8 YELLOW FEVER PROPHYLAXIS IN NEW ORLEANS 



Prophylactic Measures adopted by New Orleans 

 previous to 1905. 



The Mosquito Survey of the City of New Orleans. 



Shortly after the brilliant discoveries of Reed, Carroll and Lazear 

 in Cuba proving the connection of Yellow Fever with the Stegomyia 

 fasciata, the medical authorities in New Orleans not only commenced 

 to advocate screening and oiling, but a Committee was appointed by 

 the New Orleans Parish Medical Society to map out the mosquito 

 breeding grounds in the City. The results of this investigation have 

 proved of the greatest value to the present campaign (1905). Indeed 

 the work of prophylaxis would have proved far more laborious had 

 not this mosquito survey been made. The locahsation enabled the 

 authorities to inaugurate precise and well-directed measures against 

 the Stegomyia without complicating and delaying the campaign in 

 the commencement by an indiscriminate attack on all mosquitoes. 



I would strongly advocate as the result of the findings of Havana 

 and New Orleans that similar surveys should be made in all towns 

 subject to Yellow Fever or Malaria. 



The New Orleans Parish Medical Society* appointed a Com- 

 mission in 1 90 1 to investigate the mosquitoes of New Orleans with 

 special reference to Malaria and Yellow Fever. Observations were 

 also made by Dr. Veazief and by Dr. Dupree.t of Baton Rouge, La. 



The mosquitoes in New Orleans were, for sanitary purposes, con- 

 veniently divided by the Commission into three groups according to 

 their breeding places, viz. : — Cistern, Gutter and Marsh Mosquitoes. 



Cistern Mosquitoes. — The examination of 200 cisterns, barrels, troughs, tins 

 found in the yards of houses in different parts of the 

 City yielded the following results : — 



Larvas of Culex pungens 74 



Culex stimulans 6 



Culex pungens and Stegomyia 20 



Culex stimulans and Stegomyia 4 



Stegomyia fasciata alone 104 



No mosquito larvas 2 



This shows that the Stegomyia was far the most common mosquito present. 



The Stegomyia fasciata was in fact the common cistern or house mosquito of 



New Orleans. It is essentially a town mosquito confined for the most part to 



* Bionomics, experimental investigations with Bacillus Sanarelli and experimental investiga- 

 tions with Malaria in connection with the mosquitoes of New Orleans by Prof. Beyer, Drs. Pothier, 

 Couret and Lemann, Jan., igo2. 



+ \ The Mosquitoes of Louisiana and their pathogenic possibilities with remarks upon their 

 extermination. Dr. Dupree. New Orleans Med. and Surg. Journal, July, 1905. 



