29 AUGUST 1931, Page 3

Sir Ronald Ross When Sir Ronald Ross, in 1897, discovered

that the Anopheles mosquito was the bearer of malaria germs, he conferred an incalculable benefit upon the human race. As the result of that discovery, regions once useless have been made habitable and a disease that was once fatal has been brought under control. Thus we may all join in the congratulations of his friends, who entertained Sir Ronald on August 20th, the thirty-fourth anniversary of his discovery and the fiftieth of his entrance into the Indian Medical Service. It has been related that his official chief in India thought the young surgeon too much of a crank, and urged headquarters to send him home. Fortunately, headquarters was less conservative than the old gentleman, who disliked Ross's criticism of his traditional belief in miasma as the cause of malaria. Sir Ronald retained his post and in due time the guilty mosquito was detected.