develop improved methods for disinsecting aircraft. Theirs first effort involved burning a mixture of pyrethrum, corn stalks, and sodium nitrate in the presence of house flies. The kill was satisfactory, but too much of the insecticide was destroyed by burning. Dripping the solution on the heated surface of a hotplate gave better results, and splashing was overcome by spraying the solution on a hotplate. The heat produced a fine mist or aerosol that was 20 times more effective against house flies than the original burning method. This principle was widely used in "fogging machines" to control mosquitoes in urban areas, but it was not a practical way for disinsecting aircraft. Goodhue and Sullivan subsequently experimented with a mixture of pyrethrum, sesame oil, and Freon 12 (Dichlorodifluoromethane) placed in a 5 lb. carbon dioxide cylinder equipped with a valve and an oil burner nozzle. When the tank was inverted and the valve opened, the solution was sprayed out under the vapor pressure of Freon 12, which is 82 lbs./sq. in. at 20 deg. C. The Freon immediately evaporated and left the insecticide dispersed in the air as an aerosol. Goodhue and Sullivan now had a method of dispersing insecticides that was simple, highly effective against mosquitoes, nonflammable, and nonstaining; exactly the qualities that they were seeking in aircraft disinsection. The U.S. Patent Office subsequently granted Goodhue and Sullivan a patent (#2,321,023) on this invention which was assigned to the Secretary of Agriculture. The breadboard model, as the original patented aerosol was referred to, was excellent for demonstrations, but unsuitable for use in the field. In the jungles of the South Pacific, malaria alone incapacitated eight times as many troops as combat. Sullivan was commissioned into the U.S. Army Air Force and assigned to the Army Medical Center, Walter Reed Hospital. The commanding officer there was familiar with the aerosol development, and secured his transfer to the Aero-Medical Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to develop a suitable insecticidal aerosol container for use by troops in the field. At Wright Field, a representative of Westinghouse Electric Co. and Lt. Sullivan evolved the idea of modifying the 1-lb Freon container used for home refrigerators for use as the aerosol dispenser. The prototype was promising, but the rubber stopper that was used to seal the container between uses was found to leak. This difficulty was overcome by using a metal screw cap, and the World