WOEK IN GERMANY 427 



magnifying glasses were furnished in order that they might study to better 

 advantage. The children were encouraged to make drawings on the black- 

 board of mosquitoes in all stages of development ; lessons were given and compo- 

 sitions were written on the subject. Competitive examinations were held, and 

 groups of boys and girls were sent out with the teachers on searching expeditions 

 to find the breeding-places. Rivalry sprung up between the ten thousand public 

 school children of the city in the matter of finding alid reporting to the health 

 oflSce the greatest number of breeding-places found and breeding-places de- 

 stroyed. Eecord was kept on the blackboards in the schools for information as 

 to the progress of the competition, and great enthusiasm was stirred up. In 

 addition to these measures, a course of stereopticon lectures was arranged, group- 

 ing the pupils in audiences of about one thousand, from the high school down, 

 and, in Doctor Lankf ord's words, 



" It was an inspiring sight to watch these audiences of a thousand children, 

 thoughtful, still as death, and staring with wide-open eyes at the wonders re- 

 vealed by a microscope. It seemed to me that in bringing this great question 

 of preventive medicine before public school children we had hit upon a power 

 for good that could scarcely be over estimated." 



The result of this work, it is pleasing to say, was a decided dimimition of 

 mosquitoes in San Antonio. There was some opposition among the people, 

 but on the whole the movement was very popular. One result of this work 

 was that, while previously there had been from fifty to sixty deaths a year from 

 malaria, this mortality was reduced seventy-five per cent the first year after this 

 work was begun, and in the second year it was entirely eliminated from the 

 mortality records of San Antonio. 



In organizing community work against mosquitoes, the school children here- 

 after must be counted upon as a most important factor. Almost every child is 

 a born naturalist, and interest in such things comes to them more readily than 

 anything else outside of the necessities of life. They are quick witted, wonder- 

 fully quick sighted, and as finders-out of breeding-places they usually can not 

 be approached except by adults of special training. One of the first steps that a 

 community should take, is, therefore, to arouse the interest of the children in 

 the public schools. 



SOME RECENT WORK IN GERMANY. 



The city of Leipzig quite recently has begun a crusade against malaria under 

 the direction of the City Council. The following account of this work was sent 

 in by U. S. Consul S. P. Warner, and is published in the " Monthly Consular and 

 Trade Eeports," for June, 1909 : 



" So many cases of malaria have recently occurred in those sections of Leipzig 

 which are adjacent to any one of the four rivulets which flow through the city 

 that the city council has decided to adopt stringent measures to exterminate the 

 mosquitoes (Anopheles) that spread the disease. 



" In order that the work of extermination may be thoroughly and systemat- 

 ically carried out the city council has notified all housekeepers in the infected 

 sections of the city to carefully examine their houses or apartments for mos- 

 quitoes and to destroy any that may be found. Every household in the districts 



