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This work is a scholarly yet accessible survey of how insects act as vectors and reservoirs for many of the ailments that plagued early‑twentieth‑century society. The author opens by noting the surge of technical papers on parasites and the difficulty lay readers face in extracting the essential facts, then promises to distill those findings into “untechnical form.” From that premise the book proceeds systematically, first outlining basic concepts of parasitism, then moving through bacteria, protozoa, ticks, mites, flies, mosquitoes, and the diseases they transmit, from malaria and yellow fever to plague and sleeping sickness. Detailed chapter headings and an extensive bibliography reveal a methodical approach that combines biological description, disease history, and practical control measures, all illustrated with the author’s own photographs of live specimens.
Written in a clear, didactic prose typical of American scientific literature of the 1910s, the text reflects the earnest tone of a university researcher eager to educate a broader audience. Its careful definitions, step‑by‑step life‑history accounts, and frequent references to experiments give it the feel of a textbook rather than a narrative. Readers with an interest in the history of medicine, entomology, or public‑health policy, especially those who enjoy reading original scientific explanations and period illustrations, will find this volume both informative and a window into the era’s investigative spirit.
The opening · free to read
Looking over the titles of these articles and books the reader will at once be impressed with the importance that is being given to the subject of the relation of insects to some of our common diseases. As many of these maladies are caused by minute parasites or microbes the zoölogists, biologists and physicians are studying with untiring zeal to learn what they can in regard to the development and habits of these organisms, and the entomologists are doing their part by studying in minute detail the structure and life-history of the insects that are concerned. Thus many important facts are being learned, many important observations made. The results of the best of these investigations are always published in technical magazines or papers that are usually accessible only to the specialist.
This little book is an attempt to bring together and place in untechnical form the most important of these facts gathered from sources many of which are at present inaccessible to the general reader, perhaps even to many physicians and entomologists.
In order that the reader who is not a specialist in medicine or entomology may more readily understand the intimate biological relations of the animals and parasites to be discussed it seems desirable to call attention first to their systematic relations and to review some of the important general facts in regard to their structure and life-history. This, it is believed, will make even the most complex special interrelations of some of these organisms readily understandable by all. Those who are already more or less familiar with these things may find the bibliography of use for more extended reading.
My thanks are due to Prof. V.L. Kellogg for reading the manuscript and offering helpful suggestions and criticisms.
Unless otherwise credited the pictures are from photographs taken by the author in the laboratory and field. As many of these are pictures of live specimens it is believed that they will be of interest as showing the insects, not as we think they should be, but as they actually are. Mr. J.H. Paine has given me valuable aid in preparing these photographs.
R.W.D.
Definition of a parasite, 1; examples among various animals, 2; Parasitism, 3; effect on the parasite, 4; how a harmless kind may become harmful, 5; immunity, 6; Diseases caused by parasites, 7; ancient and modern views, 7; Infectious and contagious diseases, 8; examples, 9; importance of distinguishing, 9; Effect of the parasite on the host, 9; microbes everywhere, 10; importance of size, 11; numbers, 11; location, 11; mechanical injury, 12; morphological injury, 13; physiological effect, 13; the point of view, 14.
Bacteria, 15; border line between plants and animals, 15; most bacteria not harmful, 15; a few cause disease, 15; how they multiply, 15; parasitic and non-parasitic kinds, 17; how a kind normally harmless may become harmful, 18; effect of the bacteria on the host, 18; methods of dissemination, 18; Protozoa, 19; Amoeba, 19; its lack of special organs, 19; where it lives, 19; growth and reproduction, 19; Classes of Protozoa, 20; the amoeba-like forms, 20; the flagellate forms, 20; importance of these, 21; the ciliated forms, 22; the Sporozoa or spore-forming kinds, 22; these most important, 23; abundance, 23; adaptability, 23; common characters, 24; ability to resist unfavorable conditions, 24.
Ticks, 26; general characters, 27; mouth-parts, 27; habits, 27; life-history, 27; Ticks and disease, 28; Texas fever, 28; its occurrence in the north, 28; carried by a tick, 29; loss and methods of control, 31; other diseases of cattle carried by ticks, 31; Rocky Mountain spotted fever, 32; its occurrence, 32; probably caused by parasites, 32; relation of ticks to this disease, 33; Relapsing Fever, 33; its occurrence, 34; transmitted by ticks, 34; Mites, 35; Face-mites, 35; Itch-mites, 36; Harvest-mites, 37.
Numbers, 40; importance, 41; losses caused by insects, 41; loss of life, 42; The flies, 43; horse-flies, 43; stable-flies, 44; surra, 45; nagana, 45; black-flies, 46; punkies, 46; screw-worm flies, 47; blow-flies, 48; flesh-flies, 48; fly larvæ in intestinal canal, 49; bot-flies, 50; Fleas, 52; jigger-flea, 53; Bedbugs, 54; Lice, 54; How insects may carry disease, 55; in a mechanical way, 55; as one of the necessary hosts of the parasite, 56.
