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[Illustration: Some early medical entomology. Athanasius Kircher's
illustration of the Italian tarantula and the music prescribed as an
antidote for the poison of its bite. (1643).]




HANDBOOK OF MEDICAL

ENTOMOLOGY

WM. A. RILEY, PH.D.

Professor of Insect Morphology and Parasitology, Cornell University

and

O. A. JOHANNSEN, PH.D.

Professor of Biology, Cornell University

[Illustration]

ITHACA, NEW YORK

THE COMSTOCK PUBLISHING COMPANY

1915


COPYRIGHT, 1915

BY THE COMSTOCK PUBLISHING COMPANY,

ITHACA, N. Y.


Press of W. F. Humphrey
Geneva, N. Y.




PREFACE


The Handbook of Medical Entomology is the outgrowth of a course of
lectures along the lines of insect transmission and dissemination of
diseases of man given by the senior author in the Department of
Entomology of Cornell University during the past six years. More
specifically it is an illustrated revision and elaboration of his "Notes
on the Relation of Insects to Disease" published January, 1912.

Its object is to afford a general survey of the field, and primarily to
put the student of medicine and entomology in touch with the discoveries
and theories which underlie some of the most important modern work in
preventive medicine. At the same time the older phases of the
subject--the consideration of poisonous and parasitic forms--have not
been ignored.

Considering the rapid shifts in viewpoint, and the development of the
subject within recent years, the authors do not indulge in any hopes
that the present text will exactly meet the needs of every one
specializing in the field,--still less do they regard it as complete or
final. The fact that the enormous literature of isolated articles is to
be found principally in foreign periodicals and is therefore difficult
of access to many American workers, has led the authors to hope that a
summary of the important advances, in the form of a reference book may
not prove unwelcome to physicians, sanitarians and working
entomologists, and to teachers as a text supplementing lecture work in
the subject.

Lengthy as is the bibliography, it covers but a very small fraction of
the important contributions to the subject. It will serve only to put
those interested in touch with original sources and to open up the
field. Of the more general works, special acknowledgment should be made
to those of Banks, Brumpt, Castellani and Chalmers, Comstock, Hewitt,
Howard, Manson, Mense, Neveau-Lemaire, Nuttall, and Stiles.

To the many who have aided the authors in the years past, by suggestions
and by sending specimens and other materials, sincerest thanks is
tendered. This is especially due to their colleagues in the Department
of Entomology of Cornell University, and to Professor Charles W. Howard,
Dr. John Uri Lloyd, Mr. A. H. Ritchie, Dr. I. M. Unger, and Dr. Luzerne
Coville.

They wish to express indebtedness to the authors and publishers who have
so willingly given permission to use certain illustrations. Especially
is this acknowledgment due to Professor John Henry Comstock, Dr. L. O.
Howard, Dr. Graham-Smith, and Professor G. H. T. Nuttall. Professor
Comstock not only authorized the use of departmental negatives by the
late Professor M. V. Slingerland (credited as M. V. S.), but generously
put at their disposal the illustrations from the MANUAL FOR THE STUDY OF
INSECTS and from the SPIDER BOOK. Figures 5 and 111 are from Peter's
"Der Arzt und die Heilkunst in der deutschen Vergangenheit." It should
be noted that on examining the original, it is found that Gottfried's
figure relates to an event antedating the typical epidemic of dancing
mania.

                                                  WM. A. RILEY.
                                                  O. A. JOHANNSEN.

  CORNELL UNIVERSITY,
  January, 1915.




ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS

vi line 11, for Heilkunft read Heilkunst.

18 line 2, for tarsi read tarsus.

32 line 21, and legend under fig. 23, for C. (Conorhinus) abdominalis
      read Melanolestes abdominalis.

47 legend under figure for 33c read 34.

92 line 22 and 25, for sangiusugus read sanguisugus.

116 legend under fig. 83, for Graham-Smith read Manson.

136 line 10, from bottom, insert "ring" after "chitin".

137 line 3, for meditatunda read meditabunda.

145 line 7, from bottom, for Rs read R_5.

158 line 20, for have read has.

212 after the chapter heading insert "continued".

219 line 10, from bottom, for Cornohinus read Conorhinus.

266 line 1, fig. 158j refers to the female.

272 line 5, insert "palpus" before "and leg".

281 line 6, for discodial read discoidal.

281 last line, insert "from" before "the".

284 line 5, for "tubercle of" read "tubercle or".

305 lines 19, 28, 44, page 306 lines 1, 9, 22, 27, 30, page 307 line 7,
      page 309 lines 8, 11, for R_{4+5} read M_{1+2}.

