58 MOSQUITO ERADICATION 



At Tyler, the sale of physicians' prescriptions containing 

 quinine decreased about 49 per cent in 1917, as compared with 

 1916. 



Results obtained at Keltys, where malaria formerly had been 

 severe, are particularly interesting. The manager of the lumber 

 mill there stated in 1917 that, had malaria prevailed to the same 

 degree as in 1916, the mill would have been closed about one- 

 half the time. The net loss of this to the railroad in freight 

 charges alone would have been about $30,000. l 



The railroad prompted by the success of this demonstration, 

 considerably expanded its work against mosquitoes in later 

 years. In 1920, its appropriation for this work amounted to 

 $41,150, while $15,000 additional was appropriated by different 

 towns along the line under a co-operative plan for mutual malaria 

 protection. 2 



In 1920, the Central of Georgia Railroad appropriated $14,000 

 for similar work. Several other interstate railroads are also 

 known to be contemplating making appropriations for this 

 work. 



UNITED STATES ANTI-MOSQUITO WORK DURING WORLD WAR 



In view of the heavy morbidity records of army camps in the 

 South during the Civil and Spanish-American wars, it was 

 deemed essential, when the United States entered the World 

 War in 1917, to institute, among other health measures, anti- 

 mosquito campaigns in the areas surrounding Southern military 

 cantonments, naval reservations, aviation camps, munition 

 plants, ship-yards and important war-industrial projects. 



It was realized that the introduction of thousands of recruits 

 and of large forces of labor from areas in which the mosquito- 

 borne diseases were prevalent would produce new conditions at 

 and about towns in which this war work was carried on that 

 would make extra precautionary measures essential. In order 

 therefore, to provide complete protection, it was decided that 

 anti-mosquito campaigns should be carried on, not only within 

 the cantonments, ship-yards and war-industrial areas, but also 

 within an area a mile wide surrounding such war establishments 

 and towns near or in which they were situated. 



In order to prevent conflict of jurisdiction, army and navy 



1 Annual Report, U. S. Public Health Service, 1918, page 23. 



2 Annual Report, U. S. Public Health Service, 1920, page 20. 