The old attitude toward the house-fly, 57; its present standing, 58; reasons for the change, 58; Structure, 59; head and mouth-parts, 60; thorax and wings, 61; feet, 62; How they carry bacteria, 62; Life-history, 63; eggs, 63; ordinarily laid in manure, 63; other places, 63; habits of the larvæ, 64; habits of the adults, 64; places they visit, 65; Flies and typhoid, 65; patients carrying the germs before and after they have had the disease, 65; how the flies get these on their body and distribute them, 66; results of some observations and experiments, 66; Flies and other diseases, 68; flies and cholera, 68; flies and tuberculosis, 69; possibility of their carrying other diseases, 70; Fighting flies, 71; screens not sufficient, 71; the larger problem, 71; the manure pile, 72; outdoor privies, 72; garbage can, 72; coöperation necessary, 72; city ordinances, 73; an expert's opinion of the house-fly, 73; Other flies, 75; habits of several much the same but do not enter house as much, 75; the small house-fly, 75; stable-flies, 75; these may spread disease, 75.
Numbers, 76; interest and importance, 76; eggs, 77; always in water, 77; time of hatching, 77; Larvæ, 78; live only in water, 78; head and mouth-parts of larvæ, 78; what they feed on, 78; breathing apparatus, 79; growth of the larvæ, 80; Pupæ, 80; active but takes no food, 80; breathing tubes, 80; how the adult issues, 81; The Adult, 81; male and female, 81; how mosquitoes "sing" and how the song is heard, 82; the palpi, 82; The Mouth-parts, 83; needles for piercing, 83; How the mosquito bites, 84; secretion from the salivary gland, 84; why males cannot bite, 84; blood not necessary for either sex, 84; The Thorax, 85; the legs, 85; the wings, 85; the balancers, 85; the breathing pores, 86; The abdomen, 86; The digestive system, 86; The salivary glands, 87; their importance, 87; effects of a mosquito bite, 87; probable function of the saliva, 88; How mosquitoes breathe, 89; Blood, 90; in body cavity, 90; heart, 90; Classification, 91; Anopheles, 91; distinguishing characters, 92; eggs, 92; where the larvæ are found, 93; Yellow fever mosquito, 94; its importance, 94; the adult, 95; habits, 95; habits of the larvæ, 95; Other species, 96; some in fresh water, others in brackish water, 96; Natural enemies of mosquitoes, 97; how natural enemies of mosquitoes control their numbers, 98; mosquitoes in Hawaii, 98; Enemies of the adults, 99; Enemies of the larvæ and pupæ, 100; Fighting mosquitoes, 101; fighting the adult, 102; Fighting the larvæ, 103; domestic or local species, 104; draining and treating with oil, 104; combatting salt-marsh species by draining, 105; by minnows or oil, 105.
Early reference to malaria, 106; its general distribution, 106; theories in regard to its cause, 107; insects early suspected, 107; The parasite that causes malaria, 108; studies of the parasite, 108; Life-history in human host, 109; its effect on the host, 110; the search for the sexual generation, 111; The parasite in the mosquito, 112; review of whole life-history, 115; malaria transmitted only by mosquitoes, 115; Summary, 117; experimental proof, 118.
A disease of tropical or semi-tropical countries, 120; outbreaks in the United States, 120; parasite that causes the disease not known, 121; formerly regarded as a contagious disease, 122; The yellow fever commission, 123; Dr. Finlay's claim, 124; experiments made by the commission, 125; summary of results, 129; what it means, 130; results in Havana, 131; the fight in New Orleans, 132; In the Panama canal zone, 135; in Rio de Janeiro, 136; claims of the French commission, 138; habits of stegomyia, 139; breeding habits, 139; possible results of war against the mosquitoes, 139; Danger of this disease in the Pacific Islands, 140.
Great scourges, 142; the "black death," 142; old conditions and new, 143; How plague was controlled in San Francisco, 143; Indian Plague commission, 144; Dr. Simond's claim, 145; The advisory committee and the new commission, 146; Results of Dr. Verjbitski's experiments, 147; Results of various investigations, 150; structure and habits of fleas, 151; feeding habits, 152; Common species of fleas, 153; Ground squirrels and plague, 155; squirrel fleas, 156; Remedies for fleas, 157; cats and dogs, 159.
Sleeping Sickness, 161; its occurrence in Africa, 161; caused by a Protozoan parasite, 162; the tsetse-fly, 163; Elephantiasis, 164; caused by parasitic worms, 164; their development, 165; how they are transferred to man, 165; effect on the patient, 166; Dengue, 168; other names, 168; probably transmitted by mosquitoes, 170; Mediterranean fever, 171; cause, 171; may be conveyed by mosquitoes, 171; Leprosy, 171; caused by a bacteria parasite, 171; possibilities of flies, mosquitoes and other insects transmitting the disease, 172; Kala-azar, 173; transmitted by the bedbug, 173; Oriental sore, 174; the parasite may be carried by insects, 174.
Parasites and parasitism, 175; Protozoa, 176; Bacteria, 177; Insects and disease, 178; Mosquitoes--systematic and general, 179; Mosquito anatomy, 182; Mosquitoes--life-history and habits, 183; Mosquito fighting, 183; Mosquitoes and disease, 185; Malaria, 186; Yellow fever, 189; Dengue, 192; Filarial diseases and elephantiasis, 193; Leprosy, 193; Plague, 194; Fleas, 198; Typhoid fever, 199; House-flies--anatomy, life-history, habits, 200; House-flies and typhoid, 202; House-fly and various diseases, 203; Human myiasis, 207; Stomoxys and other flies, 208; tsetse-flies, 209; Trypanosomes and Trypanosomiasis, 210; Sleeping sickness, 211; Rocky mountain fever and ticks, 212; Ticks and various diseases, 213; Kala-azar and bedbugs, 216; Text or reference books, 216; Miscellaneous articles, 218.
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