12 PKEVENTIVE AND REMEDIAL WORK AGAINST MOSQUITOES. 



and was carried out systematically and thoroughly. No place that 

 could possibly prove a breeding place was overlooked. The applica- 

 tion of kerosene was repeated several times during the year. St. 

 Louis took up the work early in July, and the municipal assembly 

 made an appropriation for supplies. The health department, how- 

 ever, was hampered for lack of men, and little work was done. 



Such were the early steps in the mosquito crusade in this country. 

 Many other communities have taken up the work since 1902. Some, 

 through inefficient work, have allowed their efforts to lapse, and have 

 become more or less indifferent. Others have gone ahead and have 

 spent considerable sums of mone} T in their mosquito fight. 



In the early days of mosquito warfare there was great indifference 

 combined with incredulity as to the danger from mosquitoes, even 

 among the medical profession, and particularly in the South. This 

 indifference and incredulity, however, have now, for the most part, 

 passed away. Boards of health very generally appreciate the desir- 

 ability of antimosquito work, and as rapidly as town councils can be 

 induced to appropriate the necessary funds the work is going ahead. 



Excellent antimosquito work has been carried on during the past 

 few years in Honolulu, backed by rather modest funds, under the direc- 

 tion of the then entomologist of the Hawaiian Agricultural Experiment 

 Station, Dr. D. L. Van Dine. In Porto Rico some work is being done, 

 as well as in the Philippines, under the United States Government. 

 In Cuba and in Panama the work has been of a standard character 

 and the operations at these points will be more fully mentioned in 

 subsequent paragraphs. 



In other parts of the world many striking examples of the value of 

 antimosquito work have been shown comparatively recently, and 

 several of these will be detailed later. 



PROTECTION FROM BITES. 



PROTECTIVE LIQUIDS. 



A number of different substances have been in use to rub upon the 

 skin or to put near the bed as a protection from mosquitoes. Spirits 

 of camphor rubbed upon the face and hands, or a few drops on the 

 pillow at night, will keep away mosquitoes for a time, and this is also 

 a well-known property of oil of pennyroyal. Oil of peppermint, 

 lemon juice, and vinegar have all been recommended for use as protec- 

 tors against mosquitoes, while oil of tar has been used in bad mos- 

 quito localities. A mixture recommended by Mr. E. H. Gane, of 

 New York, is the following: 



Castor oil '. ounce. . 1 



Alcohol do 1 



Oil of lavender do 1 



