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Reprinted from American Journal of Pharmacy, December, 1910. 
 
 INSECTS DESTRUCTIVE TO BOOKS * 
 
 By William R. Reinick. 
 
 Chief of the Department of Public Documents, The Free Library of 
 
 Philadelphia. 
 
 Through and through the inspired leaves, 
 
 Ye maggots, make your windings; 
 
 But oh ! respect his lordship’s taste, 
 
 And spare his golden bindings. 
 
 Robert Burns. 
 
 I have been investigating the subject, “ insects that destroy 
 books,” for a number of years ; and this paper is simply a summary 
 of a few of the facts that I have discovered and collected. No 
 attempt has been made to make it complete, either as to species of 
 insects, or subject matter under any particular group. These, in a 
 complete form, with the results of the further experiments now 
 being made to prove the theory advanced, will be published later. 
 
 Various insects have been named as the true bookworm. The 
 insect known as the cigarette beetle, Sitodrepa paniceci, is given as 
 the true bookworm by Prof. L. O. Howard, United States Ento- 
 mologist ; but if the name of “ bookworm ” is given to the insect 
 which causes the greatest destruction, then this species will have to 
 be placed quite a distance down in the list. Personally, I will not 
 try at the present time to settle the question as to the species which 
 is to be given this doubtful honor. 
 
 That a knowledge of the fact that books are destroyed by in- 
 sects is not of recent acquisition may be gathered from the writings 
 of the ancients. 
 
 The earliest reference, according to Austen, * 1 was rescued from 
 oblivion by the lad Salmasius, in. 1606, when he discovered the 
 manuscripts of the anthology of Cephalus, in the libraries of the 
 Counts Palatine, at Heidelburg. Among the fragments in this col- 
 lection- is one attributed to Evenus, the sophist-poet of Paros, who 
 wrote about 450 B.C. 
 
 Aristotle speaks of a “ little scorpion-like creature found in 
 
 * Copyrighted by the author, 1910. 
 
 1 Bookworms in fact and fancy, Popular Science Monthly , 1899, vol. 55. 
 
 S5i 
 
552 
 
 Insects Destructive to Books. { ^ecembe/mo 11 ' 
 
 books,” which was evidently a species of A carina or pseudoscor- 
 pions. Horace and Ovid also speak of the bookworm. Pliny, in 
 his “ Natural History,” has very little to say upon the subject. 
 Martial, who lived in the first, and Lucian, in the second century, 
 A.D., speak of the bookworm, and many other writers mention them; 
 but it was not until 1665, when Hook in his “ Micographia,” pub- 
 lished an account and gave an illustration of the insect, that ento- 
 mologists were enabled to determine with any accuracy the insect 
 that was named as the cause of the destruction of books. It is 
 impossible from Hook’s description to tell what species was meant ; 
 but the illustration accompanying the description shows that it must 
 have been a species of Thysanura or Collembola, commonly known 
 as the silver-fish and spring-tails. 
 
 It has been stated that more books and papers are destroyed by 
 small forms of life in one year than by fire and water combined ; 
 and, from the facts given by various writers, and the statements 
 made to me in letters by many librarians and others, especially where 
 the libraries are located in the warmer regions, I am positive that 
 this statement is true. Those in charge of collections in the temper- 
 ate regions, whose volumes are not as rapidly destroyed, are apt to 
 doubt the enormous destruction of books each year by practically 
 unseen life. 
 
 Again, that this destruction is great enough to cause alarm, is 
 indicated by the number of prizes offered by various bodies for means 
 to prevent this never-ceasing destruction. Prizes were offered by 
 the “ Royal Society at Gottingen ” in 1774, the “ International Li- 
 brary Congress ” in 1903, etc., but as yet no satisfactory results 
 have been obtained. I hope before long to be able to present to 
 the world the cause of these ravages and a means of preventing 
 them. 
 
