266 li. W. DOANK — DISEASE-BEARING 



in Samoa. Further search showed that the borders of a walk and the top of a 

 retaining wall had been decorated by burying beer bottles in the ground and in the 

 cement, respectively, leaving only an inch or two of the concave bottom exposed. 

 These had become so overgrown with vines and weeds that they were hidden, but 

 when they were exposed the upturned bottom of each bottle was found to contain a 

 little water, only a little, but all that was necessary for the mosquitos to breed in. 

 More bottles, broken and unbroken, empty tin cans, and broken coconut shells 

 were found on the hillside below the house. Many of these contained larvae and 

 pupae of this and other species of mosquitos. An old breadfruit tree just 

 behind the house branched close to the ground. In the crook thus formed was a 

 hole about six inches deep, ten inches long and six inches wide, that was filled with 

 water swarming with mosquito larvae and pupae (Plate XXX). I record these 

 things in detail because they are typical conditions, and show something of the things 

 that will have to be contended with i£ it should ever become necessary to adopt 

 control measures for this mosquito. As yet, no yellow fever germs have reached 

 the South Pacific Islands, but all who are familiar with the conditions there know 

 how much greater the danger will be after the Panama Canal is open and more 

 direct communication is established with regions where yellow fever is endemic. 

 One infected mosquito would be enough to start an epidemic there. There is no 

 law requiring that deaths be reported, so that the disease might gain considerable 

 headway, and great numbers of mosquitos become infected, before the authorities 

 were aware that the disease was on the island. 



As twilight comes these mosquitos begin to seek places where they may quietly 

 spend the night and be ready to begin work again with the first grey light of 

 morning. But S. fasciata does not retire until the brown night mosquito 

 C. fatigans is ready to take up the night shift. This mosquito, too, is stealthy 

 in its habits, but a low irritating buzz usually warns the intended victim that 

 danger is near. The Samoans make a little more effort to protect themselves 

 from this species, for they realise, in some measure, the danger that may 

 attend its bite. Physicians in these islands believe that more than 50 per cent, 

 of the Samoans become infected with Filaria bancroftii by being bitten by this 

 mosquito. They do not all suffer from this infection, but so long as the parasite is 

 in the blood there is always danger of its causing trouble some time. The many 

 swollen legs or arms or other parts of the body show the terrible conditions for 

 which these little parasites may be responsible. Until one has seen a few bad 

 cases of elephantiasis, one can hardly realise that parts of the body could assume 

 such monstrous proportions. Until recently there has been little or no relief 

 from the disease, but surgical operations now often give complete or great 

 alleviation. 



White men become infected with these filaria as readily as do the natives, and 

 few who live there more than a few months escape one or more attacks of 

 " moo-moo," as the early stage of the disease is called. The fever, and often the 

 chills, that come with these first attacks may last for only a few days, and usually 

 yield quite readily to treatment. But later attacks become more prolonged and 

 obstinate, and the patient must then go to a colder country if he wishes to escape 

 the final results of the disease, elephantiasis. 



