666 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION I. 



as well as their colleagues attached to the American fleet during 

 its visit to Auckland, discussed the procedure as to mosquito 

 extermination in Central America as contrasted with the Egyptian 

 methods. 



P During the last half of the last century over 40,000 people died 

 in Havannah from yellow fever, or one out of every ten. Colonel 

 Gorgas stamped out the disease there in a ninety days' campaign. 

 In America the destruction of mosquitoes was chiefly accomplished 

 by the drainage of all areas with stagnant water, or by putting 

 small-fry fish into pools to eat the larvse and pupae. The American 

 crusade is summed up thus : — " A slap at the mosquito for the 

 moment, kerosene for the week, ditching for a season, but reclama- 

 tion for all time." 



Since leaving the Egyptian service one has not had much 

 opportunity in New Zealand or Tasmania to attempt any wholesale 

 crusade for the extermination of mosquitoes. Fortunately in 

 these countries, as far as I can learn, both Anophiles and Stegomyia 

 calopus are non-existant, and no mosquito-borne diseases have to 

 be combated. Other species, however, and their name is legion. 

 are sufficiently objectionable and suggestive of possible danger, to 

 encourage the adoption of any means calculated to get rid of such 

 a pest. In the north of New Zealand and Tasmania, and in those 

 places where mosquitoes are prevalent, the problem of mosquito 

 extermination is not only a difficult one, owing to the rainfall being 

 greater and more distributed throughout the year than in Egypt 

 and the Sudan, but also the benefit to be derived from their extermin- 

 ation will not warrant the cost, so comparatively small is the 

 population concerned. 



One has been able, however, occasionally to rid premises for a 

 time of mosquitoes, to recommend preparations such as citronella 

 oil for smearing the hands and faces of those who have to sleep or 

 work near swamps, and in other ways to mitigate the pest for 

 individuals. 



As far as Australia is concerned, now that a Laboratory for 

 Tropical Research has been established at Townsville, it is probable 

 that a complete classification will be made of all mosquitoes found 

 on the Continent. It is probable also that in the future, as the 

 great benefits of instruction in tropical medicine become more ex- 

 tensively appreciated, we will have lectureships on tropical medicine 

 at each of the Medical Schools. In the meantime, in order to en- 

 courage an interest in the problem of mosquito extermination, I 

 would suggest that the experiment of freeing each quarantine 

 station in Australia from mosquitoes might be carried out as a 

 means of interesting the sanitary staffs of the different States in the 

 subject, and demonstrating the ease with which a locality can be 

 rid of the pest when a systematic and constant crusade is made 

 against it. 



Another point which is worthy of consideration is that at the 

 next International Ouarantine Conference, Austraha and New 



