28 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 6 



mosquito, changed all the conventional conceptions regarding a large 

 class of diseases, and has been the stimulus to all of the discoveries 

 that have followed. IMoreover, the work of the Reed commission in 

 Cuba added the third important disease to the list of those transmitted 

 by insects as necessary agents. The carefulness of the experimentation 

 was a model for subsequent work. Later, in the control of yellow 

 fever in Cuba by the destruction of the mosquito conveyor, the 

 United States made a most important contribution to the subject. 

 Still more recently the sanitation of the Canal Zone has been an exten- 

 sive and inspiring object lesson to other nations. 



While this work has been going on other phases of the subject have 

 received attention in this country. Dr. L. 0. Howard has been the 

 foremost contributor. His work on mosquitoes and the house fly, 

 and numerous papers on the economic losses caused by insects have 

 been a powerful influence in bringing about ^ realization of the neces- 

 sity of the study of insects in connection with diseases. The climax 

 of this work is the elaborate monograph of the Culicidse which is 

 about to be issued by the Carnegie Institution. Other entomologists 

 have also added to the available knowledge. Doctor Felt, Doctor 

 Forbes, Professors Doane and Herms of California, Mr. Bishopp, 

 Professor Cooley and Mr. Brues have advanced the subject very 

 materially. Impressive as this list of contributors is, as we shall 

 attempt to show, it does not represent more than a small fraction of 

 the work that is demanded. 



The Function op the Entomologist in the Investigation 

 OF Insect-borne Diseases 



As this is a rather new subject and our conceptions in some respects 

 are not fully clarified, we may find it useful to refer to the function of 

 the entomologist in the study of diseases. In doing so we acknowledge 

 without reservation that it is primarily the medical profession that has 

 benefited the world by work on insect-borne diseases. Smith and 

 Kilbourne, Ross, Manson, Reed and his colleagues, Marchaux and 

 Salembeni, Dutton and Todd and Ricketts — all intimately associated 

 with splendid achievements — were not entomologists. 



In the first place entomologists are needed in the experimental 

 work that will lead to either a demonstration or a denial of the exist- 

 ence of insect porters of any particular malady. Suppose, for instance, 

 we have a disease the etiology of which is obscure and which theoreti- 

 cally may be transmitted by insects. The first step to be taken is to 

 determine what insects should be taken into consideration. Here the 

 knowledge of the entomologist on the life history and habits of the 

 different species comes immediately into play. He can furnish an 



