Insect Repellents Used as Skin Treatments by the Armed Forces1

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Abstract
As a result of studies made at the Orlando, Fla., laboratory of the Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine, 4 insect repellents were recommended for use by the armed forces. Three of these[long dash]dimethyl phthalate, Rutgers 612 (2-ethyl-l,3-hexane-diol), and Indalone (w-butyl mesityl oxide oxalate)[long dash]are individual compounds, and the 4th is a mixture containing 60, 20, and 20%, respectively, of these materials (6-2-2 mixture). Dimethyl phthalate is best against the common malaria mosquito, Anopheles quadrimaculatus, with an average protection time (interval between application of material and first bite) of nearly 4 hrs. in the laboratory; Rutgers 612 is best against the yellow-fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, in the laboratory and A. taeniorhynchus in the field, with 6 and 5 hrs.'' protection, respectively; and Indalone is best against the dogfly, or stablefly, Stomoxys calcitrans, with an average protection time of about 3 hrs. both in the laboratory and in the field. All of these materials gave protection for 6-10 hrs. against the southern buffalo gnat, Eusimulium pecuarum, when used on man and domestic animals. They also prevented biting by moderate populations of Culicoides spp. for at least 4 hrs.