 Those who have read articles upon the destruction of books 
 and papers by insects must have noticed that in almost all the papers 
 the author has simply stated that the insects were after the paste used 
 in the binding; and most of the prizes that have been offered from 
 time to time have the same object in view. If the paste is the 
 object of attack, why is it that photographs, which are fastened to 
 the cardboard by means of paste, are not eaten ? 
 
 Although some of these writers have stated that the bindings 
 were bored or gnawed, a gallery leading from an opening made 
 on the outside towards the interior of the book ; that the glazed sur- 
 
1 9 FA 
 
 O % hT.% t 
 
 Am. Jour. Pharm. I 
 December, 1910. ) 
 
 Insects Destructive to Books. 
 
 553 
 
 face of the paper was eaten off ; that in a few cases that portion of 
 the page which had received the impress of the printer’s ink only 
 had been eaten, making the page look as though the letters had been 
 cut out with a punch ; and again, that a cavity had been found in 
 the interior of the book, without showing by what means the insect 
 was able to obtain access : not one of them, as far as I have been 
 able to find, has reasoned upon the question that there might be other 
 causes for these ravages of the insects upon books besides the 
 hackneyed phrase, “ that they are after the paste used in the bind- 
 ing, in order to obtain the starch contained in it.” 
 
 Having read hundreds of articles and notes upon this subject, 
 and having had the pleasure, from my standpoint — but not that of 
 the librarian, of examining many hundreds of volumes of ancient 
 and recent date of publication, with bindings made of different 
 leathers, paper made of rag, wood, and other materials, my atten- 
 tion wa,s before long attracted by the fact, that in the great majority 
 of books examined no attempt was made by the insects to eat the 
 paste used in the binding, and also by the many cases in which a 
 cavity or cavities were found in the interior of the volume without 
 showing the means by which the insects obtained access thereto. 
 
 Looking at the various ways in which books were ravaged, and 
 knowing from my own studies and observations in entomology 
 that the insects have wonderful instinctive powers, which in a num- 
 ber of cases could very easily be classed as intelligence, I have come 
 to the conclusion that there must be other reasons besides the 
 desire for paste, to cause these various depredations, and I have 
 asked myself this question : “ As we know that the dog and cat, 
 when sick, look for certain herbs, grasses, and putrid animal matter, 
 being directed by their instinct to that substance which contains 
 the vegetable and mineral matter which is best suited for the par- 
 ticular ailment from which they are suffering at that particular 
 time, may not the insect, with an instinct as great if not greater, 
 have use for them for the same purpose ? ” It seems to me, that 
 the lower we go in the scale of life, according to the classification 
 of the systematists, the more wonderful are the instinctive faculties 
 of the small forms of life, and that if a classification was made 
 according to instinctive faculties, it is a question whether the ants 
 would not outrank the animals by many degrees. 
 
 The new school of medicine, in departing from the system of the 
 old, that is, that in which Hahnemann in following Paracelsus 
 
554 
 
 Insects Destructive to Books. 
 
 Am. Jour. Pharm. 
 
 December, 1910. d 
 
 claimed that certain symptoms in human beings required mineral 
 agencies and vegetable compounds in potencies equivalent to the 
 complaint, neglected to study the power of drugs, and results not 
 anticipated frequently occur, caused by not using judgment in the 
 quantity of the dose given. Those interested in finding means for 
 destroying life that is destructive, should use the means as those 
 advocated by Hahnemann in their researches. 
 
 Starting upon this theory which I contend will be found to be 
 true, when biologists, physicists and entomologists have searched 
 more deeply into the evolution of the lower forms of life, I divided 
 the books into classes according to that portion which was damaged, 
 and will describe some of the most important and name a few of the 
 insects which attack that particular group. 
 
 Paste Eaters. — Science has proved beyond doubt or question 
 that there can be no destruction of matter, only a change of form. 
 If there is no destruction of matter, then we have a demonstration 
 of the theory of the worm or larva having been attracted to the paste 
 used in the binding of the books. In the agricultural kingdom we 
 find that rye, wheat, and the various other varieties of grain are 
 constantly being damaged by the work of different species of in- 
 sects. These insects and other small life live upon the exudations 
 of plant life, and the human body is also giving off exudations in 
 the form of perspiration which is also a source of nourishment to 
 many forms of life. 
 
