ENTOMOLOGY

SERIOUSNESS Ol!' INSECT-BORNE DISEASES TO ARMIES 45contingents of troops and animals in a new army camp make the firstmonths of the entomological sanitarian very busy ones. Common senseis one of the primary essentials in meeting the exigencies of the situation.The possibility of moscfuito breeding must be kept at a minimum in spiteof temporary drainage, multitudes of borrow pits, tree stumps, fire-waterbarrels, etc. A system of manure, garbage, refuse, and fecal disposalis of necessity hastily devised and must keep pace with the increasingnumbers of men and animals. This waste disposal is handled by specialunits and thl! sanitarian acts only in an advisory capacity. He needstherefore to be very vigilant in his inspections. Army camps nowadaysgrmv in such marvelous proportions that past experiences are of littleavail. The man on the ground must be well versed in the principles ofentomological sanitation and must use his judgment for all it is worth.The constant accessions in troops and raw recruits call for constantscouting and prophylaxis to prevent admission of vermin. The workagainst vermin almost necessitates a specialist to take care of it alone. Infaet it were best if three entomologists were located in each camp, onelooking after the suppression of water and moist earth breeding insects,one looking after the suppression of fecal, waste, and manure breedinginsects, and the third handling the vermin of the person and the barracks.So serious is the vermin problem in all armies i{jlat elaborate measureshave to be taken to combat it. The Germans developed great vacuumtubes that will contain an entire railroad coach. The Russians, and thenother nations, developed bath trains sufficient to handle the cleansing ofthousands of men a day. The Russians and Roumanians developed sodhouses for heat sterilization of clothing. Heat and steam sterilizing plantsof many types have been devised. A tremendous amount of experimentationhas been directed toward chemical cleansing of the clothing.The destruction of waste is such an acute problem that many types ofincinerators have resulted (see figs. 1, ~, 3), but as a camp becomespE'rmanently organized the, sewage system does away with many of theearly difficulties. Permanent incinerators, well kept drainage systems,organized removal of the manure, and disposal of garbage by the quarterma"ter'sdepartment, systematic inspection of quarters and grounds, and'1ystematic bathing and clean!!ing of clothing, characterize the perfectlyadjusted sanitation of a permanent camIf. Every large army camphas its reIllmnt camp and company stables. The farther these stables areloC'ated from the soldiers' barracks the better will be the fly conditionsin the living quarters of the men.The actively engaged army, however, presents entirely different conditions.There is no possibility of developing sewage systems, but temporarylatrines must be substituted (see figs. 4, 5, 6, 7). Manure andga.rbage cannot be farmed out to contractors, but must be disposed of