OBITUARY. 143 



Bacot continued his work on the rat. fleas at the Lister Institute, 

 where he was able to study plague-infected individuals. In 1913 in 

 collaboration with Dr. C. J. Martin, there was published an important 

 paper demonstrating the mechanism of the transmission of plague bv 

 the rat flea. b J 



In 1914-15 Bacot acted as Entomologist to the Yellow Fever 

 Commission sent out by the Colonial Office to Sierra Leone. During 

 the year August, 1914, to July, 1915, he studied the bionomics of 

 Stegomyia fasciata, the mosquito which transmitted the disease. 

 These studies formed the subject of a very complete monograph 

 published in 1916 by the Yellow Fever Commission. All engaged in 

 combating mosquitoes or in studying their bionomics will find a mine 

 of information in this work. 



Upon his return to England in 1915 he began a long series of 

 experiments on lice to determine what methods were most suitable 

 for ridding our soldiers of this pest. The experiments were always 

 made upon himself and conformed very nearly to conditions in the 

 field. In 1916 he accepted the post of Honorary Entomological 

 Adviser to the War Office. He made valuable recommendations on 

 the louse problem, and all devices and substances for combating this 

 evil brought to the notice of the military authorities were submitted 

 to Bacot for tests and reports. 



In 1917 he was invited to join the British Trench Fever Committee 

 appointed by the War Office. The study of the louse had now become 

 more vital than ever as it was thought to be the agency transmitting 

 trench fever. Bacot and his colleague Dr. ,L A. Arkwrigbt demon- 

 strated the existence of minute organisms, similar to the Rickettsia 

 associated with typhus, in the gut of lice fed upon patients suffering 

 from trench fever. It was further established that only lice carrying 

 these organisms were capable of transmitting the disease. 



At the close of the War he turned his attention to typhus. In 

 1920 he went to Poland with the Typhus Eesearch Commission of 

 the League of the Eed Cross Society. Eeturning to London in a few 

 months he pursued his experiments in an endeavour to decide as to 

 the real nature of the typhus virus. Circumstances were not favour- 

 able, and he welcomed the opportunity of going to Egypt at the 

 invitation of the Egyptian Government. Accompanied by his 

 colleague Arkwright, he commenced work early this year in the 

 laboratories of the Public Health Department in Cairo. The 

 research advanced most hopefully, and had already confirmed 

 the statement of an earlier worker that the excreta of infected lice 

 were capable of conveying the disease- At the end of March both 

 men were struck down, but we are glad to hear that Arkwright is 

 making a good recovery. 



Bacot was never reckless, and was always most careful in his often- 

 times dangerous work. Like several other distinguished students of 

 typhus there is little doubt that he fell a victim to some accident. 

 The nature of the disease and of the insect carrying it renders this 

 research one of the most dangerous nature. As Dr. Greenwood has 

 well remarked : " If ever any man earned the Victoria Cross ' for valour,' 

 that man was Bacot." 



He will be remembered by all who knew him as ever helpful and 



