THE HOUSE FLY 49 



Indian bedbug, Cimex rotundatus. 18 Our bedbug, Cimex lectularius, 

 which has always been in disrepute, though constantly appearing in the 

 best society, is now under suspicion. It is not only possible, but quite 

 probable, that in the near future further discoveries will show that some 

 other infectious diseases, like infantile paralysis, and possibly smallpox 

 and scarlet fever, may be transmitted through the bites of some of the 

 common insect parasites of man. 



Pestilences were formerly considered as visitations of Providence to 

 punish man for his wickedness. People were powerless to save their 

 own lives or the lives of their friends. Ignorance and superstition are 

 hard to overcome, but in the light of our present knowledge these 

 scourges which I have mentioned are all preventable by controlling the 

 little insects which carry the germs. Is it not therefore a crime to allow 

 them to be repeated? 



If the exact history of the world could be written and the truth re- 

 vealed, it would be interesting to learn whether the decline of Greece 

 was due largely to malaria, as Dr. Ross has suggested, 19 and also to find 

 out how important a part these seemingly insignificant insects have 

 played in shaping the destinies of the nations. 



19 L. O. Howard, Bureau of Entomology, Bull. 78, p. 36. 



vol. lxxxi. — 1. 



