212 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOQY [Vol. 6 



from the Quechua word "ticti" applied to ordinary warts. A study 

 of the historical works dealing with Peru at the time of the Spanish 

 conquest indicates that verruga at that time extended from south- 

 central Peru to northern Ecuador in the Andean valleys fronting the 

 Pacific Ocean. The epidemic of disease that decimated the armies 

 of Huayna Capac four centuries ago in this region was probably ver- 

 • ruga, so far as can be judged at this date from the descriptions given 

 at the time. This was before the advent of the Spaniards, so that 

 smallpox is excluded. Thus it seems very probable that verruga, like 

 plague, may remain dormant or confined to restricted endemic foci 

 for centuries, and then suddenly, due to unusual sets of conditions, 

 extends itself in epidemic waves causing a widespread desolation of the 

 human race. 



The following synonymy of the disease, given by Dr. Ernesto Odrio- 

 zola, Senior Member of the Lima Faculty of Medicine, in his mono- 

 graph of verruga published in Paris in 1898, is instructive: 



(Fever phase) (Eruptive phase) 



Oroya fever Blood warts 

 Carrion's malady or Carrion's grave fever Soft warts 



Verruga or verruga fever Verruga andicola 



Malignant fever of the quebradas Verruga peruana 



Pernicious anemia of the quebradas Pervuvian warts 



Pernicious intermittent malarial fever Castille verruga 



Malarial typhus of Oroya Mule warts or toad warts 



Anemic fever of the quebradas Quinua warts 



Acute wart fever Bouton des Andes 



The following distribution of verruga is taken from Dr. Odriozola's 

 monograph : 



Lima Department — Provinces of Yauyos, Huarochirl, Canta and 

 Chancay contain six separate river systems infected, showing seven 

 isolated valleys, with nineteen infected communities, and seven addi- 

 tional known infected but uninhabited localities, the whole ranging 

 from about 2,900 feet to 7,900 feet altitude. The seven uninhabited 

 infected localities known are in the V-shaped verruga district above 

 Lima formed by the Rio Rimac (Rio Cocacharca) and its principal 

 branch the Rio Santa Eulalia; they go by the names of Cupichi, Pur- 

 huay, Corcona, Urabamba, Esperanza, Agua de Verrugas (Verrugas 

 Canyon and Verrugas Bridge), and Cuesta Blanca. 



Ancachs Department — Provinces of Cajatambo, Huaraz, Huaylas 

 and Pallasca, the last extending into the southern edge of Libertad 

 Department, contain four separate river systems infected, showing 

 eight isolated valleys, with sixteen infected communities, the whole 

 ranging from about 1,300 to 10,900 feet altitude. 



Throughout his detailed description of the geographical distribution 



