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Jersey to this Commission. We hope that this will give an 

 added impetus to the work and lead to greater efficiency and 

 better results. 



You all know Dr. Emerson, of New York. You know the 

 great work which he is doing. You know his fearlessness in 

 attacking these problems, his straightforwardness, his willing- 

 ness to aid in any campaign which affects the public health of 

 the country, whether in New York or New Jersey, or anywhere. 

 I know of no man who is so willing to go out and give of his 

 energy and knowledge to further the public health of the country. 

 It gives me great pleasure to introduce to you Dr. Haven Emer- 

 son, Commissioner of Public Health, City of New York. 



Mr. Emerson — Mr. President, Mr. Ex-President and the 

 members of the Association : Dr. Hunt speaks as if I were 

 coming here to make a contribution to your knowledge. on the 

 mosquito matter. It is not fair to ask any group of experts, 

 devotees to a crusade, to come and listen to second-hand infor- 

 mation. I come before you not with a contribution, but with a 

 plea. 



The City of New York has for generations, I may say, 

 attributed all its ills of the mosquito variety to the west, to New 

 Jersey, and it is the responsibility of the present administration 

 of the Health Department to teach the citizens of New York 

 that they are chiefly responsible for their own misery, and make, 

 them look at home and attend to their own backyards. 



The experience of last summer brought to a head a state of 

 mind that has been considered some time by the city officials, 

 but never reached a really decided point. As you remember, 

 there was last year throughout the entire coast of this country 

 a very considerable invasion of the fresh-water or home-bred 

 mosquito, due chiefly to the persistent small rains throughout the 

 season, to the annoyance of people especially in parts of the 

 country where they had been relatively free of mosquitoes. 



The citizens of New York complained that the Department of 

 Health had accomplished nothing, that there was no protection, 

 and we were held responsible for their discomfort and the 

 depreciation of their real estate values. 



