WORK IN GERMANY 427 
magnifying glasses were furnished in order that they might study to better 
advantage. The children were encouraged to make drawings on the black- 
board of mosquitoes in all stages of development; lessons were given and compo- 
sitions were written on the subject. Competitive examinations were held, and 
groups of boys and girls were sent out with the teachers on searching expeditions 
to find the breeding-places. Rivalry sprung up between the ten thousand public 
school children of the city in the matter of finding and reporting to the health 
office the greatest number of breeding-places found and breeding-places de- 
stroyed. Record was kept on the blackboards in the schools for information as 
to the progress of the competition, and great enthusiasm was stirred up. In 
addition to these measures, a course of stereopticon lectures was arranged, group- 
ing the pupils in audiences of about one thousand, from the high school down, 
and, in Doctor Lankford’s words, 
“It was an inspiring sight to watch these audiences of a thousand children, 
thoughtful, still as death, and staring with wide-open eyes at the wonders re- 
vealed by a microscope. It seemed to me that in bringing this great question 
of preventive medicine before public school children we had hit upon a power 
for good that could scarcely be over estimated.” 
The result of this work, it is pleasing to say, was a decided diminution of 
mosquitoes in San Antonio. There was some opposition among the people, 
but on the whole the movement was very popular. One result of this work 
was that, while previously there had been from fifty to sixty deaths a year from 
malaria, this mortality was reduced seventy-five per cent the first year after this 
work was begun, and in the second year it was entirely eliminated from the 
mortality records of San Antonio. 
In organizing community work against mosquitoes, the school children here- 
after must be counted upon as a most important factor. Almost every child is 
a born naturalist, and interest in such things comes to them more readily than 
anything else outside of the necessities of life. They are quick witted, wonder- 
fully quick sighted, and as finders-out of breeding-places they usually can not 
be approached except by adults of special training. One of the first steps that a 
community should take, is, therefore, to arouse the interest of the children in 
the public schools. 
SOME RECENT WORK IN GERMANY. 
The city of Leipzig quite recently has begun a crusade against malaria under 
the direction of the City Council. The following account of this work was sent 
in by U.S. Consul 8. P. Warner, and is published in the “ Monthly Consular and 
Trade Reports,” for June, 1909: 
“ So many cases of malaria have recently occurred in those sections of Leipzig 
which are adjacent to any one of the four rivulets which flow through the city 
that the city council has decided to adopt stringent measures to exterminate the 
mosquitoes (Anopheles) that spread the disease. 
“Tn order that the work of extermination may be thoroughly and systemat- 
ically carried out the city council has notified all housekeepers in the infected 
sections of the city to carefully examine their houses or apartments for mos- 
quitoes and to destroy any that may be found. Every household in the districts 
