54 



jointed stones present abundant hiding- places for the larvae. A 

 reddish larva is constantly found in these wells which produces 

 an imago of a green colour which does not bite (Chironomus). 

 It is of importance that the discovery of these larvae by native 

 agents should not be made use of to the annoyance of the inhabi- 

 tants as they are found everywhere and are harmless. The 

 sanitary stafl: has two duties to perform, the destruction of the 

 larvae themselves and the destruction of their breeding places. 

 When the larvae have been found it is best to destroy them imme- 

 diately by the use of petroleum, if the receptacle happens to be 

 fixed and cannot be thoroughly emptied and cleaned ; but if it 

 can be removed and emptied the greatest care must be taken that 

 all the water is drained from it and the interior thoroughly dried, 

 because the larvae and the eggs will remain adhering to the walls 

 of the vessel, and unless they have been killed by the drying and 

 cleaning process, the labour will be thrown away if the vessel 

 be refilled with fresh water. In addition to all the obvious 

 precautions to be taken with regard to empty tins, broken bottles, 

 etc., the staff should cement up the holes in the trees, and see 

 that all water-courses, especially the small ones, are clear, so 

 that the Mater runs continuously; in the towns, all works of con- 

 struction in progress and all store-houses and work-shops in the 

 open air should be frequently visited and any article which could 

 possibly collect water carefully examined. It is also very 

 important to persuade the inhabitants to reduce the number of 

 water-containing vessels as much as possible. The writers con- 

 clude these instructions with advice as to the division of the work 

 and the supervision of the men engaged in it, and as the period 

 necessary for the development of Stecjomyia is from 8 to 10 days, 

 if the staff be so divided that in each section it shall be possible 

 to empty all water-receptacles once a week and clean them 

 thoroughly, it is probable that a maximum of efficiency will be 

 procured. 



Skeltox (Capt. D. S.) & Pariiam (J. G.). Leprosy and the Bed- 

 bug.— /v\ A.J/. C. Jourii., XX, no. 3, March 1913, p. 291. 



The authors remark that insects and biting flies have been 

 suspected as being the carriers of the infecting agent of leprosy : 

 Clilorops lejyrae, Sarcoptes scahei, Pediculu^, mosquitos and 

 bed-bugs have all been suggested, and they determined to see if 

 acid-fast bacilli could be found in bed-bugs taken from the beds 

 of lepers in the Government Asylum in Zanzibar. 



Sandes found acid-fast bacilli in the alimentary canals of 20 

 out of 75 bugs examined. Seventy-five bugs {Cime.t lectularius) 

 were teased out and examined, and in a second experiment one 

 hundred further bugs were examined, one of the authors having 

 previously systematically examined five hundred bugs in addition. 

 The authors arrived at the conclusion that it is exceedingly 

 improbable that the bed-bug plays any great part in the trans- 

 mission of the disease in Zanzibar, as in only two films were 

 they able to detect anything which at all corresponded with the 

 organisms described by previous writers. 



