4 8 



23. A Comparison of these Methods. I have already 

 described the means of getting rid of mosquitoes. The 

 measure requires an initial outlay of money, which may be 

 small or large according to local conditions and the 

 thoroughness of the operations small when the pools are 

 few and easily drained, larger when marshes, streams, and 

 ponds have to be dealt with. Besides the initial outlay, an 

 annual expenditure for a maintenance gang must be in- 

 curred amounting to the cost of fifty men for a town of 

 ten thousand houses, as a very rough estimate. A cost of 

 something like one or two shillings per house per annum 

 ought to cover these expenses. 



The advantages of the measure are (i) that it will pro- 

 tect all persons, rich and poor, living within the area of 

 operations, and will guard them from all mosquito-borne 

 diseases simultaneously ; (2) that in addition to its sanitary 

 advantages, it will preserve people from the constant 

 annoyance due to the insects ; (3) that it will necessitate 

 the town being kept in a generally clean and wholesome 

 condition ; (4) that it can be effected by the municipality, 

 or even by private persons, regardless of the prejudices or 

 apathy of the householders, who, moreover, will not be put 

 to any appreciable expense on account of the operations. 



Protection against the bites of mosquitoes^ both for the 

 sick and the healthy, demands (supposing the mosquitoes 

 themselves are left alone) the scrupulous use of mos- 

 quito-nets during sleep, and, to be more secure, the 

 employment of wire-gauze screens to all the windows and 

 doors of a house, and if possible the use of punkahs for 

 Europeans. The disadvantages are (i) that a mosquito- 

 net costs from ten to twenty shillings ; while to fit a whole 

 house, even a small one, with wire-gauze screens would cost 



