112 N. J. Mosquito Extermination Association 



No section better illustrates the fundamental principle laid down 

 by Sir Ronald Ross, "No stagnant water, no mosquitoes ; and no 

 mosquitoes, no malaria." That principle, of course, applies chiefly 

 to the Anopheles mosquitoes, which, in some sections of the country, 

 are fortunately comparatively rare. Here in New Jersey the pro- 

 portion of Anopheles is probably less than 5 per cent, so that we 

 are no longer troubled with malaria in a serious form. There are, 

 however, abundant reasons for believing that we have a considerable 

 amount of latent and mild malaria, which must be looked upon as 

 a factor in disease causation and economic impairment as regards 

 labor efficiency. Our knowledge regarding the obscure aspects of 

 the malaria problem is not making the progress which the importance 

 of the disease urgently demands. While, therefore, in New Jersey 

 it is primarily a question of mosquito extermination for reasons of 

 comfort and economic wellbeing, it is also here, as in many other 

 sections, a question of health and physical efficiency. 



Mr. LePrince, in the light of his extended experience in Panama, 

 will bear me out that there also it was a fight against any and every 

 type of mosquito rather than a concentrated efifort upon the 

 anopheles. In the long run it is much more effective and less ex- 

 pensive to fight all mosquitoes than to single out a particular species 

 as a matter of small or temporary economy. It is therefore to be 

 hoped that a national convention may be held at which every interest 

 w411 be thoroughly represented and in connection with which a full 

 statement of all the facts known to us at the present time may be 

 forthcoming. It would seem to me entirely feasible to hold a na- 

 tional exhibit of mosquito extermination and malaria eradication, at 

 which the facts would be visualized for the instruction of all who 

 may care to know. There is much needless duplication of efifort, 

 much useless experimentation, much pessimism not justified by the 

 facts of actual experience, which such an exhibition would clearly 

 demonstrate. Only a beginning has been made in the public educa- 

 tion in both the mosquito and malaria problems. The admirable 

 circular on the mosquito, by the New Jersey Agricultural Experi- 

 ment Station, is but one of many illustrations as to the direction in 

 which better educational efforts are most urgently required. It is 

 lamentable that modern educational courses should almost entirely 

 neglect the extremely important field of medical entomology, in 

 which none better lends itself to primary and grammar school inr 

 struction into the essential facts of biology. There is no field of 



