Some Preventable Diseases of British Guiana. 145 
Mosquito brigades could be easily formed, consisting of the Chairman, Over- 
seer, and one or two members of the Council, whose duty it would be to make a 
tour of the District once a week or oftener in the case of the larger Districts. 
At these visits they would personally inspect all the yards and properties, insist 
on the owners carrying out the necessary precautions, and attend to the oiling 
of ponds or larger collections of water, and also insist on all the various yards 
being kept in the pink of condition with regard to cleanliness. In such a way 
the dangers of all objectionable water receptacles would be entirely done away 
with. No amount of making of laws will do a tenth part of such work, as will 
personally-conducted tours on the lines I have suggested. 
There can be no objections to such a method of procedure, and it is undoubtedly 
the best method of dealing with the many who are ever ready to raise objections 
to anything partaking of the nature of sanitary improvements. | 
The time for talking and arguing over the merits or demerits of recent advances 
in sanitary science, has gone by. This is the time for action, action, action ! 
And if ever there was a colony in need of sanitary waking up, that colony’s 
name is British Guiana. 
Hyery Village District has a Government Medical Officer within easy reach 
so that there can be no excuse for doing nothing on account of ignorance of the 
best way in which to act. 
Tt has been argued that our Mosquito Ordinance is directed against the des- 
truction of the Stegomyia only and not the Anophelines. This argument is based 
on the fact that it is frequently asserted that the Anopheline is a marsh breeder 
solely and simply, and not a breeder in water receptacles. This statement, true 
in a certain general sort of way, is however very misleading. The Anophelines 
as a family whole, do not affect the marshes only as breeding places. Certain 
species of them will prefer artificial collections of water such as the common water 
barrels so much in evidence here. And the smallest collection of water in close 
proximity to dwelling-houses will be quite a suitable place for breeding to attract 
a good many different kinds of Anophelines. It may be taken for eranted that 
where a number of Anophelines are found in a house, the breeding g place i is usually 
within the precincts of that house, or at any rate not many yards away from it. 
The first procedure, therefore, when Anophelines are found in dwelling houses, 
is to make a thorough search of the premises before going afield to find their 
breeding places. 
In addition to attending to the abolition of ai mosquito breeding-grounds 
the Mosquito Brigade would, of course, attend to such important matters as 
drainage, and the clearing of bush, or ‘‘ Boycing,”’ as it has come to be called out 
here, a delicate compliment to an enthusiastic worker on Prof. Ross’s lines. 
Hear yet again what Dr. Watson has to say with regard to these points :— 
That hundreds of square miles of the flat land in Malaya have been freed from 
“malaria simply by draining, and by felling the jungle.” Just think how many 
hundreds of square miles of the very flat land i in British Guiana are crying out for 
similar common-sense treatment ? 