309 legend under fig. 168 add Bureau of Entomology.

312 line 36, for "near apex" read "of M_{1+2}".

313 running head, for Muscidae read Muscoidea.

314 line 29, for "distal section" read "distally M_{1+2}".

315 legend under fig. 172, for Pseudopyrellia read Orthellia, for
      Lyperosia read Haematobia, for Umbana read urbana.

323 and 325 legends under the figures, add "After Dr. J. H. Stokes".

328 line 7 from bottom for Apiochaeta read Aphiochaeta.




CONTENTS


CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION                                                  1-5

  Early suggestions regarding the transmission of disease by
    insects.
  The ways in which arthropods may affect the health of man.


CHAPTER II

ARTHROPODS WHICH ARE DIRECTLY POISONOUS                       6-56

  The Araneida, or Spiders.
    The tarantulas. Bird spiders. Spiders of the genus
      Latrodectus. Other venomous spiders. Summary.
  The Pedipalpida, or whip-scorpions.
  The Scorpionida, or true scorpions.
  The Solpugida, or solpugids.
  The Acarina, or mites and ticks.
  The Myriapoda, or centipedes and millipedes.
  The Hexapoda, or true insects.
    Piercing or biting insects poisonous to man.
      Hemiptera, or true bugs.
        The Notonectidae or back-swimmers. Belostomidae or giant
          water-bugs. Reduviidae, or assassin bugs. Other
          Hemiptera reported as poisonous to man.
      Diptera; the midges, mosquitoes and flies.
    Stinging insects.
      Apis mellifica, the honey bee. Other stinging forms.
    Nettling insects.
      Lepidoptera, or butterflies and moths. Relief from
        poisoning by nettling larvae.
    Vescicating insects and those possessing other poisons
      in their blood plasma. The blister beetles. Other
      cryptotoxic insects.


CHAPTER III

PARASITIC ARTHROPODS AFFECTING MAN                            57-130

  Acarina, or mites.
    The Trombidiidae, or harvest mites.
    The Ixodoidea, or ticks.
      Argasidae. Ixodidae. Treatment of tick bites.
    The mites.
      Dermanyssidae. Tarsonemidae. Sarcoptidae, the itch mites.
        Demodecidae, the follicle mites.
  Hexapoda, or true insects.
    Siphunculata, or sucking lice.
    Hemiptera.
    The bed-bug. Other bed-bugs.
  Parasitic Diptera, or flies.
    Psychodidae, or moth flies. Phlebotominae. Culicidae, or
      mosquitoes. Simuliidae, or black-flies. Chironomidae, or
      midges. Tabanidae, or horse-flies. Leptidae or
      snipe-flies. Oestridae, or bot-flies. Muscidae, the
      stable-fly and others.
  Siphonaptera, or fleas.
    The fleas affecting man, the dog, cat, and rat.
    The true chiggers, or chigoes.

CHAPTER IV

ACCIDENTAL OR FACULTATIVE PARASITES                           131-143

  Acarina, or mites.
  Myriapoda, or centipedes and millipedes.
  Lepidopterous larvae.
  Coleoptera, or beetles.
  Dipterous larvae causing myiasis.
    Piophila casei, the cheese skipper. Chrysomyia macellaria,
      the screw-worm fly. Calliphorinae, the bluebottles.
      Muscinae, the house or typhoid fly, and others.
      Anthomyiidae, the lesser house-fly and others.
      Sarcophagidae, the flesh-flies.


CHAPTER V

ARTHROPODS AS SIMPLE CARRIERS OF DISEASE                      144-163

  The house or typhoid fly as a carrier of disease.
  Stomoxys calcitrans, the stable-fly.
  Other arthropods which may serve as simple carriers of
    pathogenic organisms.


CHAPTER VI

ARTHROPODS AS DIRECT INOCULATORS OF DISEASE GERMS             164-174

  Some illustrations of direct inoculations of disease germs
    by arthropods.
  The role of fleas in the transmission of the plague.


CHAPTER VII

ARTHROPODS AS ESSENTIAL HOSTS OF PATHOGENIC ORGANISMS         175-185

  Insects as intermediate hosts of tape-worms.
  Arthropods as intermediate hosts of nematode worms.
    Filariasis and mosquitoes.
  Other nematode parasites of man and animals.


CHAPTER VIII

ARTHROPODS AS ESSENTIAL HOSTS OF PATHOGENIC PROTOZOA          186-211

  Mosquitoes and malaria.
  Mosquitoes and yellow fever.


