398 
JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 
[Vol. 16 
Obituary 
FRANK CUMMINGS COOK 
Dr. F. C. Cook of the Insecticide and Fungicide Laboratory of the 
Bureau of Chemistry died in Dallas, Texas, June 19 following an opera¬ 
tion for appendicitis. Death occurred as would undoubtedly have been 
the desire of one so enthusiastic and full of energy without illness long 
removing him from his work. In fact he was busily engaged in going 
over plans for investigations in the field and other preparations for the 
trip only forty hours before he was called upon to lay aside his labors 
permanently. 
One of the most successful and pleasant cooperative undertakings 
among scientific men was begun in 1913 when the Bureau of Chemistry, 
Bureau of Entomology and Bureau of Plant Industry, with Dr. Cook 
representing the first, began a series of experiments in the destruction 
of fly larvae in manure. This investigation was continued through 
several seasons and resulted in the discovery of very successful methods 
of preventing fly breeding in manure by the application of borax or 
hellebore. These methods are now being applied extensively by en¬ 
tomologists and sanitarians in the United States and various parts of 
the world. This project completed, Dr. Cook was assigned to work on 
arsenicals in cooperation with Dr. Mclndoo of the Bureau of Entomology 
and the results of this work have just appeared as Department Bulletin 
1147, “Chemical, Physical and Insecticidal Properties of Arsenicals.” 
During 1921 Dr. Cook began cooperative work with the Bureau of 
Entomology on the chemotropic responses of flies. The field investiga¬ 
tions on this project were carried out in Texas since the immediate 
practical problem was the development of attractants and repellents 
for the protection of live stock from infestation by screw worms. A 
portion of three seasons was spent in Texas on this project and it was 
while engaged in this work that the fatal illness occurred. Very sub¬ 
stantial progress was made in this investigation although only a pre¬ 
liminary report (Jour, of Econ. Ent., vol. 16, pp. 222-224) has been 
issued. Another cooperative project with the Bureau of Entomology 
in which Dr. Cook was engaged was the testing of various fumigants 
with a view particularly of finding more satisfactory methods of destroy¬ 
ing insects in cars of grain. 
Dr. Cook displayed marked versatility in his work and the rapidity 
with which he grasped the entomological aspects of a problem made 
him especially valuable in these investigations. 
