C. M. Wenyon 
293 
the mats covering the floors or upon which the prisoners sleep. In only 
one other house have I heard of the occurrence of bed bugs. It is 
certain that Bagdad is not infested with bed bugs to anything like the 
extent of some other Eastern cities. This statement is borne out 
by the evidence of the European residents, who would readily detect 
the presence of these pests even if they passed unnoticed by tbe native j 
Europeans generally believe that the bed bug does not exist in 
Bagdad. It was only by instituting a careful search and enquiry that 
I discovered their whereabouts in the prison. It is possible that the 
dryness of the atmospliere combined with the intense heat of summer is 
unfavourable to their extensive development and spread. 
Owing to the incriminating evidence brought against the bed bug 
by Patton in the demonstration that the parasite of Kala azar develops 
into Herpetonionas in its gut, this insect was looked upon with suspicion 
and was made the subject of a careful enquiry. Firstly, numbers of bed 
bugs were dissected as they were taken from the prison. Many of them 
had recently fed upon human blood, while others had not fed for varying 
intervals judging from the condition of the intestinal contents. In 
this way seventy-two bugs were dissected, smears were made of the 
intestinal contents and examined microscopically for flagellates. In 
none was I successful in finding any jDrotozoa. This result is im¬ 
portant in the light of the results of the experiments to be detailed 
below. 
Sand flies. This name is used in Bagdad for any small fly that 
bites at night. The fly most usually described under this name is a 
PIdebotamus. It is able to pass through the meshes of the ordinary 
mosquito net from which it may or may not escape after feeding in the 
morning. To protect oneself against the bites of these insects, it is 
necessary to use fine meshed nets. Unfortunately, when I wished to 
commence experiments with these flies, very few could be obtained, so 
that no definite result was arrived at. This is to be deplored, for it is 
possible that this fly may be the transmitting agent of the disease. 
The delay in these experiments was caused by the unfortunate fire that 
took place in my laboratory, and by the outbreak of cholera which put 
a stop to a scheme I had planned for continuing the work. However, I 
hope to be able to continue these experiments at a future date. 
Mosquitoes. These occur, as would be expected, in large numbers. 
In some years the Tigris overflows its banks and runs into the desert 
around Bagdad, forming pools and marshes. Under these conditions 
mosquitoes are said to be much more numerous than I have seen. The 
