418 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS [Nov., 'lO 



America, and even as far north as Kansas, the larvae of the 

 screw-worm fly and of some other of this species infest man, 

 the former living in the nasal fossae and causing great suffer- 

 ing. But Lu cilia caesar is not as obnoxious to man as many 

 flies, as it rarely comes into their houses. It is frequently 

 seen resting on the upper side of the leaves of low bushes in 

 the sunshine, and on the under side of the leaves or on the 

 stems on damp or cold days. But although it lives on de- 

 caying animal and vegetable matter and its habits are similar 

 to those of the house-fly, it is probably not as harmful to man. 



A FATAL DISEASE SUPPOSED To BE TRANSMITTED BY INSECTS. An an- 

 nouncement of the discovery of what is thought to be the specific 

 germ that causes infantile paralysis was made last night at a special 

 meeting of the College of Physicians, called to discuss this important 

 subject. Coupled with this announcement was the statement that the 

 discovery may evolve a treatment that will successfully combat the 

 disease. 



Dr. Allen J. Smith, dean of the medical school and director of the 

 school of tropical medicine, of the University of Pennsylvania, stated 

 that in the blood of some of the cases of infantile paralysis examined 

 in the laboratories of the state department of health small protozoa, a 

 low form of animal life were found scattered among the red corpuscles. 



They were only found in the blood of patients suffering from this 

 disease, he said, and resemble the germ that causes sleeping sickness. 

 He further said that his investigations led him to believe that the 

 germ causing the disease is probably transmitted by insects, and that 

 the disease might be eliminated in the same manner as typhoid fever 

 and malaria have been checked. 



Doctor Smith told of examinations of the various organs of those 

 who died from this disease. While many authorities have stated that 

 infantile paralysis had certain characteristics of rabies, Doctor Smith 

 said that, on examination of the brain, he was unable to find any of 

 the negri bodies usually found in sufferers from rabies. 



He then went on to say that scattered through the blood of sonic 

 of these cases small germs belonging to the animal, rather than the 

 vegetable, kingdom were found. He made a chart on the blackboard, 

 drawing in the corpuscles and the newly discovered protozoa. Be- 

 cause no one else has found them in the blood, Doctor Smith said 

 that he was not absolutely certain yet that they were the germ that 

 caused the disease, but pointed out their similarity to the germ of 

 sleeping sickness. "The North American," Philadelphia, October i3th. 



