Page 73 - The Miracle in the Mosquito

A Brand-New Body

one of the plasma proteins, into fibrin.)
But the mosquito acts as if it is aware of this and injects an an-
ti-coagulant secretion into the wound from within one of its sharp
knives. Thus the enzyme in the blood is rendered ineffective and
the clotting stops.
What’s more, with this secretion the mosquito even gives a
local anaesthetic to its victim, numbing the area it cuts into.
Accordingly the victim is not aware that its skin has been cut and
its blood sucked. It is this secretion that causes an allergic reaction
in the skin and causes the skin to itch.
In the few seconds in which the above takes place, a person
cannot even realise that he has been bitten by a mosquito.
A female sucks about 2.8 mg (0.0001 ounce) of blood in one
go, and this takes about 2.5 minutes. When the sucking finishes,
the blood is sent to the midgut by suction pumps located in the
fore-section of the digestive system. The abdomen fills with blood

In a mosquito’s sucking tube there is a cutting
mechanism consisting of 6 knives. 4 of these knives
cut into the skin and the other 2 join to form a hol-
low tube, which the mosquito sticks into the tissue
it has cut and sucks out the blood.

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