FIGHTING THE INSECTS 



New York has stationed an admirable man, Dr. L. W. Hackett, 

 in Rome, where he is conducting a great work against malaria. 



It seems strange that the possible usefulness of economic en- 

 tomology in the World War was not at once appreciated. I 

 am not sure, but I think that the English realized the value of 

 professional entomological knowledge before any of the other 

 battling nations. I remember that Mr. R. A. Peocock, a very 

 competent man, although not known as an applied entomologist, 

 went over to France at an early date to assist the men who 

 were studying trench fever. Later other excellent men were 

 commissioned by the English government and sent to different 

 points. For example, H. Maxwell-Lefroy was sent to Mesopo- 

 tamia. At a comparatively early date. Professor (afterwards Sir) 

 Arthur Shipley wrote a book entitled "The Minor Horrors of 

 the War," and followed it with another entitled "More Minor 

 Horrors." When the relationship between typhus and trench 

 fever was established and the body louse was thoroughly ac- 

 cepted as the transmitting agent, the Germans began an inten- 

 sive study of this insect. A large book was prepared by Dr. A. 

 Haase, whose investigations had been carried on in a camp o£ 

 Russian prisoners. 



The United States government was much slower in accepting 

 the offers of numerous trained economic entomologists who were 

 anxious to be of service. Some enlisted in the ranks, and their 

 valuable knowledge was not used. It seemed to some of us that 

 in certain respects it was unfortunate that Dr. Gorgas should 

 have been the Surgeon-General of the Army, for he seemed 

 indifferent as to malarial probabilities — for example, in his selec- 

 tion of many of the great concentration camp sites. A number 

 of these were placed at points where mosquitoes, including 

 Anopheles, were notoriously abundant. I imagine that it was 

 his success in insect control in Panama that brought about this 

 apparent indifference. When our country was getting ready, I 



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