CHAPTER V 

 ADMINISTRATIVE ASPECTS OF THE CAMPAIGN 



MOSQUITO-BREEDING ABOUT HOMES 



While in previous chapters something has been said of the 

 breeding habits of the various species of common American mos- 

 quitoes and of the necessity for careful inspection, it is desired 

 here to emphasize the fact that, in the average inland town, the 

 people themselves raise most of the mosquitoes that afflict them. 



It has been the writer's observation that it is a comparatively 

 simple matter to eradicate Anopheles mosquitoes, which, as has 

 already been pointed out, breed mostly in ditches, pools and 

 other natural breeding places. But when it comes to eliminating 

 breeding of house mosquitoes, the director of the campaign has 

 a man's job on his hands. 



Yet, even though the campaign is primarily a health measure- 

 that is, directed in the first instance against malaria-bearing 

 mosquitoes — it must nevertheless include suppression of all 

 mosquitoes to be considered a success by the people who put up 

 the money. The average person regards mosquitoes as mos- 

 quitoes, and he would be very apt to consider as "phony" any 

 malaria reduction figures if he did not notice a corresponding 

 abatement in the numbers of house mosquitoes. 



Yet these average persons are, as intimated above, frequently 

 responsible for the presence in the community of more mosquitoes 

 than all the pools, ditches, swamps and streams in flight distance. 



The writer has repeatedly found homes in which mosquitoes 

 were breeding abundantly in 10 to 20 different breeding-places. 

 There would be a number of tin cans containing water scattered 

 about different parts of the yard; a rain-water barrel or two; 

 a non-mosquito-proof cistern; a couple of pools under the house 

 caused by leaky pipes or drip from the ice-box; an uncovered 

 cess-pool; a water-trough for stock; and, perhaps, stopped-up 

 roof gutters. And these cases were not in the slums or the negro 

 quarter; on the contrary, they were often at the homes of the 

 leading people of the community. 



The writer once received a complaint from the wealthiest 



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