Appendix 269 



to assume that it was the flea of swine that propa- 

 gated leprosy in Brazil. It has been found that the 

 bacillus of leprosy cannot grow in the presence of 

 oxygen. Are, then, mosquitoes and fleas chlorine 

 free? or are mosquitoes acid, like ants? The fact 

 that lesions of leprosy occur always on the exposed 

 parts of the human body would indicate an inocu- 

 lation by insects, possibly an internal inoculation 

 through the chyle and mesenteric glands from food 

 contaminated by insects, which had sucked the 

 blood or sores of lepers. (Now, fleas are said to like 

 raw meat, and I have seen salt marsh and other 

 mosquitoes sucking at the juices of fish which I had 

 caught and was cleaning there in the boat. Might 

 not these insects thus either inoculate the food with 

 their probosces or by depositing their faeces upon it ?) 



Dr. Dupree replies in substance as follows: The 

 statement made by Dr. Ashmead that he has shown 

 that those sections of Japan most afflicted by ele- 

 phantiasis are in exact ratio also scourged by leprosy, 

 seemingly suggests a common carrier for the two 

 viruses. In this case, C. fatigaus, microanniilatus, 

 albopictus, pipiens, and albimanus ; A. rossi and 

 nigerrimus, Cellia argyrotarsis and albimanus, known 

 to transmit filariasis, may also infect with leprosy. 

 Possibly still other species may be guilty as well. 



Leprosy preceding, concurrent with, or sequential 

 to a malarial attack, as is the usual case with Japan- 

 ese leprosy, may be merely a coincidence, or due to 

 simultaneous infection with malaria protozoa and 

 leper bacilli brought by the same mosquito, which 

 is not at all unlikely. 