 We will take rye and wheat, which are principally used in paste 
 making, as an example. The whole grain is taken to the mill, 
 husked and ground, and prepared by various processes for the sus- 
 tenance of the human family. After all the processes of the miller 
 have been completed, it is barrelled or bagged and is ready for dis- 
 tribution. In the processes we find that alum has been and is still 
 being used as a whitening agency for the different grains. The 
 flour is taken into the factory apparently pure, clean, and free from 
 all forms of animated life; but in a very short time, especially if it 
 is kept in a compartment that is heated, or in a moist atmosphere, 
 and is left standing some time before being used, life is apparently 
 created in it, a puzzle to all, as to its origin and nature, and stranger 
 still, the first life noticed is always worm life. In this case it is 
 known as the “ flour-worm.” Mr. James Stone, a flour merchant 
 of Philadelphia, in reply to my questions, stated that they always 
 discovered the worms first, that they were only found in the centre 
 
555 
 
 Am. Jour. Pharm. ) 
 December, 1910. j 
 
 Insects Destructive to Books. 
 
 of the barrel, never near the sides, and that the loose flour laying 
 around the floors, of which there always was a quantity, was never 
 found to have worms in it. The lower or coarser grades which are 
 used exclusively for paste were first damaged. The finer grades 
 were more seldom found to be affected. This goes to prove my 
 theory that the life was in the flour before grinding, and that it lay 
 dormant until the proper conditions were produced, such as heat and 
 dampness. The grinding of these grains allows the gases in the air 
 to reach the particles which, to a large extent, were before protected 
 by skin or husk. These gases cause a chemical change to take 
 place, which has been little studied, and this will be found to give 
 food for forms which were heretofore in a dormant condition. 
 Many eggs of the smaller forms of life can hardly be seen, even 
 with a compound microscope. The following are some of the 
 species that may be classed as paste eaters : Pyralis farinalis, a moth, 
 and T enebroides mauritanicus, Silvanus surinamensis , Calandra gra- 
 naria, and Tenebrio molitor, all beetles. 
 
 Paper.— Paper is made from cotton, linen, hemp, rags, and 
 waste, from chemically prepared woods, from straws, from bark 
 without the wood, from wood not chemically prepared, and many 
 other substances. In a great many papers, clay and other minerals 
 are added as fillers. While we are conversant with the various 
 processes used by paper manufacturers, yet very little attention 
 has been given to the real character of life that dwells within the 
 manufactured product in its primoid state. Cotton fly is used for 
 low paper stock, and the little insect that infests the cotton boll, 
 known as the cotton weevil, sends forth its offspring under a dif- 
 ferent form, yet with all the instincts of itself. 
 
 After the paper has passed through certain stages, but not with 
 sufficient intensified heat to destroy the principle of existence, the 
 species evolutionizes into another state or mode of living. In the 
 broader conception of biological truths, ready answers are given 
 to this profound question, i.e., the origin of various forms of life, 
 and the researcher has ready for the querist the proper foundation 
 whereon to build the superstructure of that truth which the arcanum 
 of nature reveals to the desires of the mind of the scientist and 
 physicist. Too little attention has been given to the manuscript 
 notes of scientific workers, often only a line or two of their observa- 
 tions upon the small forms of life. The average scientist thinking 
 it too trivial to notice, often passes over the very observation, which 
 
55 ^ 
 
 Insects Destructive to Books. 
 
 ( Am. Jour. Pharm. 
 ( December, 1910. 
 
 is the key to the puzzle that he has been spending years in trying 
 to solve. 
 
