The Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, JULY 30, 1908. MOSQUITOES AND MALARIA.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 417, 30 July 1908, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, JULY 30, 1908. MOSQUITOES AND MALARIA.

Count Mornek, Swedish Consul in Sydney,, who has been decorated by the King of .Italy, received the honour as a recognition of his efforts to assist the struggle against malaria in that country. He resided in Italy for two years, and fell a victim to the fever, which destroys something like 8000 lives a year. After coming to Australia, he heard of certain fish that fed on the larvae of the mosquito, which insect is recognised in Italy as the instrument of infection. Some communication between him and the Swedish Embassy at Rome followed, the result being that a shipment of native trout (glazia) and blue-eye (pseudomugel signifer) was sent to Naples. This was only accomplished alter several attempts, and through the assistance of Mr Boder, of the Nord Deutscher Lloyd, the heat of the Red Sea being a big difficulty in the way. On arrival at Naples the fish were placed in the aquarium there, and letters received subsequently gave Count Roomer to understand that the scientific experiments with them had been successful. He did not know if the Italian Government had taken the matter beyond the experimental stage. Since the fact of these fish feeding on the larvae had been referred to in the newspapers, he had received letters from Europe, Japan, America, and other parts of the world, asking for information, and giving him to understand that the matter was receiving world - wide consideration. Count Morner mentioned that he first received the information from Mr Le Souef, of the Sydney Zoological Gardens,

who also told himthat the particular kinds were to be found in the ponds in the gardens, and were very plentiful in Cook’s River. He had also been told by others subsequently that there were five other kinds of fish that had been experimented with in other parts of the world. Mr Hamilton, director of the Wellington Museum, recently informed him that experiments with the fish were to be tried in the South Island of New Zealand, where mosquitoes were very numerous, and no native trout or galaxia were to be found.