the thin, wriggling wisps of larvae, and examination under a microscope later confirmed his suspicion that they were the larvae of the islands vicious little gnat.
 Under the sunbeaten, hot tent, with its makeshift laboratory of packing cases, experiments on con- trol measures were started the day after Dorsey made his discovery. He is confident he can find an ele- ment which will cover the ancient, soggy incubators and kill the pest long before they emerge to dry their wings and forage out in search of warm, American blood.
 The experiments with the human guinea pigs also are continuing. The volunteers for this work in- clude George E. Geiple of Glen Rock, Pa; Robert L. Van Buren, of Modesto, Cal; Martin G. Austin, of (4718 18th avenue) Seattle, Wash; Jacob Kerbeshian. of G78 Boyles- ton streeD WatertoWn, Mass; Bay less E. Rutherford of Wagoner, Okla: Wallace H. Fritsch of 118O s. Tth street) West Salt Lake City, Utah; James G. Mermsen of (811 Wilson street) Little Chute, Wis; Gaylord P. Gaunt, of (70O2 Ideal avenue) Fort Wayne, Ind, and James w. Harvey of (407 s. Pleas ant stree) Gainesville, Fla.