 Paper Eaters; Wood Pulp. — A species of insect, frequently 
 found in libraries, is the Cimex lectularius , vulgarly known as the 
 “ chinch ” or “ bed-bug.” Its natural instinct leads it to wood on 
 account of certain poisons in the form of acids contained therein, 
 and certain nourishments which are of a poisonous character to the 
 human being, but beneficial and necessary to insects and worm life. 
 Where paper has been manufactured from wood pulp, containing 
 the particular acids or poisons which the “ bed-bug ” requires, there 
 you will find the insect with all its instinctive faculties. Why do 
 they live and thrive under wall paper? Many wall papers, some of 
 which are known to be a cause of illness to mankind, have large 
 quantities of arsenic, cochineal, and paris green in them. This 
 mineral compound, being changed by the continual variation of 
 temperature going on in the room, is sufficient to change the natural 
 character of the paper, and also the habits of the bugs, who are 
 thus able to obtain nourishment from the back of the paper. 
 
 Among this group may be found the following beetles : Apate 
 capucina, Xestobium tessellatum , and Lyctus unipunctatus. 
 
 Paper Eaters; Vegetable Fibres. — In the Aztecan history 
 many of the primitive documents were made from banana skin. 
 These were made to receive the imprint, just the same as paper is 
 manufactured for printing to-day. A sample of this paper was 
 placed in a perfectly sealed case, and a scholar wishing to refer to 
 it one day, upon going to the case containing the writing, was aston- 
 ished to find that all the paper had been entirely destroyed, although 
 the case was still impervious to any attack made from the outside. 
 This demonstrates how long life may be prolonged, in the sense of 
 the insects being placed away from their natural surroundings, con- 
 tinuing the life cycle whenever the proper conditions are given. 
 
 Trichophaga tapetzella, Tinea pellionclla, Tineola biselliella, and 
 Plodia inter punctella are a few of the moths that bore into paper in 
 order to obtain access to the fibres. 
 
 Paper Eaters; Mineral Fillers. — This group includes papers 
 where quantities of clay and other mineral substances have been 
 used as fillers. For an illustration we will take the character and 
 life habits of the Termites, or white ants, which are in a measure 
 destructful to material utilized in the manufacture of paper. The 
 alluvial deposits are natural to the white ant, consequently, when 
 
A December P i9io n ' } Insects Destructive to Books. 
 
 557 
 
 clay is used in the manufacture of paper, the instinct in the ant 
 leads it to feed upon that which is natural to it, especially if the 
 books have been kept in a place where it is damp. The lower 
 organic life is, but in a measure, an evolution that is manifested in 
 the higher and more complex forms of life. In the mountainous 
 region of North Carolina is found a collection of people who eat 
 large quantities of clay which is found there in abundance. These 
 creatures, the whites being designated as “ poor white trash,” and 
 the negroes as the “ blue-gummed negroes,” are addicted to the habit 
 of clay eating, and nearly all are veritable living skeletons. The 
 eyes and gums of the whites have a reddish hue, and their skins be- 
 come a dirty yellow ; and the gums and skins of the negroes take 
 on a bluish hue. This clay contains arsenic, and, instead of clay 
 eaters, they might more properly be called arsenic eaters. The 
 supply of clay for daily use is provided with more energy and pre- 
 cision than food. This clay poisons the saliva exuding from the 
 glands of the mouth, and also from the base of the teeth, and makes 
 their bite probably poisonous. 
 
 And so we see the special laws of nature by which forms of 
 low life live, actuated by the first principles of their instinct to return 
 to their primitive mode of feeding ; that is, the life that is generated 
 from the botanical kingdom, much in sympathy with the facts 
 established by Dr. Hahnemann, which verifies the principle that like 
 attracts like. 
 
 Monorium pharonis, or red ants, Termites , or white ants, are 
 found destroying paper that has clay in its composition. The first 
 named is also fond of saccharine that is found in wood fibre. 
 
 Paper Eaters; Animal Fibre, Parchment. — Insects, such as 
 roaches, which destroy parchment, are after the oils and fats which 
 are used in their preparation; for however carefully the parchment 
 may be prepared, there is always a certain amount of oil and grease 
 left in it. These oils are obtained from the plants, minerals, and 
 animals of the earth, which the roaches have always been used to ; 
 therefore, when placed in a location away from their natural food 
 supply, their instinct compels them to seek those books which have 
 the foods, etc., in their composition to which the roaches formerly 
 had access. After the processes of the manufacture of the paper 
 have been completed and it is ready for the printer, another transi- 
 tional change is nigh, due to the chemicalization of the inks that 
 are used. 
 
