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MOSQUITOES AND THE DANGER OF MALARIA
IN ENGLAND.
BY A. BACOT, F.E.S.,
Entomologist to the Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine.
With two Charts and eight other Illustrations.
[Read 24 November 1917.]
SYNOPSIS.
I.—Prefatory Note.
II.—Life History of Mosquitoes.
III.—Mosquitoes and the Dissemination of Diseases.
IV.—The Presence of "Ague" (or Malaria) in England.
V.—The Breeding Places of Mosquitoes.
VI.—Methods for the Combating of Mosquitoes by Man.
I.—PREFATORY NOTE.
WHEN invited to read a paper on Mosquitoes before the
Essex Field Club, I hesitated because my knowledge
of these insects is rather unequal, being of the intensive, rather
than the extensive, order. I know one. tropical species very
thoroughly ; some of its relatives rather well ; and have had
practical experience with West African mosquitoes ; but my
studies of the English species have hitherto been scrappy and
superficial. However, I decided to accept the flattering offer,
supplementing my field knowledge, so far as the season of the
year allowed, and reading up the subject in relation to this
country, so far as war work would permit. The paper here
presented is the summarized result of these activities interpreted
in the light of my African experience.
For the section of my paper which deals with the past history
of Malaria, and the distribution of Anopheles mosquitoes in
England, I desire to acknowledge my indebtedness to the epoch-
making paper on this subject published by Nuttall, Cobbett,
and Strangeways-Pigg in the Journal of Hygiene, vol. i (1901).
To all those who desire to study the question for themselves, I
strongly recommend a perusal of this paper, together with
Nuttall and Shipley's "Monograph of Anopheles maculipennis,"
published in volumes i., ii., and iii. of the same Journal.
I wish further to record my thanks to the Editor and