412 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol 4 



is taking in the estimation of our progressive medical men. It is a well 

 earned reputation. The entomologist, the moment there seemed to 

 be a vital connection between infectious diseases and insects, under- 

 took systematic and biological investigations which soon resulted in 

 opening up new realms of thought and demonstrated the economic 

 importance of the well-known, yet up to recently, almost unknown 

 house fly. This insect — formerly ignored, accepted as an inevitable 

 associate of man, considered hardly worthy of jocose treatment — has 

 now risen to the dignity of an important insect. It is the subject 

 of paragraphs innumerable, and now our learned associate in Wash- 

 ington has demonstrated the possibility of writing a popular and 

 interesting book on this hitherto much despised insect. This repre- 

 sents only one phase of the relation of entomology to medicine. The 

 successful campaigns waged against malaria in various parts of the 

 world depend for success very largely upon our systematic and 

 biological knowledge of certain mosquitoes. The deadly yellow 

 fever is controlled with the subjection of a different mosquito, 

 and this is another signal triumph of practical or economic ento- 

 mology in the field of medicine. The connection of the wide-spread 

 African blight known as sleeping sickness, with the malignant Tsetse 

 fly is an additional instance where entomology and medicine have 

 cooperated. No word is necessary to demonstrate the importance 

 of biological investigations of these disease carriers. Many valuable 

 facts have been learned respecting these forms in recent years and 

 capable investigators are searching for additional information which 

 will be of value in the campaign against disease-carrying insects. 



The scientific meetings shortly to be held at Washington will rank 

 among the largest and most representative of such gatherings. There 

 will be an excellent opportunity on the part of all participants to exer- 

 cise commendable self-restraint. The more papers and discussions, 

 especially if meaty and to the point (and no others should be submitted) 

 the better. Let us cultivate the fine art of preparing papers embody- 

 ing all the essentials yet praiseworthy because of the omission of prolix 

 and often irrelevant details. It is well known that many extremely 

 important points are brought out in discussions. These latter can 

 occur only, especially at this meeting, if each man limits himself 

 rigidly to the essentials. All presenting papers should remember that 

 they are talking to an unrivaled assemblage of experts and gauge 

 their statements accordingly. 