558 
 
 Insects Destructive to Books. { A De\»S« P m<r' 
 
 Parchment is especially eaten by the roaches, Periplaneta ameri- 
 cana, and Ectobia germanica, the crickets, Gryllus assimilis, and 
 some species of Coleoptera, or beetles. 
 
 Skin Bindings. — Bindings made of skin always have a certain 
 amount of oily or gelatinous substances in them, even though they 
 may seem perfectly dry to the observer, and these bindings are sub- 
 ject to the ravages of the insects that in their natural state go after 
 substances containing oils and greases. Leather that is perfect in its 
 external appearance, under degrees of dampness will expand, and 
 under degrees of heat will contract. The oil is hidden at the bottom, 
 and does not come to the surface until pressed out by expansion 
 caused by dampness. The skins contain the same elements in the 
 dead state as in the living, and the bindings will be attacked by the 
 same forms of life that lived upon the live animals, because they can 
 still find the mineral poisons and the alluvial substances that were 
 part of their natural food supply. Leather bindings are also subject 
 to the depredations of insects and worms which are partly after the 
 oils, acids, and fats which are in the skin, as well as from the new 
 life that has been conveyed to it by the uncleanliness in preparing 
 the leather, not including the hundreds of substances, many of them 
 poisons, especially tannic acid, used by the tanners for tanning 
 purposes, which are also attractive to other species of insects. And 
 just as the animals which eat the plants containing various chemical 
 elements thus become impregnated with acids, so will the insects liv- 
 ing upon animals and plants be found to have acids in their com- 
 positions. 
 
 The leather is destroyed by a number of species of beetles, such 
 as Lasioderma serricorne , Altagenus piceus, Dermestes lardarius, 
 and Anthrenus scrophularice. 
 
 Wood Bindings. — The beetles, Anobium hirtum and Ptilinus 
 serricornis, are found making galleries in the wooden covers of 
 books. 
 
 Poisons Used, Mineral,. — We have in the minerals of the earth 
 many poisons, one of which, arsenic, is of especial interest, as it 
 has been the established rule of the wall paper manufacturers to use 
 it in large quantities ; and this poison is one that attracts various 
 species of insects on account of its medicinal value. Just as human 
 beings take poisons in proportionate ratio to the needs of their 
 systems, and especially arsenic, for their health, so do the insects and 
 lower forms of life, which have an instinct beyond the ordinary 
 
A Decimber P i9io n ’ } Insects Destructive to Books . 
 
 559 
 
 comprehension, need it ; and they find it in the wall papers and 
 colored illustrations printed on the bindings and in books. Where 
 sulphur is used, other species will be attracted, and so on with the 
 various poisons which are used in the arts. The “ bed-bug ” also 
 finds food in the poisons used, such as arsenic, Paris green, etc. The 
 idea that this insect is found only where uncleanliness prevails has 
 long since been rejected, as it is constantly found where absolute 
 cleanliness prevails. 
 
 Flies will cling to wall paper, especially in damp weather. This 
 is due to the moisture in the atmosphere causing the poisons in the 
 paper, which flies are primarily after, to become soft enough for 
 them to eat. 
 
 Gases ; from Heat. — It is accepted as a fact by scientists to-day 
 that the nature and character of life, in the material sense of evolu- 
 tion, has for its base the heat generated by the physical sun, assisted 
 by the moisture of the atmosphere, and the darkened chambers of 
 the earth, which are necessary in the first stages of all life produc- 
 tion. Books in a very dry and warm location will be found to be 
 subject to attacks of species of Thysanura and Collembola, which are 
 naturally attracted by heat ; and, as heat rises, the books on the top 
 shelves will be found to be the ones damaged by these insects. They 
 are seldom found where it is damp. 
 
