Bednets revisited- old idea, new angle.

Bednets, especially nets impregnated with repellant or insecticide, are attracting increasing interest as a key intervention against mosquito-borne parasites. They are relatively cheap and simple to use, and if arranged correctly can give protection against mosquitoes and other nocturnal biting flies. Such ideas however, are far from new, and in this essay, Steve Lindsay and Mary Gibson review some historical highlights of bednet development.