328 
Insects  Injurious  to  Drugs. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharru.- 
July,  189&. 
So  far,  only  insects  attacking  drugs  proper  have  been  mentioned, 
but  in  our  investigations  we  have  met  some  insects  that  destroy 
articles  not  properly  called  drugs,  but  always  kept  in  drug  stores. 
For  instance,  the  larva  represented  in  Fig.  8  is  that  of  a  beetle 
which  lays  its  eggs  on  bone  combs.  The  grub,  on  hatching,  bores 
it£  way  back  and  forth  through  the  substance  of  the  comb  until  the 
comb  is  made  absolutely  worthless.  Another  beetle  attacks  horn 
combs,  either  breaking  off  the  tips  of  the  comb  points  or  cutting 
through  the  side. 
Our  observations  so  far  have  shown  :  First,  that  the  most  destruc- 
tive insects  are  the  beetles  or  sheathed-winged  insects.  With  the 
exception  of  one  moth  and  one  mite,  all  the  insects  received  at  the 
University  and  mentioned  in  this  article,  are  beetles.  Second,  that 
the  greater  part  of  the  drugs  attacked  and  destroyed  are  vegetables 
or  vegetable  products,  and  hence,  that  these  need  the  greatest  care 
and  watchfulness.  Third,  that  there  is  need  of  greater  vigilance 
and  more  observation  on  the  part  of  druggists,  if  these  pests  are  to 
be  successfully  driven  out.  One  druggist,  when  asked  if  he  had 
ever  noticed  anything  destroying  combs,  said  he  had  never  heard  of 
such  a  thing ;  but  upon  investigating  his  own  stock,  he  found  out  of 
a  small  lot  two  combs  that  were  destroyed.  Yet  he  could  hardly 
believe  that  insects  are  capable  of  such  work. 
I  shall  have  nothing  to  say  in  this  article  as  to  the  means  of  pre- 
vention and  the  use  of  repellents  such  as  have  been  frequently  sug- 
gested in  current  pharmaceutical  literature.  It  is  my  desire  to 
enter  this  field  of  investigation,  and  anything  that  the  druggists  of 
the  United  States  can  do  to  aid  in  the  matter  will  be  appreciated. 
Attention  must  be  given  to  the  life  history  of  some  of  these  insects. 
We  should  know  what  materials  the  insects  breed  in,  what  time 
th^y  deposit  their  eggs,  and  make  all  the  observations  possible. 
From  these  notes  a  systematic  study  of  the  pests  can  be  made,  and 
results  of  practical  value  can  be  obtained.  The  Swedes,  in  the  time 
of  Linnaeus,  alarmed  at  the  way  in  which  their  ship  timber  was 
being  destroyed  by  a  certain  larva,  applied  to  the  noted  naturalist  for 
aid.  He  told  them,  that  if  they  would  sink  their  ship  timber  in  the 
sea  during  the  month  of  May,  they  would  be  bothered  no  further  by 
this  larva,  for  the  beetle  which  is  the  parent  of  the  grub  deposits  its. 
eggs  in  the  timber  in  the  month  of  May,  and  at  no  other  time  of  the 
year.    If  we  had  a  more  comprehensive  knowledge  concerning  the 