 The spring-tails, Lepidocyrtus americanns, and the silver-fish, 
 Lepisma saccharina, come under this group. 
 
 Gases; Poisonous, etc., Combined. — The tree, from which is 
 made the wood pulp used in the manufacture of paper, has its roots 
 shooting down into the bowels of the earth, and its branches and 
 leaves reaching up into the heavens. The roots are fed by a 
 varied combination of elements, mineral, gaseous, and vegetable, 
 and these elements, taken in by the roots, are by a wonderful system 
 of arteries carried into every portion of the tree, and insects are 
 thus able to get all elements that are necessary for them to sustain 
 life. The pores of the skin are the health holes of the body, and in 
 a sore, unless it is sterilized, life is bound to start, and that first life 
 again is worm, life, no matter how carefully the wound is protected 
 on the outside. If a microscope was used, the body would be found 
 to be covered with animated matter. The insects, preying upon ani- 
 mal life, are after the poisons exuded by the blood and skin. 
 
 Omnivorous. — Among the insects which can find food in all 
 portions of the books may be mentioned the beetles, Sitodrepa pani- 
 cea and Tribolium confusum. 
 
560 
 
 Insects Destructive to Books. 
 
 Am. Jour. Pharm. 
 December, 1910. 
 
 Carnivorous. — The following are some of the forms of life 
 found preying upon insects found in libraries, the centipede, Scu- 
 tigera forceps, pseudoscorpions, Bryobia proetensis and Tryoglyphus 
 longior. I believe that investigation will show that the two last 
 species are injurious to books. 
 
 Researches. — Some of the statements here made seem radical, 
 but when it is considered how little is known of the life habits of the 
 lower forms of life, on the one hand, and the facts given by the 
 few life histories that are known, on the other, it does not appear 
 to me unreasonable to place this theory before the public. Especially 
 so, as my own experiments are showing results entirely different 
 from anything hitherto published. 
 
 It is known that the eggs of the insects under adverse conditions 
 will stay fertile for long periods of time; that the eggs will also 
 stand a very high or low temperature ; and, on account of the tough- 
 ness of their skin or shell, are also able to stand a great deal of 
 handling and pressure without being crushed or broken. At an 
 institution with which I was officially connected for a number of 
 years, a lot of mosquito eggs were received from Cuba. These eggs 
 had been attached to a piece of rough blotting paper, and sent to 
 us through the mails. Upon receiving them, thinking that they 
 had been ruined by the rough handling and pressure that they must 
 have received in transit, the blotting paper was thrown aside and 
 allowed to lay exposed to the dust of the atmosphere and the rays 
 of the sun for many months. One day, in a spirit of fun, some one 
 threw the blotting paper into some water, and, to the surprise of all, 
 in a very short time, the larvae were swimming around as though 
 nothing had ever happened to them. 
 
 All plants, vegetables, trees, etc., have certain combinations of 
 chemical elements which are only found in them, as is known from 
 chemical analyses which have been made of material from them, 
 and each of these have certain forms of life which live upon them, 
 and whenever any of these trees, etc., are used in the manufacture 
 of paper and preparation of leathers, eggs of the different species 
 are most likely to be found incorporated in the material ; hyber- 
 nating, as it were, until the proper conditions through heat or 
 dampness come about, giving life to the germ within, and in a very 
 short time the little worm is enjoying life, although being evoluted 
 perhaps, later than nature intended it to be. 
 
 Again, wandering insects come into the library, and their instinct 
 
December, P mo“' } Insects Destructive to Books. 
 
 56i 
 
 tells them what books contain the particular food or medicine for 
 which they are seeking. These little insects pass through their various 
 states of evolution, with long periods of life, which are unknown to 
 the finite mind of man as to the exactness of the length of their lives, 
 and are always evoluting up to a point of superior consciousness. 
 We must give credit to the entomologists for their researches as 
 to the laying of the eggs of the winged insects, that in time, by 
 the active energies of the physical universe, produce life which be- 
 comes expressive, by a process of incubation which has been very 
 little considered. These various illustrations are exhibited to ex- 
 press the nature and character of that which has been infectious to 
 the libraries of the world. While many of them will seek for the 
 paste, it is not always that which attracts them. They are also 
 attracted by the mineral and vegetable substances found in books. 
 