CHAPTER IX

ARTHROPODS AS ESSENTIAL HOSTS OF PATHOGENIC PROTOZOA          212-229

  Insects and trypanosomiases.
    Fleas and lice as carriers of Trypanosoma lewisi.
    Tsetse-flies and nagana.
    Tsetse-flies and sleeping sickness in man.
    South American trypanosomiasis.
    Leishmanioses and insects.
  Ticks and diseases of man and animals.
    Cattle tick and Texas fever.
    Ticks and Rocky Mountain Spotted fever of man.


CHAPTER X

ARTHROPODS AS ESSENTIAL HOSTS OF PATHOGENIC PROTOZOA
(CONTINUED)                                                   230-240

  Arthropods and Spirochaetoses of man and animals.
    African relapsing fever of man.
    European relapsing fever.
    North African relapsing fever of man.
    Other types of relapsing fever of man.
    Spirochaetosis of fowls.
    Other spirochaete diseases of animals.
  Typhus fever and lice.


CHAPTER XI

SOME POSSIBLE, BUT IMPERFECTLY KNOWN CASES OF
ARTHROPOD TRANSMISSION OF DISEASE                             241-256

  Infantile paralysis, or acute anterior poliomyelitis.
  Pellagra. Leprosy. Verruga peruviana. Cancer.


CHAPTER XII

KEYS TO THE ARTHROPODS NOXIOUS TO MAN                         257-317

  Crustacea.
  Myriapoda, or centipedes and millipedes.
  Arachnida (Orders of).
    Acarina or ticks.
  Hexapoda (Insecta).
    Siphunculata and Hemiptera (lice and true bugs).
    Diptera (mosquitoes, midges, and flies).
    Siphonaptera (fleas).


APPENDIX

Hydrocyanic acid gas against household insects                318-320
  Proportion of ingredients. A single room as an example.
    Fumigating a large house. Precautions.

Lesions produced by the bite of the black-fly                 321-326


BIBLIOGRAPHY                                                  327-340


INDEX                                                         341-348




CHAPTER I.

INTRODUCTION

EARLY SUGGESTIONS REGARDING THE TRANSMISSION OF DISEASE BY INSECTS


Until very recent years insects and their allies have been considered as
of economic importance merely in so far as they are an annoyance or
direct menace to man, or his flocks and herds, or are injurious to his
crops. It is only within the past fifteen years that there has sprung
into prominence the knowledge that in another and much more insiduous
manner, they may be the enemy of mankind, that they may be among the
most important of the disseminators of disease. In this brief period,
such knowledge has completely revolutionized our methods of control of
certain diseases, and has become an important weapon in the fight for
the conservation of health.

It is nowhere truer than in the case under consideration that however
abrupt may be their coming into prominence, great movements and great
discoveries do not arise suddenly. Centuries ago there was suggested the
possibility that insects were concerned with the spread of disease, and
from time to time there have appeared keen suggestions and logical
hypotheses along this line, that lead us to marvel that the
establishment of the truths should have been so long delayed.

One of the earliest of these references is by the Italian physician,
Mercurialis, who lived from 1530 to 1607, during a period when Europe
was being ravaged by the dread "black death", or plague. Concerning its
transmission he wrote: "There can be no doubt that flies feed on the
internal secretions of the diseased and dying, then, flying away, they
deposit their excretions on the food in neighboring dwellings, and
persons who eat of it are thus infected."

It would be difficult to formulate more clearly this aspect of the facts
as we know them to-day, though it must always be borne in mind that we
are prone to interpret such statements in the light of present-day
knowledge. Mercurialis had no conception of the animate nature of
contagion, and his statement was little more than a lucky guess.

Much more worthy of consideration is the approval which was given to his
view by the German Jesuit, Athanasius Kircher in 1658. One cannot read
carefully his works without believing that long before Leeuwenhook's
discovery, Kircher had seen the larger species of bacteria. Moreover, he
attributed the production of disease to these organisms and formulated,
vaguely, to be sure, a theory of the animate nature of contagion. It has
taken two and a half centuries to accumulate the facts to prove his
hypothesis.

The theory of Mercurialis was not wholly lost sight of, for in the
medical literature of the eighteenth century there are scattered
references to flies as carriers of disease. Such a view seems even to
have been more or less popularly accepted, in some cases. Gudger (1910),
has pointed out that, as far back as 1769, Edward Bancroft, in "An Essay
on the Natural History of Guiana in South America," wrote concerning the
contagious skin-disease known as "Yaws": "It is usually believed that
this disorder is communicated by the flies who have been feasting on a
diseased object, to those persons who have sores, or scratches, which
are uncovered; and from many observations, I think this is not
im