THE UTILIZATION OF AQUATIC PLANTS AS AIDS IN 

 MOSQUITO CONTROL^ 



By Prof. Robert Matheson 

 Cornell University 



[With 7 plates] 



Our knowledge of mosquitoes has been acquired in very recent 

 years. Previous to 1898, the year in which Sir Ronald Ross an- 

 nounced his epochal discovery that " dappled-winged " mosquitoes 

 are the intermediate hosts of the malarial parasites, scarcely any- 

 thing was known of these fiercely biting foes of man and animals. 

 Their blood-thirstiness was well known, for in many portions of 

 the earth man was unable to withstand their attacks and some of 

 our fairest regions had to be abandoned to these tiny victors. Even 

 to-day man is rather helpless before them. The writings of ex- 

 plorers, travelers, etc., often contain accounts that give us a picture 

 of the fierceness and terribleness of a mass mosquito attack. Since 

 1898 we have acquired an immense amount of detailed information 

 about the disease relationships, habits, life histories, biology, etc., 

 of mosquitoes. To indicate briefly some of these advances seems 

 worth while before attempting to outline the importance that plants 

 may play in solving the problem of mosquito control. 



Previous to 1896 the life historj^ of practically only a single species, 

 the common house mosquito {Culex pipiens)^ was known. In 1900 

 Dr. L. O. Howard published the first account of the life history of an 

 American anopheline. As Anopheles species are the vectors, and the 

 only known vectors, of malaria, the study of these mosquitoes has 

 been very intensive, especially since the World War. Malaria is 

 probably one of the most widespread and most serious of all human 

 diseases. Though quinine and its various derivatives are used ex- 

 tensively in alleviating the attacks of malaria, they are not specific 

 cures, and the only effective method is the control of the anopheline 

 carriers. In 1900 Dr. Walter Reed and his associates announced the 



1 Reprinted by permission from the American Naturalist, vol. 64, January-February, 

 1930. 



413 