 Disease Carriers. — Just as diseases are carried by flies, the 
 seeds of plants by birds and the winds, so are contagious diseases 
 carried to new locations by books and papers. Flies coming from 
 putrid matter, or from a person suffering from a contagious disease, 
 by depositing disease germs on books provide the means, if given the 
 proper conditions, of spreading these diseases to a locality where they 
 were unknown before, not to mention the possibilities of fleas, 
 germs, and bacteria. From my knowledge of the ability of bacteria 
 to attach themselves to paper, I am positive that future research 
 will show that books and papers have been the means of spreading 
 many cases of disease. The question of doing away with bank 
 notes has been agitated for years, on account of the disease germs 
 and bacteria carried on them, absorbed from the unclean hands 
 which handle them. A letter received by me from the United 
 States Bureau of Animal Industry states that, “ Several years ago, 
 however, at the request of a Representative in Congress, an examina- 
 tion was made by this bureau of a one-dollar Treasury note with 
 the view of determining the number of organisms thereon. The 
 note used for the investigation was obtained on February 3, 1904, 
 from the U. S. Treasury, having been withdrawn on that date from 
 circulation. It belonged to Series 1890, and hence had been in 
 circulation thirteen years. While the note looked very old and 
 quite soiled, one often receives notes of even worse appearance in 
 ordinary business transactions. 
 
 “ The note in question was subjected to the ordinary laboratory 
 manipulations for determining the number of micro-organisms upon 
 
562 
 
 Insects Destructive to Books. { A “eceXerfm r o m ' 
 
 it which were capable of vegetation and development, and as a result 
 of this examination it was found that there were 13,518,000 living 
 micro-organisms present on this note. These consisted principally 
 of the organisms popularly known as bacteria and fungi.” Unclean- 
 liness is more to blame than the paste in the books for insects found 
 destroying them. 
 
 The fleas, Pulex serraticcps, and other species, and the Acarina, 
 or pseudoscorpions, are also capable of carrying disease germs. 
 
 Remedies. — As far as the destruction of these insects by poison 
 is concerned, they are practically worthless, because, whenever the 
 poison is used to destroy one insect it will attract other insects that 
 have need for that poison. Uncleanliness of the human family also 
 helps to supply the needs of the bookworm. Men and women 
 do not give the proper consideration to their hands, going from the 
 dining-room into the library, either public or private. Nature, by 
 its process under the great infinite power, has supplied the skin 
 of the human body with scales and pores, and these, acting upon 
 their functional duties, are constantly discarding that which the 
 body in a healthful state does not want. In perspiration, which is 
 moisture, there is thrown from the pores of the skin a combination 
 of mineral and vegetable acids, and this may all be summed up in 
 the word “ dirt.” This combination, or dirt, contains food for a 
 number of species of insects. When the hands which are soiled 
 are laid on clean paper, some of the matter attached to the hands will 
 be left upon the paper, in this way producing food for insects. We 
 say this, because man from a material stand-point has his grosser 
 body made of matter, and matter in a concrete form is made of the 
 dust of the earth. Cleanliness in the handling of papers, books, and 
 documents will be of more value than all the poisons combined. 
 Let common-sense prevail, make sanitary rules in the home and in 
 the public library an enforced rule, and it will lessen and arrest 
 the rapid growth of the little insects which feed upon our silent 
 friends of so much value to us, besides eliminating the possibilities 
 of contagious diseases. The library of the future will be found to 
 contain lavoratories where every one wishing to make use of the 
 books in the collection will first have to thoroughly cleanse his or 
 her hands. This is a subject which should be considered in the 
 near future by the bacteriologist, as well as the entomologist, biolo- 
 gist, and general visitors to the halls of learning. 
 
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