356 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [\'ol. 5 



found elsewhere, and the cUmatic conditions afford a favorable basis 

 for control Avhen the life history and habits of the responsible disease 

 vehicle are known. The following quotation from the letter of a 

 prominent eastern physician indicates the tenor of a number of letters 

 received from interested observers, viz., "It looks very much as if the 

 Pacific States are destined to lead the nation, yes-, the world, in this 

 extremely important and direfull}' neglected work." Perhaps no state 

 in the nation needs to protect itself more against the introduction of 

 disease than does California because it is the goal of many thousands 

 of health seekers and other visitors, but this it can do more easily and 

 more successfully than any other state, on account of its natural 

 resources conducive to health and vigor. The greatest menace of 

 course is that of the parasitic tropical and semi-tropical diseases 

 which are insect borne, owing to the fact that these diseases can 

 thrive here almost without exception if once introduced. 



The economic entomologist if also equipped as a sanitarian and 

 parasitologist, has a greater opportunity by far to stay the advance 

 of such diseases as malaria, yellow fever, bubonic plague and the like, 

 than has the sanitarian without the entomological and parasitological 

 training. Manifestly the person who is familiar with the habits of 

 the Anopheles mosquito in addition to knowledge of malaria and the 

 causative micro-organism, has a far greater advantage in controlling 

 the disease. The same holds true for yellow fever, and bubonic plague 

 as distributed by fleas, etc. As the successful economic entomologist 

 is not merely a student of systematic entomology and morphology, 

 he must indeed be proficient in chemistry and mechanics, so the Medical 

 Entomologist must cover also a broader field and include in addition 

 to the above, the greater portion of the field of Parasitology in a re- 

 stricted sense, i.e., must be familiar with the habits of the pathogenic 

 organisms carried, the manner in which insects become infected and 

 in turn how these infect other animals and man. 



With the scope of our subject pretty well defined it might be con- 

 tended that this is not a branch of economic entomology at all, and 

 indeed, the sanitarian may find little sympathy at the hands of the 

 usual type of entomologist, perhaps because the mere matter of human 

 life and happiness is involved, — that this field does not concern itself 

 with the tree and its fruit, and the vine and its product. However 

 that may be, and I do not ask for less attention to the horticultural 

 side of economic entomology, but I do plead for more positive attention 

 to the sanitary and hygienic phase of the subject. Surely where a 

 preventable disease is concerned such as malaria, a good economic 

 case can also be made. Business is far more keenly affected by malaria 

 and mosquitos than we may at first thought suspect. There is perhaps 



