[PW] A curious dye

[Peter Macinnis]

John P. Dyson wrote:
> Quoting Peter Macinnis <petermacinnis at ozemail.com.au>:
> 
>> My source is 'Scientific American, 16 March, 1859, page 240.
>>
>> A snippet reports that a chemist in Melbourne had developed a dye from
>> "those nocturnal tormentors which infest bedding in many localities,
>> have but one use, 'to teach mankind humility'."
>>
>> I assume that this refers either to fleas or to bedbugs, and I am
>> guessing that it was probably bedbugs.  I assume further that 'to teach
>> mankind humility' is a literary allusion, but it has eluded me.
>>
>> I am under the delusion that some kind soul may recognise the elusive
>> and for now, illusory allusion, and may be willing to elucidate.
>>
>> cheers
> 
> 
> Peter, check out Aristophanes' speech in Plato's _Symposium_.

Thanks, John.  I did that, and got no further ahead.  BTW, the date for 
the cited snippet was March 26, 1859, sorry for the slip of a finger.

I should also have mentioned that Googling brings up only one 
interesting site, but it is flagged as a malware site, and it is not 
cached.  From oblique looks at that, and a couple of other hints, it 
seems that the insect referred to was actually a mosquito!

I know somebody who used a combination of dry ice and warmth to attract 
and trap 7000 mosquitoes a night, so they could be homogenised and 
prospected for arbovirus outbreaks, so perhaps the recipe would now be 
feasible, if only as a by-product.

I was hoping the quote was a "justify God's ways to man" or "arma 
virumque cano" sort of line that would trigger a magical "aha!".  It 
seems that is not to be.

cheers


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